All FAIM Updates now at www.houseoffaim.com

See new photos, videos, and style updates along with Open Calls and feature articles at
www.houseoffaim.com

FAIM is expanding and you're invited!

It's been over 2 years and now, we are moving into a new stage of production. Open positions will include:
writers
photographers
graphic designers
models
stylists
videographers
and promoters

Info meeting coming in May 2011!

3 FAIM Events You Can't Miss Before 2010 is Over!

1. FAIM Winter Clothing Drive: Part One-The Drop-Off
On Saturday, December 11th from 12-3pm, volunteers are needed to help distribute flyers door-to-door, informing the St. Albans community of the FAIM Winter Clothing Drive and Fundraiser to benefit the African Center for Community Empowerment (ACCE), Community Awareness for a Smarter Tomorrow (CAST) and the Fashion Art Interactivity Movement (FAIM).

The idea is to make it convenient for people to support the efforts by providing a large bag attached to the flyer and then returning to pick up one week later on Saturday, December 18th. Then, local designers and stylists will be invited to compete in a Styling Competition to take place in January 2011, where they will be challenged to create looks from the clothes and judged by a live audience. FAIM will host a sample sale following the competition and guests can receive styling tips as they purchase the used clothes. Proceeds from these events will help offset operating and program costs for ACCE, CAST and FAIM.

Supporters may also drop off their donations at ACCE, 111-20 Farmers Blvd, St. Albans, 11412 on Saturday, December 11th.
To get involved as a volunteer, driver, model, stylist, designer or in another way email:
jocelyn@jgoodecreative.com



2. Film Screening of Operation Small Axe
On Sunday, December 12th at the African Center for Community Empowerment from 3-6pm Bay Area journalist and filmmaker JR Valrey will show his latest documentary, Operation Small Axe. FAIM is hosting the event with a Q & A session to follow the screening.
The suggested donation is 1 bag of clean, new, used, undamaged clothing, coats and shoes to support FAIM's Winter Clothing Drive and/or a monetary donation of $7.

111-20 Farmers Blvd, Saint Albans, Queens 11412
E train to Jamaica Center, Q83 to 111th Ave
F train to 179th St., Q3 to 111th Ave

The San Francisco Bayview newspaper wrote this about the film:
"“Operation Small Axe” takes a raw and unflinching look at life under police terrorism in Oakland, drawing parallels with the struggles against oppression in Palestine and South Africa. Through the stories of Oscar Grant and Lovelle Mixon, the film focuses on the occupation of Oakland’s communities of color by militarized and racist police forces.

Oscar Grant was shot in the back and killed by Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer Johannes Mehserle on Jan. 1 of this year. On March 21, Lovelle Mixon was killed by Oakland police after having allegedly shot five OPD officers, killing four.

The film, now debuting to rave reviews around the Bay Area, is directed and produced by 393 Films’ Adimu Madyun, edited by Angela N. Carroll, with camera work by Hooker Boy, Angela N. Carroll, Siraj Fowler and Adimu Madyun. Prisoners of Conscience Committee Minister of Information JR is the executive producer.

Watch this “Operation Small Axe” trailer for a taste of the bitter but little known war waged daily on the streets of Black and Brown Oakland by the police against the people. Now that the judge has ordered the murder trial moved out of Oakland of the cop who killed Oscar Grant in cold blood two hours into the 2009 New Year on a BART platform in front of hundreds of horrified passengers, this film will inform all Californians why justice for Oscar Grant is imperative."

For more information visit www.blockreportradio.com or email jocelyn@jgoodecreative.com

3. FAIM Winter Clothing Drive: Part Two-The Pick-Up
On Saturday, December 18th, from 12-3pm. Volunteers are needed to help collect donations of new, used, clean and undamaged clothing, coats and shoes in St. Albans, Queens.
Supporters may also drop off their donations at ACCE, 111-20 Farmers Blvd, St. Albans, 11412 on Saturday, December 11th.
To get involved as a volunteer, driver, model, stylist, designer or in another way email:
jocelyn@jgoodecreative.com

FAIM Events coming in early 2011
* FAIM new website launch
* Model, Stylist and Designer Open Call
* Styling Competition and Sample Sale
* Creative Entrepreneur Conference

Queens Artist Jocelyn M. Goode Brings The Community Together In An Upcoming Art Exhibition Premiere Event

MEDIA RELEASE:


Saint Albans, NY (November 10, 2010)--On Saturday, November 20th, from 4-7pm, artist Jocelyn M. Goode will host the premiere exhibition event for her new painting series, “Concerning The Crack”. The eight piece collection was created in part from a grant awarded to Goode in January 2010 by the Queens Council on the Arts. “Concerning The Crack” explores the generational gap in the African-American community between people 21 years-old and younger and 40 years-old and older. Using photography, typography and painting, Goode fuses together the images and words of people in her community. Young and old participated in the project by agreeing to be photographed and interviewed about their opinions of problems facing the Black community and how the Crack Epidemic and the Technological Revolution have affected inter-generational relationships. Each painting is 36” x48”, completed in acrylic paint with printed page pieces of stylized type.

