So....I get a phone call and its Diva.
She tells me that for a shoot we did 2 weeks ago, we were supposed to be paid $200. The director told us the girl lost her job and could only pay $400. He gave us $70 each, paid the photographer $100 and took $100. Come to find out...she really paid $600. He took $300!!! What did he do for $300, you ask? Well, he ate food, tried to sneak a peek of the model in her underwear, and made random comments....
I'm so pissed, I start cussing in the streets. How dare he?!
Then, the photographer he works with says oh...he's looking to get a new team because we are a bunch of bitches and he can get artists that look better and do better work.
I told Diva...I feel like decking dude in his jaw. She was like...Damn Ni, you're the quiet storm. He looks at me like I'm loud and at the stylist like she's emotional. You seem like the passive one but you're not. I peeped you. You're the type to scheme revenge.
True.
Lol.
I'm just mad...it would've been an extra $130 in my pocket! $130 that I stood on my feet and laboured for in the heat.
She was like, "Nah, Nina, we can't worry about it. He's gonna get his. God don't take too kindly with anyone messing with his babies!"
In this industry, reputation is everything. He tarnished his...early!
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Smoke then Fire
I have an anger inside of me that I'm trying to control. Its hard. I want to smash a couple of people's faces in.
#1. Yesterday, my friend showed at a gallery. It was a benefit for a photographer who is losing her sight due to a rare blood disease.
I should've known it wasn't for me. As I walked into the elevator to go up to the space, a woman was on the elevator with some crazy lashes. She had on a long dress with a fishnet stripe going around it. She wasn't wearing any underwear and you could see her flat butt. It was disturbing. She was nice though. So, I go up and my friend is a painter and jewelry designer. She had her pieces out on a table and her paintings on the wall. Gorgeous pieces. There were 3 seats next to where she was showing. A rude man who had a European accent and was druuuuuunk like a skunk was sitting there. He had shaggy black hair that looked greasy, smudged black eyeliner, tight black shirt, vest, with a bunch of silver chains, tight black skinny jeans, gold peep-toe pumps, and Fendi purse. Ummm....ookay!
J was sitting down next to him. I saw the guy say something and walk away. I asked J what that was about. He said the guy said to him:
Guy:"How are you?"
J: "I'm good and you?"
Guy: Drunk and horny.
J: "Sorry to hear that. I've been there before.
Guy: "Well, my boyfriend is on his way. In the meantime, I have to use the bathroom. What's the chances of me leaving my bag here with all my money in it while a black man is sitting here and I come back and its still here?"
J: "Don't worry. It will still be here when you come back. Not all black men are thieves."
Guy: "Well, if you're still here when I get back, I want a tongue kiss"
J is so unbothered by most things and so calm. Hilarity.
The guy comes back.
"Oh, I guess you were right. Give me a kiss."
J gives him a kiss on the cheek, the gut moves his face and tries to catch J on the lips and then tries to stick his tongue in his mouth.
Yuck.
He hits my arm really hard.
"Hey, I wanna tell you something!"
I want to walk away. If he said some racial ish, it would've been a problem.
»»»Fast Forward
Someone steals one of my friend's jewelry pieces. This random girl standing around in not so many words insinuates its me.
Why? Because when she told me it was stolen, I didn't react. I really wasn't surprised. It was a nice piece and the price tag was $600. No one that she knew was around when it was stolen.
I asked her if she asked the drunk guy. She said oh, I doubt he stole it because when I told him, he reacted.
I said, "Well reaction or no reaction. I didn't take it. XX is my friend and I'm no thief."
Mind you, in my head, I'm thinking...there were other women around. It can't just be because I didn't react. Is it possible that she's singling me out as opposed to everyone else because I'm black? I'm the only black woman besides my friend-the designer for miles. I'm like...nah...relax!
We all go outside. My friend is crying. Her boyfriend is consoling her. She's about to leave and go file a police report. The girl will not stop staring at me. I tell J, rather loudly, "Let's go. This chick keeps staring at me like I'm automatically guilty. I feel like I'm about to smash her face in. I'm not making a scene. So, let's just leave this space."
We leave and I get a phone call that pissed me off further...
To be continued....
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
Monday, August 24, 2009
Weekend Recap
So........
i'm effing exhausted.
i can't wait to get home from work...honestly, i don't really remember anything that happened before tomorrow so let me just talk about that.
i had my first video shoot in brooklyn. i think it went smashingly well.
saturday night, of course i couldn't sleep til like 4am. i woke up at 6:30 to get my kit together and get to the set at 8:15. The models came trickling in one by one.
did i mention i had 12 faces + the artist (dude) to do all by myself with no assistants?
umm, yea.
good stuff:
-the main model was gorgeous. her skin was so beautiful. she was a dream to work with. i put on moisturuizer and foundation. it smoothed on great...it was like working with a doll.
