Ms. Los Angeles County 2014 Eliza Green

 

Eliza Green

Ms. Los Angeles County 2014 and Inspirational/Motivational Speaker

www.theinspirationbooth.com

 

Ms. Los Angeles County 2014, Eliza Green, passed through in-between two huge rose bushes at the Rose Garden at the Science Center in Los Angeles’ Exposition Park, walking tall, confident and smiling. I thought I have died and seen an angel but her Ms. Los Angeles County sash told me I am still breathing. At 5’10”, this tall, dark and beautiful woman made me feel diminutive but she made me at ease right away. She made the interview felt like a meeting between two long lost friends. I should be the one doing that since I am the interviewer but I sometimes get all weak-kneed when I find myself face-to-face with a gorgeous woman.

Eliza’s family history has so much in common with so many families making up the diverse demography of California. Like most immigrant or mixed race families, her family’s story is complicated. Eliza’s mother is Mexican and her biological father, African-American. Her mother and grandmother raised her in Tijuana Mexico until they migrated into Los Angeles California when she was five. Her adjustment into her new surroundings proved to be a challenge; she was treated as an outsider by her peers for she had a darker skin tone than most kids that considered themselves Mexicans. “I was bullied early on…they called me ‘La Negrita’…I didn’t understand it because I thought I was Mexican until my grandmother told me that I am also black…” Eliza recounted as if she found her innocence silly “…it never occurred to me (that) I was different…I didn’t know I stood out in the (Mexican) community”.

She studied in different schools from Elementary to High School and had encountered the same “outsider” feeling whether she was in a Mexican or African-American Community. There were a lot of Ups-and-Downs throughout her school years but she felt truly at the bottom when she turned 18. “I hang out with the wrong crowd…at one point I was homeless and was squatting” She recalled sounding amused.

Eliza exuded positive aura throughout the interview—full of enthusiasm—like she has been freed from a lifetime of captivity. In fact she did say that things started to turn great when she discovered a “Self-Help” Inspirational movie; “The Secret” a movie about “Law of Attraction” a theoretical and spiritual concept concerning the practice of positive thinking. From then on she only entertained positive thoughts and feelings, in her mind and heart, and has meditated daily. Offers of work came with so little effort, first as a paralegal then an executive assistant to an oil businessman. At both times she decided on seizing the moment. “Wish for what you want…for the opportunity…and once it’s there you go grab on to it—do not hesitate!” Eliza seemed tireless as she also started Green List Productions, a promotional agency, while doing her regular jobs.

Her positive attitude reflected on her interests as she co-founded The Inspiration Booth with her cousin Venice Trippetti. It is a social event wherein Eliza and Venice sets up a booth in parks and create positive slogans and signs, such as “I am Happy”, “Love”, “Joy”, etc., on brilliantly colored cardboard and have the participants wear it as a plaque. The participants then go on a quick walk, jog or hike. From there Eliza has created what she called “Inspired Jewelries”.

Her consistent and passionate approach to spreading happiness and positive thinking is what she believed helped her win the Ms. Los Angeles County 2014 title. She was invited to join the pageant a mere week before the event, and as always, she went for it. Eliza did not hesitate to divulge her personal history to the pageant organizers, the “dark days” of her life, stories that would make her ineligible from most beauty pageants. But Eliza’s personal tragedy is eclipsed by her commitment to better herself and promote positive mental attitude in the community. She sets up “Empowerment” workshops in corporate and non-profit organizations and has spoken at length on self-improvement and against sex trafficking and bullying. When asked what she would do next she responded with the same eagerness and positive thinking “Whatever that would inspire me I will go for it!”

 

Edited by Paul Remy of Nxup Magazine

For more photos of Ms. Los Angeles County 2014 Eliza Green, check out www.3RPhotography.blogspot.com

All photos and article are copyrighted

Copyright 2014 RG Los Angeles Stories

Eion & Kendra

Eion & Kendra

 

My brothers, Reyvin and Reycie, and I created a photography team called 3R Photography.

Last November of 2013 we helped Nxup Magazine to cover the RAWartists LA RAWards show.

 

 

Please check out the video interview with artist of the year Eion & Kendra by NXUP magazine. 

http://youtu.be/wU5cqGbsIiI

Interview with Paul Remy, CEO of Nxup Magazine

 

The Nxup Mag L.A. team, Doug the media consultant, left, and Ray the videographer on far right.