The free exhibition will also include an artist talk and an afterparty with guest performances by “The Rockout King” DJ Sylk, singer ArinMaya, emerging poet Poetic Flow and dancer Delicia Davis Burrell. “I want this to be more than a show where people just look at art. I want it to be a community gathering where we can break bread and enjoy the culture around us”, says Goode of her show, which she has designed to cater to an audience that may be unfamiliar with art openings. Food will be provided at the conclusion of the event and guests will have the opportunity to show their support by making a donation to the on-going fundraising Goode must do to continue to put on community art events. Local businesses such as By The Rock Pizza and Gyro and Positive Images by Joan along with individuals on Farmers Blvd. gave over $125 in one week to help off-set the exhibition’s expenses.

The African Center for Community Empowerment (ACCE) located at 111-20 Farmers Blvd has been one of Goode’s key parners and has donated their space for the event. “Concerning The Crack” will be second art show held at the Center, which provides an afterschool program to neighborhood youth diring the week. Last August, Ben Rowe advised by Goode, completed a mural on the side of the ACCE building. This event is just the beginning of other creative initiatives artist Jocelyn M. Goode has in store to revive St. Albans’ legacy of artistic greatness.

To explore the history and intention of “Concerning The Crack” futher, visit www.concerningthecrack.com

8-year-old Web Designers with a Mission

photos and story by Jocelyn M. Goode
(r to l: Najma, Olu, Micah, Rashawn and Ms. Ivonne Cintron)

There is a belief that children are becoming smarter with every generation and know more at a younger age than the kids of the era before. This thought is evidenced by a class of elementary school students who, in one semester, learned the basics of web design and created sites to inform the masses about issues that concern them.

Meet Rashawn, 9, Najma, 8, Micah, 9 and Olu, 8. They are fourth grade students at the Community Partnership Charter School in Brooklyn, New York. As member of the Senior Academy, the kids had a choice of co-curricular classes which included over a dozen selections such as Capoeira Angola, yoga and cooking. They chose web design. Their instructor, Ivonne Cintron taught their class key components to building a website, while the students researched subjects and gathered facts. The culmination of the course was to put together a live, functioning website.

In the following interview, read in the words of these youth about why they chose to study web design and how they came to identify the issues of importance, to share with the world.

FAIM: Why are you interested in web design?
Rashawn: I like to learn new things.
Najma: You decide what you want to show.
Rashawn: I want people to notice me; I only have a little bit of friends, maybe I can make more...
Micah: I want people to know me, I want to express myself because there are things inside my heart and I want people to know it to make the world better.
Olu: I saw a lot of websites on the internet and I wanted to see if I could make one.
Najma: It involves using the computer and I use the computer all the time.

Micah, 9 years old

FAIM: What subject did you pick for your website and why?
Micah: My subject is about Haiti because Haiti is destroyed. Even though we're not in that country, we can help them. My friend Senai, her grandfather died in the earthquake and I wanted to help her because she never got to meet him. A lot of people died and what if that happened here and no one helped us?
Rashawn: We focused on gang violence and how bad it is because a lot of people get hurt and killed. Around my neighborhood when I was younger, people used to fight and I got scared. So when I chose this subject, I thought of the fights. I wanted to warn people that if they joined gangs and started fights, they might be wanted as a criminal when they grow up.

Najma, 8 years old

Najma: My topic is endangered animals. I chose it because it's a subject that people don't talk about that much and so I decided to put it as a website so people would realize its a serious thing.

Rashawn, 9 years old and Olu, 8 years old

FAIM: What do you want to happen now that the site is done?
Olu: I want people to see it and spread the word. Then maybe I'll make another one.
Micah: I want people to see it and take the advice like have bake sales to raise money and try to ship it and spread the word so everybody could know about it.
Olu: Don't join gangs because there are 30,000-35,000 members. If you don't want that number to increase, people shouldn't join or else someone you know may suffer.
Rashawn: There's a lot of gang violence and more people are joining gangs...I was hoping to stop the rivalry between the Crips and the Bloods because they have been fighting ever since...

FAIM: What does the future for web design hold for you?
Rashawn: In my future, maybe I'll make a website about how to make the world a better place, like stop littering and wasting paper because paper comes from trees and if we don't have trees, we die.
Micah: I see in my future, I'll make more websites and the world will be a better place like it was before.
Najma: I see in my future that web design isn't gonna become my job but I can still do it now and then.
Olu: I might do it again when I have technology class.