-there was FOOD on set. yay! the fried chicken was banging.
-there was an actor/male model on set. he's not a model model...just some dude who's trying to act who was so cute. oh man! i wanted to pinch his booty...lol..but, i restrained myself. i just told him i would fb stalk him. too much?? lol
-most of the models were showered, beautiful, and professional
- i came out of my shell and talked a lot more than i usually do. yay for me!
-i was paid what i was told i would be paid
bad stuff:
-i was initially told shooting would end at 6. we were 3 hours behind so, i thought 9. we didn't end shooting until 11:40pm. i didn't get home til 2:30am.
-i told a model i was going to punch her in the face and i meant it.
oook..let me put this in perspective. i have a lot of patience when it comes to people. i've worked in customer service a long time and i know people talk ish just to talk it. also, there are a lot of stylists, hair artist, mua that if you change what they do to you they go ape-shit. i'm not one of them. i usually just let it rock. well, this girl wanted gold lips. i didn't give them to her. she started having a temper tantrum. then, she put extended the line of her eyes out further after i was done with her. in the midst of her temper tantrum, i said.... #1, you are a model. your job is to be my canvas and look how i want you to look. get it together and suck it up. she didn't heed that advice. #2, i have 12 people to do all by myself. i have a vision of how i want you all to look sitting together and gold lips aren't apart of that vision. #3, listen girl. if you don't get out of my face, i feel like i'm going to punch you and black your eye and then fix it with make-up. stfu.
i lost my cool. everyone stopped and looked at me because it is so far from my character.
i learned something....next time that happens...i'm wiping all the make-up off and i'm telling her she's not shooting. my blood pressure was sky high. i would break that lil girl in 2.
-the stylist, my friend..got shifed. she was underpaid $250....i learned from that...no contract, no work.
- why does the girl with the worst skin not have make-up? 2 girls were there and i swear, i made them look like something...i'm the ish. but it took reaching for the creativity in my pinkie toe, lol.
- the dudes were smoking weed continuously all day. they had pounds of it. and they were smoking it in the trailer where the creative dpt aka me, stylist and hair artist were working. i wanted to say something but it was MANAGEMENT doing it...and umm, THEY were paying ME. smh. rap videos, ftl
-i was on my feet from 8am to 12am.
i'm kind of amazed at myself...12 people right? i only had 5 foundations.. 1 for an extremely light (white) person, 1 for an extremely dark (black) person, 1 for a brown person (me) and 1 for a middle tan person (think latina). and i learned how to blend and blend and buff and buff to make it work.
can't wait to see the video and how it comes out. also a photographer was there taking pics.
today, i opened my etsy store for my homemade scrubs. i'm so excited!
i already have about 4 orders and 2 give-aways.
friday, i got the labels after having a fit at the printer because they messed up the first order.
today, i was running around getting packaging for the scrubs. tomorrow, post office!
yayyyy!
i'm effing exhausted.
i can't wait to get home from work...honestly, i don't really remember anything that happened before tomorrow so let me just talk about that.
i had my first video shoot in brooklyn. i think it went smashingly well.
saturday night, of course i couldn't sleep til like 4am. i woke up at 6:30 to get my kit together and get to the set at 8:15. The models came trickling in one by one.
did i mention i had 12 faces + the artist (dude) to do all by myself with no assistants?
umm, yea.
good stuff:
-the main model was gorgeous. her skin was so beautiful. she was a dream to work with. i put on moisturuizer and foundation. it smoothed on great...it was like working with a doll.
-there was FOOD on set. yay! the fried chicken was banging.
-there was an actor/male model on set. he's not a model model...just some dude who's trying to act who was so cute. oh man! i wanted to pinch his booty...lol..but, i restrained myself. i just told him i would fb stalk him. too much?? lol
-most of the models were showered, beautiful, and professional
- i came out of my shell and talked a lot more than i usually do. yay for me!
-i was paid what i was told i would be paid
bad stuff:
-i was initially told shooting would end at 6. we were 3 hours behind so, i thought 9. we didn't end shooting until 11:40pm. i didn't get home til 2:30am.
-i told a model i was going to punch her in the face and i meant it.
oook..let me put this in perspective. i have a lot of patience when it comes to people. i've worked in customer service a long time and i know people talk ish just to talk it. also, there are a lot of stylists, hair artist, mua that if you change what they do to you they go ape-shit. i'm not one of them. i usually just let it rock. well, this girl wanted gold lips. i didn't give them to her. she started having a temper tantrum. then, she put extended the line of her eyes out further after i was done with her. in the midst of her temper tantrum, i said.... #1, you are a model. your job is to be my canvas and look how i want you to look. get it together and suck it up. she didn't heed that advice. #2, i have 12 people to do all by myself. i have a vision of how i want you all to look sitting together and gold lips aren't apart of that vision. #3, listen girl. if you don't get out of my face, i feel like i'm going to punch you and black your eye and then fix it with make-up. stfu.
i lost my cool. everyone stopped and looked at me because it is so far from my character.
i learned something....next time that happens...i'm wiping all the make-up off and i'm telling her she's not shooting. my blood pressure was sky high. i would break that lil girl in 2.