 

Frank Venadas

 

www.facebook.com/frankvenadasart

 

Chris Rutledge, the "TapArtist"

 





 

John Thvedt

www.wysiwygshots.com

 

Armen Michael

www.facebook.com/armenmichaeljewelry

PAUL REMY

CEO and Editor-in-Chief, NXUP Magazine

www.facebook.com/nxupmag
www.instagram.com/nxupmagazine
www.twitter.com/nxupmag
 

 

RG Los Angeles Stories: From Unknown to Celebrated

“Paul’s vision of the magazine was very simple, get the stories of different talented people who are struggling to get known and publish them. He wants a vehicle for these unappreciated talents to propel them from unknown to celebrated.” -RG

The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defined “Talent” as: a special ability that allows someone to do something well; but talent is just an unappreciated ability unless a person learns how to promote his/her work. This is where NXUP Magazine comes in. I met Paul Remy, CEO and Editor in Chief of NXUP Magazine, at a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf coffee house in Hillhurst near Griffith Park in Los Angeles. I invited him there since I saw it befitting, the place after all was a hangout for aspiring local young talents in the area…musicians, writers, actors, cartoonist, painters…you know, the kind of people you see hang out at coffee houses during the day that makes you wonder what the heck they do for a living. Paul’s vision of the magazine was very simple, get the stories of different talented people who are struggling to get known and publish them. He wants a vehicle for these unappreciated talents to propel them from unknown to celebrated.

 

Before I met Paul in person, I had some trepidation. I had envisioned him as this hustler, a smooth talker, the aggressive type who can make things happen…I imagined it would take such a person to be ambitious enough to launch a magazine. I was pleasantly surprised to be so wrong. He appeared to me as a gentle soul, soft spoken, friendly and with a warm smile; but behind the exterior was a sharp mind and a driven person. We chatted briefly through email and NXUP’s Instagram account a couple of days before and the day of our meeting was a significant one. Paul and his Los Angeles team had been given a chance to media-sponsor the RAW Natural Born Artists RAWards Event near downtown. Paul graciously invited me to meet up with his team for the event that night. If he was anxious it didn’t show, although he candidly told me that for NXUP Magazine to media-sponsor something as big as this talent show was like plunging into the deep end of the pool. “So it’s sink or swim then?” I said, he laughed amicably and said “We are definitely going to swim! Sinking is not an option”.

RAW Natural Born Artists, www.rawartists.org, 5th Annual RAWards Indie Arts Award Show was held at the swanky Belasco Theater and Club in Los Angeles on November 14th. RAW Natural Born Artists, or Raw for short, is an entity that holds Independent Art showcases spanning over 50 cities in the US, Canada and Australia. The artistic abilities that the group endeavored to highlight are talents from art, fashion, music, film, hair, makeup, photography and performing art and its “RAWards” are much sought after by aspiring artists. Several celebrity artists got their careers launched after being showcased by “RAW”, such as Dom Streater, a fashion designer from Philadelphia, won Season 12 of Lifetime’s Project Runway.

In retrospect, it should’ve been obvious to me that NXUP Magazine would be interested in covering the event. I have no idea how a startup was able to land such a project. As baffled as I was, I was equally astounded at the audacity of Paul to take on such a project. But again, Paul has a knack of finding the right people to collaborate with. I for one, although primarily a photographer, was an occasional blogger who searched and interviewed local underground artists here in LA. The reason we were meeting that day at the Coffee House was to discuss my services as a photographer for the RAWards event. As unheard of as my blog-site was I wasn’t very keen on talking about my blog readily to people—I should be self-promoting to get more followers—for some reason, he was able to get me to share my writings with him. I think it is Paul’s forte, convincing people to believe in themselves and get out of their shell with so little effort. That is the reason why I’m writing this piece now.
 

 

There were a lot of talented nominees for the RAWards show in LA and artists of different genres were all over the place. Tables and makeshift art galleries were set up inside the theater. It had a bazaar feel to it and the insanely hip music of the DJ’s and performers gave the event continuous entertainment. Whoever thought of Raw events were geniuses!

