Shooting India Arie video today!
This was an absolutely awesome experience! I really did not expect much from a video shoot, I figured there would be a lot of video dancers and me...lol. But I met so many cool people who are really doin their thang...it was very cool. India's back up singer and his wife were in the video...he's working on his own CD and she's a dancer. Terrell Carter was part of the mix, you might know him from the Tyler Perry plays and movies...that boy can SANG, and he is TOO fine...I don't think I even realize how good looking he was until I saw his website...lol. There were many other young men and women on the move that were part of the shoot too...it was a beautiful thing.
We also got a special treat in the middle of the shoot. The amazing Jennifer Lewis stopped by (her daughter Charmaine was also in the video). She sat down with us and shared some of her wisdom of life and this business...and she had ALOT! She was exactly as you have seen her in films and TV, big, loud and fabulous, but she was also very generous and almost motherly to us. I can't even explain the positive, strong energy that she possesses...you cannot not be affected by her presence. She gathered us around in a group and told us we could ask her anything. She explained the importance of honoring our moments and living in the moment. She said if you guys are gonna dance...f***ing dance! She was like, this girl India is global, and this video is gonna be shown in Egypt and Denmark, and Norway and to take advantage of our chance to effect the world, and not to view it as a small thing, but as a privilege. She was like, "do you know how many people want to be in your spot? Everybody doesn't have what it takes to be a star". She said you can't shrink back; you have to live in your greatness. Then she said, "I'm one of the baddest Mutha F**** you're ever gonna meet! But you know what; I'm no better or worse than any of you." It was sooo empowering, just really, really amazing.
I asked her what she knows now that she wishes she would have known when she was our age. She talked about not hurting yourself, whether it is with drugs, alcohol, sex or lies. She talked about treating people right and being honest. She said that when you live in honesty on a molecular level your cells are laughing, and when you live in lies your cells are asleep and not in harmony. She believes that it is this that causes sickness and tumors and disease or Dis-Ease. I have to say that she really struck a cord with me and I was really close to tears (I'm a sap, I know!), but then they called me to do some stand in work for India. I was like, "Man! I'm gonna miss everything!" She looked at me and said, "Trust me, whatever you're supposed to get, you'll get." As annoyed as I was that I had to leave...I really believed her. She's the kind of person that just affects you.
Anyway, later that day I got an opportunity to talk to her one on one...it's weird but she seemed so I don't know, motherly and wise...I just felt like I could ask her for advice. I told her that I agreed that people were able to effect each other on this real intangible level, and I asked her what to do when you're trying to live and honest, good life and you come into contact with someone how is full of lies and dis-Ease. I asked her how to move forward when this negative person has truly affected you on this intangible level. I felt almost like a child as I looked at her with my eyes half filled with tears...she looked at me like she understood every word I was saying and every word I didn't say. She told me to honor my moments, to be hurt if I was hurt, to cry when I needed to cry and then to move the F**K on! LOL, I'm not kidding that's EXACTLY what she said. She told not to keep going back into the situation b/c that would just create more negativity....she told me to remove myself from it, live in my hurt moments, and eventually "all that sh*t would become boring and I'd move the f*ck on"...lol. Did I say how cool she was?? Did I?!?
Oh, and at one point Jennifer, Terrell, India's backup singer (I wish I could remember his name!) and I got to sing together....talk about a moment! It's funny that I would even attempt to sing with the likes of the three of them, but after her talk to us I decided that I was not going to shrink back. Now I can't SANG, but I can sing, and I decided to live in my greatness :) And when we sang the last note of His Eye Is on The Sparrow the room was silent...it was simply beautiful. Thank you Ms. Lewis, you are one of a kind!
Gosh, I met sooo many others...India's mom was so sweet (she has to be like the most supportive mom Ever), the choreographers were cool (I actually knew one of them from Danielle Eskinazi's office...small world!)...the photographers were cool (the photographer and DP both told me they'd like to do a photo shoot with me...I got to know them thanks to me agreeing to do stand in work!)...and Malcolm-Jamal Warner came through and actually joined us in the video shoot.
Great day, great energy, great people, great time! God is sooooo good :)
Out little song fest. We sang 'His Eye is On the Sparrow' and Aretha's 'Think'. Did I say that was awesome :)?
Jennifer and I
Terrell and I
Me and India during my stand-in work
Malcolm & I
India's back up singer (I wish I could remember his name! He was such a cool guy!), his Lovely wife and I
Cool folks from the shoot. Look out for them, they're doing they their thang!
