Joslyn Rose Lyons

I knew, from a very early age, that I wanted to make movies. I didn’t know how I would do it, I just followed my passion and it’s continued to lead me on this path.

Documenting the creative process has always inspired my work. I created The Museum of Light, where artists such as Robert Glasper, Rafael Casal & Daveed Diggs, and Pharoahe Monch talk being alchemists and the courage to create. My first documentary, “Soundz of Spirit,” (Common, Saul Williams, Andre 3000, CeeLo Green) similarly explored the creative process and spiritual connection. Seeing artists in their element, along with my passion for music, is often the spark or light, that guides the direction of my work. It led me to produce the first Music Matters Grammy Showcase with PJ Morton, and Mack Wilds at the Creative Artists Agency, and content for HBO, OWN, and Vh1.

I’ve learned that it’s important to exercise different creative muscles. Earlier this summer, I produced the BET Experience Celebrity Basketball Game with Nick Cannon, The Game, and Chris Brown and I’m currently producing two documentary films; “Tale of the Tape” (history of the mixtape in hip hop w/ Big Sean, Kendrick Lamar) and “Tale of Four Cities” on gentrification in Inglewood, Oakland, Brooklyn, and New Orleans. I’m producing these films with my long time collaborators Malik K. Buie at Red Summer Photoplays Inc., and Theron Smith at Kings County Cinema Company.

Joslyn Rose Lyons on set with Mali Music and Billy Johnson Jr.

Joslyn Rose Lyons. photo credit: Lauren Crew

One of the greatest challenges I’ve faced in my field, whether it’s hip-hop content, sports shows or music videos, has been wanting to be seen as a Director or Producer first, and as a woman second, when it’s so often seen the other way around. The way I’ve learned to overcome this is by allowing the passion that I have for my work– that same passion that has motivated me to create and inspires all of the projects I’ve been a part of – to be the driving force behind my work. When you are seen as a woman first, and not for your talent first, your creative abilities are often shelved. I’ve had to prove my artistic abilities, my skills, even at times my intentions, just because I’m a woman, in order to be seen as a professional. When someone is truly passionate about what they’re doing, it’s undeniable and that shows. My colleague Saul Williams once posted this quote and it really resonated: 

“An artist, if he’s unselfish and passionate, is always a living protest.” -Pier Paolo Pasolini

Women in Film & Video (WIFV): Source

Check out her website IMDB page and Instagram

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THE DOVE SOCIETY 
Hear the Roses presents a series of music-focused features. The podcast about passion, perseverance and the pursuit of dreams, includes an in-depth conversation with Grammy Award-winning music producer Shafiq Husayn (SA-RA Creative Partners) and his The Dove Society label mates, who open up about their creative process, working with Anderson .Paak and “being a vessel.”
Listen: https://soundcloud.com/heartheroses/the-dove-society

ASYA SHEIN 
The music edition features an intimate interview with Asya Shein, founder and curator for FUSICOLOGY, a Hub for Progressive Culture and Lifestyle events that has worked with artists including Anderson .Paak, Aloe Blacc and Robert Glasper.
Listen https://soundcloud.com/heartheroses/fusicology-asya-shein

BILLY JOHNSON JR. 
The music edition includes an in-depth conversation with veteran music journalist Billy Johnson Jr., a former senior editor for Yahoo! Music, who has interviewed musical icons such as Beyoncé and Janet Jackson.
Listen https://soundcloud.com/heartheroses/musicjournalistbillyjohnsonjr

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The weekly series about passion, perseverance and the pursuit of dreams, features Chicago Artist, Hebru Brantley whose work delves into political and social issues with a conscious focus on playful insight and the optimism and possibilities of youth. Brantley’s raw talent has put the Chicago art scene on the map with celebrities like Jay-Z, Lenny Kravitz, and George Lucas, lining up to add a Brantley piece to their collection.

