Jeremy Johnson, An American singer, song writer and author of the insightful, new book INTIMACY FROM HIS VIEW What Black Men Have To Say About Intimacy, is ecstatic to have been selected as one of several guest panelists who will present for the “Lift Every Voice” Literary Cafe which will be moderated by Eddie S. Pierce Jr., Saturday, September 4, 2021. See flyer for full details and mark your calendars as this is sure to be an event you will not want to miss.
Jeremy Johnson, The author of Intimacy From His View Author-What Black Men Have to Say About Intimacy, which is currently available on Amazon and Kindle(amzn.to/2RYVpQa), is back with yet another quick and “edutaining” read. His most recent article, “From Covid to Recovery, One Man’s Determination to Kick the Corona Virus Ass” published in The Unleashed Voice Magazine (TUV) highlights Johnson’s personal battle with COVID-19 and his struggle to overcome the debilitating virus. View the full article on page 9.
Like and Support TUV Magazine @ http://www.tuvmag.com
From the African American Public Radio Consortium, Board Certified physician, Dr. Veita Bland’s 30 minute interview with Author, Jeremy Johnson.
I recently read a quote credited to Martin Luther, that suggests, “If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write.” As a child, I remember my father telling me, “Son, always have a pen in your possession.” At that time, I didn’t quite understand the gravity of his words. For all I cared, back then, my father was just some blubbering, old man just talkin’ to be talkin.’ I wasn’t thinking about a pen, paper, or writing for that matter. Like many young boys my age, I just wanted to go outside and play.
And then, I turned thirteen. I’m not exactly sure what transpired. I mean, yeah, there was puberty, but emotionally, spiritually, and artistically, I was being pulled in a direction from which I could not escape. To my knowledge, I didn’t ask to be pulled in this direction; neither did I understand completely what was happening. All I can tell you is that pen thing that my father would say, started to make a little more sense. Some of you may be asking, “what the hell was so significant about thirteen?” Well, age 13, was the year I discovered my love and passion for songwriting. From what I recollect, I was a young, inquisitive, and academically focused young man who would slowly begin to recognize that I had a gift for stringing words together and making them sound like melodies from heaven.
So, my indie artsy-artists, this week, I would like to pass along the same suggestion that was given to me so many years ago. ALWAYS have a pen in your possession. Yes, you can also have your 5-G powered cellphone handy, but in the event that a test of the Emergency Broadcast System goes into effect, and you lose the functionality of your cellular devices for however long it is decided that you should remain off the grid while that little test is being run, guess what? You have a solid, fool-proof backup plan. YOUR PEN.
Why is this so important? I’m glad you asked. It’s important, my indie artsy-artists because you can’t afford to miss a single idea. You can’t afford to bypass or neglect divine inspiration. You think that little voice that whispers in your ears, and causes you to look around and make sure no one is judging the crazy motion you just made because it startled you, is a coincidence? You think those goosebumps that flood your arms and stirs your soul with a life-giving, world-changing message is by accident? Let me tell you. It’s NOT! It’s quite purposeful and YOU being chosen to bring forth a much-needed word is part of the Universe’s beautiful, tapestry design.
You must not allow the world’s next greatest lyrics to slip from your fingertips or your gifted lips. It’s important to have a pen handy because you have been sent here with a purpose and that purpose can only be fulfilled when you are fully equipped and ready for service. Throughout history, the sword has been used to inflict wounds and even cause mass death. It is indeed a mighty, mighty weapon. But, my beautiful indie artsy-artists, you should know that the pen is mightier. The words you write with your pen can result in death, and just as easily they can create and sustain life. American singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie wrote, “Some will rob you with a six-gun, And some with a fountain pen.” You don’t want to be that artist whose moment of inspiration evaporates into the wind before you have the moment to pen it down. I’ll close with the words of John Greenleaf Whittier, “For all sad words or tongue and pen, The saddest of these, “It might have been.” MESSAGE!
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I recently read a quote that said, “If you have to brag about all of the material things in your life, there probably isn’t much else to it.” I mean, we all can be guilty of bragging a bit here and there. We love to show off our new car, our new house, new chain, and shit like that. Partly because we are proud to have been able to acquire that new “thing,” and partly because, well, we like the attention and validation that we get from others (even if we say we don’t). Do we really need validation from others? NO. Not really. But that still doesn’t change the fact that we like to have it.
So, this whole notion of excessive spending, what is it all about? Writer Shahram Heshmat, outlines a few of the causes in his blog, “10 Reasons Why People Spend Too Much Money.” I’m not about to sit here and recap all ten reasons, but I find a few of them very interesting.