 

Although primarily an award show, the main goal of “RAW” was to give aspiring artists a platform to show their art whether they win a “RAWard” or not. Paul, with the NXUP Magazine crew set up shop in the green room to interview the winners of the night, but he encouraged me to look around and interview and take photos of the other nominees and other artists showcasing their work.                    

Chris Rutledge, the self-proclaimed “TapArtist”, who created paintings by tap dancing on canvas was a particular favorite of mine. There was also: John Thvedt, www.wysiwygshots.com a photographer, who created prints on reclaimed wood. I like his “Into the Woods”, a portrayal of a girl surrounded by trees and vegetation, which he printed and applied into a wood with especial coating giving the print a rough texture and a rustic and vintage look. Frank Venadas, www.facebook.com/frankvenadasart, his pen on paper “Helmetheads” was like a collage of his favorite different sci-fi characters in kind-of “Where’s Waldo?” inspiration. The Jewelry designer Armen Michael, www.facebook.com/armenmichaeljewelry, was also one of my favorite designers. I have seen him from the Metropolitan Fashion Week Closing Gala in Pasadena and have admired his creations which I can only hazard to describe as pieces that would not be out of place during ancient Greece, his pieces have a combination of fragility and strength in it.

 It was a tough job for the judges to figure out which talent would get the RAWard. The host of the night was Jesse Daniels, www.ernieandjesse.com, and I was bold enough to ask him which was his favorite of all the performers that night. It wasn’t really a fair question; it’s like asking a parent to say which one is his favorite child. “My favorite is the one who’s gonna win” Jesse said mischievously.

Seeing all the up-and-coming artists that night, I can’t help but realized a sense of irony with what NXUP was trying to accomplish. Paul, a University of Florida Graduate class of 2009, leads the small Los Angeles team that includes, Doug, the Media Consultant and Ray, the Videographer. John Casseus, a Pre-law graduate of Brookdale Community College class of 2012, heads the New Jersey/New York team. They are launching NXUP Magazine in the Winter of 2014. As you can see both Paul and John are themselves an emerging talent and intellect, and for now, it is as if a paradox for aspiring artists to seek a media platform for advancement from a still non existing magazine; but the motto of NXUP is “Home of the Gifted” and “As long as you've got a gift, we've got you covered”— so I am for certain that these two gentlemen are “at home” in NXUP—and that they will not stop until they accomplished their goals and give voice to the unappreciated and unknown local talents. Paul and John are “Next Up!”

Edited by: Paul Remy of NXUP Magazine
 

For more photos of the event, check out www.3RPhotography.blogspot.com

 

All photos and article are copyrighted

Copyright 2013 RG Los Angeles Stories

 

3R Photography

In Pictures: Eric Tan's Show in Melrose 2

 

One fan buying Eric's work.

 

I had to wait for three hours before we were able to shoot this photograph.

The gallery was just too crowded...a lot of people like Eric's art.

He sold a lot of his work that night!

 

Copyright 2013 RG Los Angeles Stories

Dan Castle's New Song; Check out my July 2013 posts for the complete story.

 

Dan Castle's new song that he is working on. I used my Iphone to video him, should I dare say that I directed this gifted director!

For the complete story on this dynamic artist please see my July 2013 posts.

 

Copyright 2013 RG Los Angeles Stories



Q and A with Eric Tan

 

Eric Tan. The Creative Mind behind the Work

 

 

I waited an hour before I was able to get in. The place was packed.

 

Fans of his work buying up his art like hot pancakes.

 

 

 

 

Eric Tan

Graphic Designer/Illustrator

www.erictanart.blogspot.com

www.tannerairlines.com

I am very fortunate to have met Eric. It was actually a complete happenstance. I was following a lead for my next article next door the gallery the day he had his show. I happen to chat with his friend April and she told me about him and my interest immediately peaked. There are three compelling reasons to chase him for an interview. First and foremost, even before I saw his work I couldn’t help but notice the line of people buying his art. Second, he is my Kababayan, my countryman from the Philippines. Third, his work rocks!

