damn...I love my history...but, damn I hate that many feel forever tied to it.

For those who don't know, I like fashion, acting and writing. I really love my style as it relates to all three of these major businesses and art forms. I love my perspective and as a teacher, I really marvel at the chance to teach, learn and or experience any of these art forms. As a student of life and the subjects life create, I can draw hordes of inspiration as I become more and more aware of what these subjects teach and say about humanity.

However, I am approaching a downfall that many artist in my shoes have approached. Well, it is not common to notice that I am a black male and there is a dilemma that makes black people in the arts either assume the role of artist or a black artist. Many will say, "who gives a damn"! I say the same thing too. However, when artists such as actors go to look for work, casting calls usually read specifically-caucasian male, african american male, japanese male...etc. etc. etc....and it makes you think, regardless of whether you feel you're an artist or black artist, how you fit into someone's art, is how they design it. If they call for black men, answer. If they call for white men, and you are not white, don't answer.

The sadness increases a little even more as you look at tv, movies and art and notice....black art in mainstream is sorely lacking. As far as movies are concerned, I must say that I am tired of talking about the same ole' same ole'. Yes Love Jones, The Wood, New Jack City, Do The Right Thing were and are classics. Anything new. Am I forever tied to my history? Is that it? Will there ever be new classics that represent black emotions? Will we ever get a banging black movie that lets black men escape to the hills of Italy for the story line? Will we ever see a movie that depicts black relationships like Nights in Rodanthe, Vicky Barcelona, or Eat, love, pray? More importantly, will black people expand their minds and open up to recieve these stories?

Please, and I say please. Its time to erase our traditional mindsets and open up for more than campfire talks about 80's hip hop, 90's films and all the historical greatness of our past. Black people please open up for the sake of black artist. Artist need fans and followers, and we need you. We need your support. Love Jones is and was great, but that was love back then. Belly depicted inner city life back then. Things have changed. And we need to see these changes. Open up and recieve these changes as they make there way into mainstream. Untie yourself from history.

I hope you recieve this message. I am reading an article in Ebony and I cant help but smile and squint at the same time. There is an article about Love Jones in it. And I am like cool. But, I am tired of expositions about our past. What about our future? And I say our future as artist and those seeking art by us is headed for doom, if we do not open up and recieve new stories, new plots, new ways of existence and new people and new faces....please...let us live!

Peace...