Alright, my indie artsy-artists, this is where you’re gonna really want to make sure you’re paying attention, so as not to develop or further develop any of these bad habits. Heshmat suggests that one reason for excessive spending is the notion of present bias. This involves “disregarding our longer-term interests in favor of immediate gratification.” In other words, rather than saving for that house, taking luxury vacation trips here and now is the order of the day. Another reason for our spend, spend, spend pattern is that many of us are low on will power. We simply lack applying purposeful control over our impulsive behaviors. For the complete list of reasons Heshmat mentions, check out his article (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/science-choice/201801/10-reasons-why-people-spend-too-much).
But check it my little indie artsy-artists, there is absolutely nothing wrong with treating yourself every now and again. Truthfully, as artists, you have to, and are pretty much expected, to have some style about yourself, especially when it comes to your dress swag. Great news! You don’t have to break the bank when it comes to styling. Let me show you how to work it; how to look “Fabulous4Le$$.”
1. Thrift Shops
Disregard what you think you know about thrift shops and take your ass on down there to the goodwill. You will be surprised at the many steals and deals you can wheel. For instance, baby, when I tell you that my newest cherry red blazer was all of $5.99, but I wear it and make it look like it cost a Million Bucks, that’s what the fux I mean. Thrift shop, mutha fuckahs. Go!
2. Consignment Shops
I can hear some of you right now, “Ain’t that the same thing as a thrift shop.” No, Boo Boo Kitty. While thrift shops primarily receive donations and accept virtually everything from garments with holes in them to “soled-out” shoes, consignment shops are a lot more selective about what they take in. The selections from which you get to choose, my dear indie artsy-artists are a lot more varied. While the prices can be a bit more expensive than thrift shop prices, on average, there is still a considerable chance for you to come out looking Fabulous4le$$.
3. Ebay and Craigslist
Yes, there are a lot of creeps on Craigslist, but then, truthfully, there’s creeps at the gym, in church, the corner store and virtually, and I do mean virtually anywhere else you can think of. But all creeps aside, you can walk away with some pretty sweet deals by scouring the clothing section of Craigslist, or doing a search for clothing, shoes and accessories on Ebay. The cool thing about this platform is that you can bid what’s comfortable for your budget and you don’t have to feel any pressure to budge beyond what you desire to pay. Can you say, Fabuloooousss?
4. Wait for the Sales
Some of us have this, “I have to have it right now” mentality. No, you don’t. The only thing you really need right now is air. I mean, yeah, we need food and shelter, but you get my point. Hey indie artsy-artist, listen to me. Wait for the sale. As a former retail salesperson, I often think about how much money is made off of people who simply do not exercise patience. I look at people like that and think, “Yes, bitch, we’re wearing the same pair of jeans. The only difference is, I got mine at 50% off! A little waiting ain’t never killed nobody; except for maybe the people who feel like they need the vaccine. Let me not speak on that too much. That is a sensitive matter.
5. Pay With Cash
Now y’all know, we love whipping out that little plastic, flat dick at any given moment. Yep, we’ll take our dick out in restaurants, at the mall, at the grocery store, even in church. OH MY! Not the flat plastic dick. Yes, I’m talking about our credit card. And the reason I’m calling it the flat, plastic penis is because it FUCKS us every time. Yes, you whip that shit out and go to sticking it in this slot over here and this slot over there, and before you know it, you’ve fucked yourself into a huge financial hole. My advice is to exercise a little prudence and pay with cash. This eliminates the need to worry about high ass, unnecessary ass interest rates. Same merchandise, you just saved yourself a little money. And trust me, my indie artsy-artists babies, the money that you save on looking fabulous will be well spent on other parts of your artistic journey.
Looking fabulous is just one small aspect of your indie artistry. Baby, we still have to talk about; cutting records, marketing and promotions, touring, and so much more. You don’t have to take my advice, but you’d almost be silly not to. Trust me when I tell you, nobody really cares about how much you paid for your Rolex; especially when A.) You’re making payments on it, and B.) a picture on the internet reveals you at home eatin’ Ramen noodles in the living room with no furniture. Boi Stop and Gyrl bye. If you need help workin’ that thang out, give me a shout, and I’m more than happy to show you how it’s done, because I’m the king of bragging when it comes to looking Fabulous4le$$, and ain’t no shame in my game, herney!
Mark your Calendars everyone. This is one show you do not want to miss. I have the honor of being Imani Vanzap’s special guest this Thursday. Sometimes, we all could use some help to “FIX OUR SHIT!”