To see Micah's website to promote Haiti relief visit: http://cpcsschool.weebly.com/
For Najma's website about endangered animals, click here: http://cpcswebdesign.weebly.com/
Rashawn and Olu worked together to make a website about gang violence:http://webdesignacademy.weebly.com/

After a Talk with God: ArinMaya on Her Gift

story by Jocelyn M. Goode
images from www.arinmaya.com

"There is a knowing I have inside me, a beating of heart as rhythms roam free..." --from the song "Once" by ArinMaya

At some point or another, a moment arrives in the life of a creative person when s/he must acknowledge the blessing of having talent. An inexplicable urgency exists that makes one create, connect and continue, even when the reasons why are not exactly clear. The result is something unique and amazing that touches others in a way that can only be explained as divine. And at that time, some realize that they must be grateful.

FAIM Internet Magazine had an enlightening conversation with singer and songwriter ArinMaya about her journey of self-realization as an artist. On May 4, 2010, she released her newest EP, The Sound of ArinMaya, which is a series of tracks that showcase the creative range of this up-n-coming songstress who cannot be boxed by categories. Electrobeat-spiritsoul-indie-jazz, her music weaves elements of all those genres, making a sound that is inspiring and uplifting. This album, which is available as a free download at http://arinmaya.bandcamp.com, came together after a process of soul searching, trusting in self, and having a talk with God.

The Beginning
Here's how it all started: ArinMaya, a Chicago native, grew up listening to music. As a high school student, she also spent a great deal of time writing poetry and developing spiritually. She was very active in her church and some of her first singing experiences happened there. While she has always loved to sing, she never considered herself to have a great voice; she never considered herself "gifted". However, after graduating from Howard University and working for a corporate book publisher, ArinMaya had a nagging feeling that could not be ignored. Something was amiss in her life. It was then that she and her Creator conversed and He told her that if she was not going to use her gift, that she would lose it.
In Her Words
FAIM: What is your gift?
AM: The voice that I'm blessed with; it's a powerful voice in terms of it's heft and timber...also being an encouraging ear, I try to be that because so often people get discouraged...Outlook is a powerful part of my gift that I want to share; my relationship with God has affected my outlook on the world...

FAIM: How did you come to recognize it?
AM: By getting more comfortable with my voice, through singing, hearing myself sing and seeing people hear my voice. Sometimes, thinking about it too much, I wasn't able to give my best...now it about establishing a connection with an audience by being comfortable with my voice without expecting it to be something else.
FAIM: What are you supposed to do with your gift?
AM: Trust it. Taking advantage of the gift--the moments of clarity when they strike, trusting that what I want to do is what God wants. There is a sense of urgency when there is trust. The song "Lemondrops" came from sitting around waiting for an open mike to start at a cafe in Paris. I just wrote...I want to create and focus on making my gift greater... I want to write a song about listening to ourselves, both the vocal self and the inner self.

FAIM: What do you do to maintain your gift?
AM: I'm particular about what comes into my psyche. I watch what I take in...I don't listen to things that are negative, I watch what comes into my ears and eyes. I'm health conscious...things that do not agree with me, I just don't do...

FAIM: What have been some of your greatest epiphanies during your journey?
AM: The value of being alone. It's ok to not have company. We miss out on moments of freedom because we don't do if we don't have company...Also, the shackles of a 9-5 put me in a box. I feel like He has never failed me yet, and I don't think He will, somehow I'm ok. I'm more financially comfortable than I've ever been even though I made more money with a 9-5 when I had a salary and benefits. I don't have a salary now, I don't have benefits. But I promise, if you follow your heart, you will get what you need.

FAIM: What do you think life would be like if you lost your gift?
AM: The little girl in me says, "I would just have to get another gift!" I'd still be writing but I'd have to find another outlet...

Here and Now
ArinMaya describes her E.P as a Christmas gift from God. She said the songs kept knocking at her door and she produced them inspired by Stevie Wonder, Bobby McFerrin, South African music and Sweet Honey and the Rock . For ArinMaya, "music is not about creating a feeling, but being in a feeling and manifesting it through lyrics and melody."

For the listeners, she hopes that they feel empowered and understood after hearing her music. She wants them to do what they want to do, in a positive way. In ArinMaya's words, "to feel good with where you are, like, I can move past this, I'm ok."