-the stylist, my friend..got shifed. she was underpaid $250....i learned from that...no contract, no work.
- why does the girl with the worst skin not have make-up? 2 girls were there and i swear, i made them look like something...i'm the ish. but it took reaching for the creativity in my pinkie toe, lol.
- the dudes were smoking weed continuously all day. they had pounds of it. and they were smoking it in the trailer where the creative dpt aka me, stylist and hair artist were working. i wanted to say something but it was MANAGEMENT doing it...and umm, THEY were paying ME. smh. rap videos, ftl
-i was on my feet from 8am to 12am.
i'm kind of amazed at myself...12 people right? i only had 5 foundations.. 1 for an extremely light (white) person, 1 for an extremely dark (black) person, 1 for a brown person (me) and 1 for a middle tan person (think latina). and i learned how to blend and blend and buff and buff to make it work.
can't wait to see the video and how it comes out. also a photographer was there taking pics.
today, i opened my etsy store for my homemade scrubs. i'm so excited!
i already have about 4 orders and 2 give-aways.
friday, i got the labels after having a fit at the printer because they messed up the first order.
today, i was running around getting packaging for the scrubs. tomorrow, post office!
yayyyy!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Say Hello....
To Nina 2.0. YW said in a comment on a previous post. I'm changing as a person...yup! This change is a good one I think. I've been less aggressive than I should be because a lot of the people I've been around are older than me and have been in the industry longer. Eff that! I'm just as talented. No one's going to steam roll over me. Just like no one is going to put food in my fridge but me.
Certain days, its like I have a second wind. Between last night and as of right now, I have a contract, model release, labels for my jars, brochures to accompany said jars, a clear business plan for the next couple of months and a brand new way to spin my services. I also put my toe in the back of this shoot director...he has ooohhh...til Wednesday before I put my whole foot in his ass.
I'm really doing this and riding it until the wheels fall off!
On that note. I leave you with this:
As my favorite rapper, Jay Z once said...
"They see me as a premie but I'm not and my nuts big. I'm not to be fucked with!"
"I make no apologies. Crooked policies. So a G, a n***a gotta be...One day you're up. Next day your down. As long as you stay the same, it'll come back around...Oh alright alright... It may not be what you call perfect but its my life. So if ya'll hear my plight. Think you can make it this far without a couple mistakes not always right but I'm always real that's how I sleep at night! Oh alright alright... It may not be what you call perfect but its my life, my life, my life."
"Say hello to the bad guy...I ain't playing. Life's short so I aim....You can't complain about what they ain't gonna get ya. They ain't gonna get shit....You gotta get up, get out and get something n***a. Get a job, n***a"
And they say rap music is vapid, lol.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
Certain days, its like I have a second wind. Between last night and as of right now, I have a contract, model release, labels for my jars, brochures to accompany said jars, a clear business plan for the next couple of months and a brand new way to spin my services. I also put my toe in the back of this shoot director...he has ooohhh...til Wednesday before I put my whole foot in his ass.
I'm really doing this and riding it until the wheels fall off!
On that note. I leave you with this:
As my favorite rapper, Jay Z once said...
"They see me as a premie but I'm not and my nuts big. I'm not to be fucked with!"
"I make no apologies. Crooked policies. So a G, a n***a gotta be...One day you're up. Next day your down. As long as you stay the same, it'll come back around...Oh alright alright... It may not be what you call perfect but its my life. So if ya'll hear my plight. Think you can make it this far without a couple mistakes not always right but I'm always real that's how I sleep at night! Oh alright alright... It may not be what you call perfect but its my life, my life, my life."
"Say hello to the bad guy...I ain't playing. Life's short so I aim....You can't complain about what they ain't gonna get ya. They ain't gonna get shit....You gotta get up, get out and get something n***a. Get a job, n***a"
And they say rap music is vapid, lol.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
A Glimmer
Today, the guy that's doing the logo for my business contacted me out of the blue. Lately, its been all business, so I thought he was contacting me to say...maybe that my joint was ready. Nope.
He was like...What's going on?
I was thinking.."Damn, I need to work to pay this guy. I haven't had any photo shoots this week."
As soon as the thought came, the phone rang.
Diva was on the line. Diva is the hair stylist I work with on the magazine. She's Diva because she wears crazy weaves and her personality is larger than life.