Much of Brantley’s work is aimed at children growing up amid Chicago’s South Side gang violence and poverty, just as he once did.  In this episode of Hear the Roses, Brantley shares the meaning behind the young superheroes, the Fly Boys and Fly Girls, reflects on his journey, and opens up about his creative process and his purpose.

Listen: https://soundcloud.com/heartheroses/hebru-brantley

Listen: Soundcloud.com/heartheroses

HEAR THE ROSES is also available on partner sites The Museum of Light, Fusicology, and RESPECT. Magazine

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This podcast was recorded on Saturday, January 21, 2017, the day of The Women’s March. On this historic day, millions of people around the world came together to march in solidarity for the protection of our rights, our safety, our health, and our families, recognizing that our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of our world. Jamel Shabazz’s iconic photos are a testament to the beauty, diversity and humanity that we are striving to preserve.

January 26, 2017 — Hear the Roses Podcast features iconic photographer Jamel Shabazz whose journey through Brooklyn’s streets in the ‘80s to drugs, graffiti and hip hop has served as the world’s “visual medicine.”

This week Roses features photographer Jamel Shabazz who shares his journey from capturing some of the most iconic photos of ‘80s Brooklyn and the emerging hip hop scene to how his photography has a deeper purpose as visual medicine.

Listen: https://soundcloud.com/heartheroses/jamel-shabazz

 

Listen: Soundcloud.com/heartheroses
HEAR THE ROSES is also available on partner sites The Museum of Light, Fusicology, and RESPECT. Magazine

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THE MUSEUM OF LIGHT: Just as an alchemist transforms led into gold, do you feel that being an artist relates to that of being an alchemist? Do you view the artist journey and your creative expression, as alchemy?

JAMEL SHABAZZ: As a practitioner of the craft of photography, it affords me the ability to transform a chemically based roll of unexposed film that has been placed in a camera, measuring light and adjusting speed towards a particular subject, conceptualizing and composing by the third eye through a glass lens, before applying pressure on the camera shutter release button, freezing a moment in time, thus preserving history. So yes, I would say that there is a direct correlation between being an artist and an alchemist. Any creative artist, whether they are a painter, musician, sculptor or photographer, who uses their innate ability to create something from nothing, is in fact dealing with the science of Alchemy. The various schools of artistry all use science in their creative process and it may consist of the mixing of chemicals, arranging sound, or creating shapes, but when these practices are applied, the results are magical manifestations of a high form of alchemy.

THE MUSEUM OF LIGHT: Artists are often labeled as “stars.” Just as a star radiates light and the planets then reflect this light, do you see your work as an artist like that of a star? Is this “light” that stars radiate merely the evidence of this journey of becoming a star/learning to radiate light?

JAMEL SHABAZZ: As a young man coming of age, I was told by a very wise man that I was the equivalent to the sun which was a giant star in the center of the universe, and that through studying the nature of the sun along with the solar system, I would better understand my purpose in life. It was that wisdom that placed me on the path of enlightenment and provided me with light, guidance and purpose. Like the sun, I would learn that my primary purpose in this universe was to use my kinetic energy to stimulate life and matter through my creative process in hopes that I would create other forms of light and energy in a world that was slowly becoming cold and gloomy.

THE MUSEUM OF LIGHT: When an artist is not “creating” it is often labeled a “creative block.” How do you navigate this space, how do you find the creative spark in the dark, and does it require courage to create from this unknown space? Describe this process.

JAMEL SHABAZZ: With all honesty, I have never been confronted with a “creative block.” My creative energy is in constant motion and the light that guides me seems to always be illuminated. During the course of my many expeditions, I have accumulated such an abundance of photographs, negatives, and other forms of research, that are readily available to me. This keeps me in a constant creative mode to the point that I no longer travel outside my space to take images like I once did. At this stage in my journey, it took courage for me to realize that I needed to reevaluate my assignment in life, and I have been blessed to create a space where I can meditate, reflect and process what I have been blessed to document. In this undertaking, I continue to seek ways to share what I have with the universe and young visionaries who are fresh on the path of self-discovery.