This was an absolutely awesome experience! I really did not expect much from a video shoot, I figured there would be a lot of video dancers and me...lol. But I met so many cool people who are really doin their thang...it was very cool. India's back up singer and his wife were in the video...he's working on his own CD and she's a dancer. Terrell Carter was part of the mix, you might know him from the Tyler Perry plays and movies...that boy can SANG, and he is TOO fine...I don't think I even realize how good looking he was until I saw his website...lol. There were many other young men and women on the move that were part of the shoot too...it was a beautiful thing.
We also got a special treat in the middle of the shoot. The amazing Jennifer Lewis stopped by (her daughter Charmaine was also in the video). She sat down with us and shared some of her wisdom of life and this business...and she had ALOT! She was exactly as you have seen her in films and TV, big, loud and fabulous, but she was also very generous and almost motherly to us. I can't even explain the positive, strong energy that she possesses...you cannot not be affected by her presence. She gathered us around in a group and told us we could ask her anything. She explained the importance of honoring our moments and living in the moment. She said if you guys are gonna dance...f***ing dance! She was like, this girl India is global, and this video is gonna be shown in Egypt and Denmark, and Norway and to take advantage of our chance to effect the world, and not to view it as a small thing, but as a privilege. She was like, "do you know how many people want to be in your spot? Everybody doesn't have what it takes to be a star". She said you can't shrink back; you have to live in your greatness. Then she said, "I'm one of the baddest Mutha F**** you're ever gonna meet! But you know what; I'm no better or worse than any of you." It was sooo empowering, just really, really amazing.
I asked her what she knows now that she wishes she would have known when she was our age. She talked about not hurting yourself, whether it is with drugs, alcohol, sex or lies. She talked about treating people right and being honest. She said that when you live in honesty on a molecular level your cells are laughing, and when you live in lies your cells are asleep and not in harmony. She believes that it is this that causes sickness and tumors and disease or Dis-Ease. I have to say that she really struck a cord with me and I was really close to tears (I'm a sap, I know!), but then they called me to do some stand in work for India. I was like, "Man! I'm gonna miss everything!" She looked at me and said, "Trust me, whatever you're supposed to get, you'll get." As annoyed as I was that I had to leave...I really believed her. She's the kind of person that just affects you.
Anyway, later that day I got an opportunity to talk to her one on one...it's weird but she seemed so I don't know, motherly and wise...I just felt like I could ask her for advice. I told her that I agreed that people were able to effect each other on this real intangible level, and I asked her what to do when you're trying to live and honest, good life and you come into contact with someone how is full of lies and dis-Ease. I asked her how to move forward when this negative person has truly affected you on this intangible level. I felt almost like a child as I looked at her with my eyes half filled with tears...she looked at me like she understood every word I was saying and every word I didn't say. She told me to honor my moments, to be hurt if I was hurt, to cry when I needed to cry and then to move the F**K on! LOL, I'm not kidding that's EXACTLY what she said. She told not to keep going back into the situation b/c that would just create more negativity....she told me to remove myself from it, live in my hurt moments, and eventually "all that sh*t would become boring and I'd move the f*ck on"...lol. Did I say how cool she was?? Did I?!?
Oh, and at one point Jennifer, Terrell, India's backup singer (I wish I could remember his name!) and I got to sing together....talk about a moment! It's funny that I would even attempt to sing with the likes of the three of them, but after her talk to us I decided that I was not going to shrink back. Now I can't SANG, but I can sing, and I decided to live in my greatness :) And when we sang the last note of His Eye Is on The Sparrow the room was silent...it was simply beautiful. Thank you Ms. Lewis, you are one of a kind!
Gosh, I met sooo many others...India's mom was so sweet (she has to be like the most supportive mom Ever), the choreographers were cool (I actually knew one of them from Danielle Eskinazi's office...small world!)...the photographers were cool (the photographer and DP both told me they'd like to do a photo shoot with me...I got to know them thanks to me agreeing to do stand in work!)...and Malcolm-Jamal Warner came through and actually joined us in the video shoot.
Great day, great energy, great people, great time! God is sooooo good :)
Out little song fest. We sang 'His Eye is On the Sparrow' and Aretha's 'Think'. Did I say that was awesome :)?
Jennifer and I
Terrell and I
Me and India during my stand-in work
Malcolm & I
India's back up singer (I wish I could remember his name! He was such a cool guy!), his Lovely wife and I
Cool folks from the shoot. Look out for them, they're doing they their thang!
posted by Jillian at 9:44 PM
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