His work on display at that time in Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles, that went on in June 28th  through July 20^th, are his travel posters, his unique take on the places he has been. To give you a better understanding on what I am talking about here is an excerpt from his blog:

 “Let me dust this crazy blog off! I haven't posted in forever because I've been hard at work on a solo show which debuts this June at Gallery1988 in Los Angeles. When the fine folks at the gallery approached me a few years ago for a show, I never really could fathom committing to one because: A) my day job saps up too much creative energy (in a good way) rendering me sleepy after 6pm, and B) I just didn't have any exciting ideas that I could sustain over a series of pieces. Over the past few years, I've been fortunate enough to travel to a number of cool places around the globe. I would always have my sketchbook in hand to capture what I saw and write down funny observations I noticed about each place that was uniquely theirs. Whether it be some food everyone went crazy over, or an iconic something that everyone took pictures of, I'd either jot it down or do some weird sketch of what I witnessed. A few years ago, at one of Gallery1988's Crazy4Cult shows I had created a 'travel poster' based on my favorite movie of all time 'Back to the Future'. I've also gotten to create travels posters at Disney for films like Up and Cars - and for characters like Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and the rest of the gang. The graphic designer in me loves the structure and typography of these types of posters and the illustrator in me loves drawing each element within them. When it came to coming up with an idea that could work as a series for a solo show, my travel sketchbooks and all the travel posters I had created for other things came to mind. Instead of creating film-inspired posters, like the Back to the Future one, I decided to use the actual cities I visited. Cities new to me like Hong Kong, Paris, Barcelona, and London - and ones that were very familiar to me like Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and San Diego. Hopefully everyone who either lives in these cities or has visited them will relate to the humor I tried to convey with each one.”

It was a really brilliant, and pretty bold, pieces of artwork. The thing is, at least from my point of view, an ultra-sensitive person from the country that his travel posters had featured could have easily accused him of stereotyping his country. One example is his poster about London featuring a pint of beer front and center. But, and this is a very big “but”, I think only people that don’t have a good sense of humor are the ones who are at risk of being ridiculed because Eric’s work carries truth and are nothing offensive. Besides, Eric’s, work, especially the “Travel Poster” series are very tastefully done. It is really hard to explain it but for some reason his works kind of reminds me of the brilliant pop artist Roy Lichtenstein. Since I love Lichtenstein’s work it goes without saying I love Eric’s work as well. I could see Eric’s original prints going as high as $5000 in a year’s time. Well I don’t know…I’m really not an art speculator but I could really see big things happening for him.

Anyway after a brief email exchanges I was able to forward him some questions and here are his answers for our Q and A:

1. Where did you study?

I went to art school at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena where I studied Graphic Design & Branding.

2. Where are you currently working?

I currently work at Disney Consumer Products in Glendale as a Designer/Artist. I've been there for almost 14 years now.

3. What inspires your artwork?

I'm inspired by many things including artwork from my favorite artists, websites I'll come across, and especially the coworkers I see almost every day. The talent level at Disney is amazing and I learn new things from those people every day.

4. What tools do you use with your artwork?

I usually sketch ideas out with a pen in a notebook. Then I'll do the final art in programs like Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. I also sculpt quite a bit.

5. What advice can you give to other artists?

My advice would be to create art because it's fun and it's something you love, don't get into this career to get fame or make an excessive amount of money. If you're good and original, then those things will probably come but I just feel very fortunate to be able to create art and pay my bills. I'm always trying to get better too, I never feel like I'm actually good or have everything figured out. If you're self-motivated and always pushing yourself to improve, it really does help to sustain this as a career.

6. Do you have a website where my readers can follow you?

My instagram is erictanart. I also have a blog (erictanart.blogspot.com) and a site (www.tannerairlines.com)

Listen to Eric. Create your art because you love it. There shouldn’t be any other main reason but that alone. And always remember what he says about “pushing yourself”…there should always be room for improvements and do not let your ego get in the way of your work. Eric is a very gentle and humble man. A man of his talent could’ve easily turned into an art prima donna.  Our brief conversation during his show left an indelible impression on me for the rest of my life.

 

All Photos and Article are copyrighted.

Copyright 2013 RG Los Angeles Stories

                                    

Note: Pardon for any typo. I had been seating on this piece for a while now since I got caught up with my other works and I suddenly felt the urge to get Eric’s story out as soon as possible.

 



Dan Castle: his thoughts about his movie The Visitor

 

 

Copyright 2013 RG Los Angeles Stories