You can also find this story at THE MUSEUM OF LIGHT and on FUSICOLOGY.

Photo Credit: Jamel Shabazz

www.jamelshabazz.com

The Museum of Light is curated by: Billy Johnson Jr., Adell Henderson, Joslyn Rose Lyons, Rafael Casal, Matt Smith, Malik Buie.

 

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The Museum of Light launches a new weekly blog, Sounds of Light, where music journalist Billy Johnson Jr. reviews introspective songs that inspire, exploring the likes of family, the arts and politics. First up is a spotlight on Miami hip hop duo Social Club Misfits who just released their new album The Misadventures of Fern & Marty that includes the featured track, “A Song for Cami,” a record Fern penned about his children.

If we only listened to the songs on the radio, we would think that artists have nothing more to sing or rap about than partying and having sex. So, I’ve tasked myself with finding the music, mainly album cuts, that are more introspective and enlightening. Welcome to Sounds of Light, a new weekly feature on the Museum of Light.

I’m kicking off Sounds of Light with a track from the Miami-based hip hop duo Social Club Misfit’s new album The Misadventures of Fern & Marty on Capitol CMG Music. “A Song for Cami,” is a solo offering from Fern, who has a tradition of making records for his kids, Camila Bella, 5, and Santino, 2.

Hear Social Club Misfits’ “A Song for Cami”

Over a comforting jazzy, piano and snare-driven music bed reminiscent of early 1990s hip hop, Fern reflects on everything from the joys of putting his son to bed at night to instilling a strong work ethic in his children. During an exclusive interview with Sounds of Light, Fern explains that emphasizing hard work was the song’s main inspiration.

In one lyric, Fern is critical of using crowdfunding to raise money for projects as opposed to generating startup expenses from working: “Why don’t y’all start making money and stop raising funds / Cause all that GoFundMe is a bit much / Told my daughter hard work only is the way to stay up.”

Fern explains the motivation for the song. “I encourage my son and daughter to work hard,” he tells Sounds of Light. “I see a lot of GoFundMe pages. Regardless of the situation, some people need it. But I encourage hard work, and I put that on that song. I want to make sure when [my daughter] hears this song in 20 years from now that she hears me encouraging hard work. ”Fern says Cami remembers the days he had a regular job, pursued his music at night, and had to drive his wife to work. “I literally did not have time to be with them,” he recalls.

Marty, who got married last year and does not have any children yet, gives Fern props for how he’s managed to balance family and music. “The fact that [Fern] travels while raising children, that’s a huge deal,” Marty says. Marty also rhymes about family life — his new bride — on the album’s song “Love 4 Real.”

Fern, who has been married for seven years, says to expect more personal songs from him in the future. “Don’t be surprised if you hear more family songs from me,” he says. “I’ve been blessed. I want to promote the family unit, my kids, my wife. I want people to know there are so many other things to talk about.”

Fern and Marty cover a lot of bases on The Misadventures of Fern & Marty and it’s appreciated.

You can also find this story on THE MUSUEM OF LIGHT and RESPECT Magazine.

The Museum of Light is curated by Billy Johnson Jr., Joslyn Rose Lyons, Rafael Casal, Malik Buie, Matt Smith, and Adell Henderson.

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Film and television producers Joslyn Rose and Noris Rose launch the second episode of their HEAR THE ROSES podcast on Wednesday, January 18, on HeartheRoses.com.

The weekly series about passion, perseverance and the pursuit of dreams, features photographer Mel D. Cole who shares his journey from picking up a disposable camera to becoming one of the most influential photographers in the music scene.

Listen: Soundcloud.com/heartheroses

HEAR THE ROSES is also available on partner sites The Museum of Light, Fusicology, and RESPECT. Magazine.

The post Hear the Roses Podcast Features Photographer Mel D. Cole House Photographer for Legendary Roots Crew and Trey Songz  appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.