To see her perform live, come to Le Grand Dakar restaurant on Saturday, May 22nd at 8pm, 285 Grand Ave (between Clifton Pl & Lafayette Ave) Brooklyn, NY 11238. The event is free and accessible via subway by taking the G train to Classon or the B38 bus to Grand Ave. ArinMaya will be accompanied by her guitarist, Nicholas Cassarino. To learn more about ArinMaya and to download her album, visit www.arinmaya.com
"I believe that everybody will be happier if they discover their passion and follow it."-ArinMaya

Who is Beyond Sensational? Meet Taela Naomi

by Jocelyn M. Goode photos courtesy of Taela Naomi Brooks

The word sensational means stimulating, causing interest or excitement but temporarily and by superficial means. Well, Taela Naomi Brooks is by all definitions interesting and exciting but she is sincere, intelligent, grounded and a starlet that will be around for years. The 25-year old Brooklyn native is a finalist in the "Be Sensational" competition to win a spot on the hit Broadway musical "Chicago". Taela was the only finalist chosen after a live audition judged by actor Mario Lopez and Destiny's Child singer Michelle Williams, who currently plays Roxie in the show. Now she needs the people's support to land the walk-on role and to get one step closer to fulfilling her dreams.

FAIM Internet Magazine had the pleasure of interviewing Taela Naomi to learn about her journey as a performer. She definitely deserves the support to go the next level. Read the below interview to find out why she is beyond sensational...

FAIM: How long have you been a performer?
TN: I’ve been performing since I began creative movement classes at age 3.

FAIM:What styles of performance do you have expertise in?
TN: I have studied ballet, tap, hip-hop, modern, contemporary, theater, and jazz. Musical theater has become my area of interest and versatility is important since every show calls for a different technique.

FAIM: What productions have you participated in already?
TN: I have performed in Dreamgirls (with Jennifer Holliday), The Producers, High School Musical 2, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Crazy For You. I have performed on stage with the Black Eyed Peas, and modeled for L’Oreal, Ed Hardy and Sony. I was also a principal dancer with Naganuma Dance, a contemporary dance company based in New York City for 2 years.

FAIM: Who would you love to share the stage with?

TN: I would love to share the stage with Beyonce! Her choreography is always fierce.

FAIM: What has been your greatest obstacle and how are you overcoming it?
TN: My greatest obstacle has been remaining focused in such an unstable industry. Once a show is over it is always back to auditioning and striving for what comes next. I practice my art regularly even when I’m not performing and whenever I dance I know it’s my calling and I feel newly inspired.

FAIM: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
TN: In 5 years I see myself playing Velma in Chicago on Broadway.

FAIM: What has been your greatest accomplishment so far and why?
TN: My greatest accomplishment so far has been remaining true to my hopes and dreams and never giving up. All my other accomplishments happened simply because of my unrelenting determination.

FAIM: What is your dream role?
TN: My dream role is Velma in Chicago. I love her determination and feisty character. Fosse’s choreography is my favorite to perform also!

FAIM: What is something surprising you have learned about the industry that you wish you knew before you got started?
TN: I wish I had realized that I wanted to go into musical theater earlier! I would have taken up singing lessons. I always loved dance and trained to be a dancer but only realized that I wanted to sing after college.

FAIM: What have you had to sacrifice to get to this level?
TN: I’ve had to sacrifice the sanity of a stable, routine lifestyle. My career takes me all over the country and the world which is exciting but also inhibits me from ever feeling truly at home.

FAIM: Do you have any regrets?
TN: I have no regrets because I always give my all and am living for my dreams.

FAIM: What is the difference between your real life personality and your stage personality?
TN: In real life I am sometimes shy and quiet. On stage there is no room for humility. My stage personality is large and loud.

FAIM: Where do you draw your inspiration from?
TN: I draw inspiration from great choreographers like Bob Fosse and Jerome Robbins and amazing singers like Jennifer Holliday. They are true masters of their craft.

FAIM: What was your most embarrassing stage moment?
TN: My most embarrassing stage moment was tripping to the point of nearly falling during my big entrance! That happened while I was still in college.

FAIM: What advice do you have for other aspiring performers?
TN: My best advice to other performers is to never give up. Those who succeed at anything are those who see their dream and stick with it. See as many great performances as you can to stay inspired. Practice your art and learn impeccable technique.

FAIM: What can readers do to support you?
TN: You can visit www.besensationalandwin.com and vote for me once a day from now till this Friday, May 7th to help me win a spot in Chicago. Also check out my website, www.taelanaomi.com to keep updated on my upcoming performances!

FAIM: When do you learn the results for this competition?
TN: Results are revealed on May 22nd. Fingers crossed!

FAIM: What is the one thing you want people to remember you for?
TN: I want people to remember me for my elegance and commanding stage presence. I want to be an agent in the magical experience that theater is supposed to invoke.


Check her out here!
and vote everyday until May 7th at www.besensationalandwin.com to help her win!