"Listen, hunny...you know I do amazing make-up but I need you to do this girl for me today. Her make-up artist canceled on her last minute. I think she's going to pay you $50 for an hour's worth of work."
It was decent. The shoot is at 12. It was 10:30. I live 30 minutes away from the studio the shoot was taking place at.
Mooooonkey balls!
And I wasn't showered.
When I tell you I got it together in the speed of light!
I got to the studio at 11:55. I call her. She wasn't there.
Let's just cut the boring part. I didn't get picked up til 1:30.
I'm used to it. Just mad that I threw my stuff in my kit when obviously, I could've taken my time...I like order.
Yadda yadda....she doesn't have any base make-up. She bought CoverGirl make-up in tan. Let me say this..the girl was a light skinned black girl. Whyyyyyyyyyy would you buy anything in tan. Honey, that stuff is not for us! I had to mix and match some stuff. There was a slight diff between her face and body. But the rest of the make-up was flawless. She raved about it! She loved it! Everyone on the team likes me.
Blah blah blah....
Its time for me to leave. I'm like...okay, gotta go...great working with you....she's like, yea, thank you soo much!
Umm, no money was exchanged.
Hunh?
Umm, yea.
She calls me later to thank me. No talk of money. So either, she lied to Diva or Diva lied to me. I doubt Diva would lie to me. She's up front and we do a LOT of work together. She wouldn't jeopardize that.
So, yea....can't wait for the pictures.
Let's just say from now on, I will have a contract pre-drawn with my rates so that I don't get stiffed again...
Did I mention I had $10 today. Now, I have $7 til Friday?! Jesus be a chicken wing because this starving artist thing is real!
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Insomnia
For the past three weeks, I haven't been able to sleep until 4 and 5am. Saturday, I was out til 6am. I stayed up and went to church for 9am. Got home at 10:30. Crashed. Woke up at 6. Talked to twin til about 9:30. Went to sleep. Woke up at 8 on yesterday. So, I thought that maybe my sleep pattern had finally gotten back to normal. Nope. 4am found me struggling to sleep. This was after a 4mile walk with J across NYC. I was so tired in my body but my mind was like a child that wanted to keep playing. Hyper. Hyper. I wanted to bash my head against a wall.
So, I get to sleep and I dreamt that I was competing against the transman's (I think I'll name him Vice) ex who is a major contender in my category. She's been in it for over 10 years. She spit in my face and I beat her so bad people had to get me off of her. The force of whomever pulling me off of her woke me up. Crazy.
Which reminds me...Sunday, I had a dream that people kept coming to my house and I would give them food and blankets. These people were homeless or poor. In the dream, I was asleep and I woke up to find these 3 random girls from my childhood in my living room. They said my mom had let them in. They were eating hot dogs or something. I told them to leave. As they were leaving, the dude whose lap I was sitting on was at my door. He was homeless. I gave him some blankets and food. I gave him a key (!!!) to my apartment. Then, scared, I went back to sleep with a machete in my hand. I was so freaked out, I woke up.
Twin says I should be evaluated. My dreams are always vivid. He swears I'm on something...lol.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
So, I get to sleep and I dreamt that I was competing against the transman's (I think I'll name him Vice) ex who is a major contender in my category. She's been in it for over 10 years. She spit in my face and I beat her so bad people had to get me off of her. The force of whomever pulling me off of her woke me up. Crazy.
Which reminds me...Sunday, I had a dream that people kept coming to my house and I would give them food and blankets. These people were homeless or poor. In the dream, I was asleep and I woke up to find these 3 random girls from my childhood in my living room. They said my mom had let them in. They were eating hot dogs or something. I told them to leave. As they were leaving, the dude whose lap I was sitting on was at my door. He was homeless. I gave him some blankets and food. I gave him a key (!!!) to my apartment. Then, scared, I went back to sleep with a machete in my hand. I was so freaked out, I woke up.
Twin says I should be evaluated. My dreams are always vivid. He swears I'm on something...lol.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
9 and 1/2 Reasons
So, later, I'm outside and this dude...he competes in the beauty category..he's effing gorgeous! He's talking to my friend and she's like we're having babies. I was like NOOO...he said we were having babies a long time ago! Back off!
So, she goes...are you man enough to handle us?
He goes....I have a 9 1/2 inch cut...I think I'm good.
My mouth drops.
Twin goes...Please, bitch! You're so gay, you get next to a pussy and go soft.
I think the dude got offended.
I go..."Well for 9 and 1/2 inches, we'll put gay porn on the tv and go to town." I said that maaad loud.
The dude looks at me like...you said that kinda loud.
Everyone is staring at me. I'm like...what? Like you wouldn't...
My friend goes...my mouth was watering just thinking abt that shit...
Everyone laughs...
Who is this girl and what did she do with me?
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)