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Forgotten People

4/29/2020

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As people, we have a tendency to forget certain parts of society. We have a tendency to become unaware, whether we mean to or not. I do it. I am sure others do too. 

The forgotten people look different from nation to nation and from time to time. I remember being in university and reading about how older generations sometimes became the forgotten in various parts of the US. I then had to write papers on the subject. I remember presentations from fellow students that highlighted the incarcerated and one time, with a now close friend, sex workers.

A lot of the forgotten make people uncomfortable, so it’s not always best practice to bring them up. We learnt that over one brutal summer with a friend as she tried to impact the lives of sex workers and found the religious institution she called home disapproved of everything she was doing. This broke her and we pieced her back together with beads, silence, music, random fast food visits and a lot of crying plus praying.

The discomfort makes me wonder about what we should do next. Should we discuss the issue or remain proper and in essence, silent? If you only have one life to live, wouldn’t it also be profitable to use part of it to handle some of the world’s heaviness in between everything else you feel you have to do before you die? Discomfort isn’t a reason to stay silent anymore. Or at least, it isn't to our team. 
      

As a child in one of the Eastern nations of Africa, I remember social ethics classes where we discussed those who were HIV positive and how society, at the time, preferred to shun and even neglect them to the point of death. Forgotten people are everywhere. Currently, a second man is said to have been cured of the disease in the UK. Such headlines make me wonder about those who died and the burden of human life. Not that I am God or that I even want to check His work, but sometimes, I wonder about us as mankind. I wonder about how much of a burden we are to each other, to the earth we live in and even to God.

In these social ethics classes, we often discussed why people might shun someone diagnosed with the disease. We discussed the facts of the disease and perhaps why shunning them might not be helpful to society as a whole. We discussed myths about the disease and then reflected on how these myths led to lost lives. As stated before, forgotten people differ from nation to nation and from time to time. It took us a while to get to the point where we now say, HIV is not a death sentence. With the possibility of a cure within reach, it now truly isn’t a death sentence. For me and my ever reflective mind though, this gives me a lot to ponder. ​

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​Now, as Covid-19 has turned into a global pandemic, various groups of forgotten people have surfaced. The other day, I was going through Instagram in between sewing masks when I saw a post from a friend and fashion influencer I have worked with throughout the years. The post was jolting. I think I instantly empathized with her frustration and it also shocked me. I was once again being introduced to forgotten people. People that even I, had forgotten. As stated before, it's something we all do. I have made peace with the fact that despite all the papers I wrote on the subject, I am still going to work hard to be aware and fail at it anyway. 
 

I didn't know what to do so I called her first after commenting on her post. I spoke with her and asked her to record a short video we could share that highlighted what she felt might help those like her brother at this time. I still don't have a concrete solution and that is another thing that bothers me (catches my attention) about us... mankind. We made these rules. Not necessarily us, but people who lived or perhaps ran affairs before us. Why should there be systems we don't understand how to navigate? Why isn't this information readily available? And if we find out the system in place isn't serving our current needs, why must it be such a battle to better things? These are all man-made complications and we are man. As I said, I ponder a lot.

We have a project with a teammate that will allow us to design and create furniture with former inmates within the US. This should roll out in the next few weeks since I've learnt that almost everything we design or bring in tends to sell online. People seem to appreciate our aesthetic and former inmates are a group I have wanted to work with. Why not do it now? I don’t have a plan for Sarah’s brother though.


I have decided that bringing the subject to the limelight, especially amongst those who shop with us, is important. I emcee and craft various cross-cultural events not just within Indiana, but the world. These events allow people to meet and connect with other people who might not live, love, worship or look like them. When we gather and work through societal issues (verbally and otherwise), I almost always hear a statement along the lines of "Hmm, I didn't even know this was still an issue," or "I didn't even know this was a problem anywhere in the world,". 

Having these cross-cultural events has allowed us to see each other, despite our differences. As stated before, I am always quietly thinking about mankind and the burden of our existence and the possibility of lessening our burden on each other, the earth and eventually, God. I feel that when we connect on that human level, politics and other insignificant issues aside, we can finally begin to get past a lot of the man-made and man-allowed chaos we have chosen to exist in.

So, I am sharing Sarah's story. I've tried to read and watch a few more interviews so I can learn more on the subject. Again, I might not have the solution, but reading and listening might help me understand more so our organization can also become a resource on the subject. We are choosing to share because someone might read this and may very well have a solution or even a suggestion that might help Sarah. 

I think the biggest thing for me, as someone who cares deeply about this state and calls this nation one of my homes, is I did not want to be silent anymore. I've styled, dressed, partnered and created for a lot of influential people in the state and beyond this state. Simply calling Sarah to check in on her emotional and mental state, didn't feel like enough. So if you do read this and you do know more about what can be done to help, not just Sarah’s brother John, but others who are serving time behind bars, please get in touch.

​These are the latest texts I received from Sarah yesterday evening and today morning:

04/ 28th/ 2020 4:36 PM: A
s of right now I haven’t been able to hear from him in a week. All we know is that they moved him to a hospital to get treatment and we have not heard which hospital. They won’t let us know where he is only that he’s getting treatment. And it’s been a week.

04/ 29th/ 2020 1:26 PM: I just heard today that he is alert and still in the hospital. They won't tell us where though.


Below, I've added the photographs from one of the projects where Sarah literally saved us. We were booked for three events in three different states on one weekend. I loved why each event was being held and I wanted us to take part in ALL of them. Each event had to do with culture and community. Sarah agreed to take the Kansas City, MO event. She drove for nine hours to meet African DJs she did not know but that put the event together. She produced The Taste of Africa Festival fashion show we were hired to create with our pieces and some of her own (she's a stylist). These are some of the dress rehearsal pictures. So today, I will not include anything for sale. I will share the magic of SarahJintheCity and what she brought to life. You can also watch her IGTV video here: https://www.instagram.com/p/B_iHpaHhDLy/

I like music. Music is always a good idea. I included a song by the late Geoffrey Oryema - Makambo. I bumped into this song on YouTube and I like to listen to it on days when I allow my pondering to ebb and flow without restrictions. ​

5 Comments

Global Art, Music and The Old World

4/24/2020

0 Comments

 
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Hey there, 
We've decided to take the "extra time" available now that we are social distancing, and not popping up across the country, to share stories. Stories are how people learn best, in my opinion. I see it happen every time I hold a jewelry making class and share the stories of the various beads from across the globe. When we closed down our physical store, we received a lot of concerned messages about not being available as a resource that people could learn from in Noblesville. We did listen and we are working to share as many stories as possible online. So, the first person we interviewed is an artist whose work we've followed for years via Instagram and her name is Jasvir Panesar.  


LHo Team: How did you end up on this journey? Were there teachers, parental figures etc that endured you had access to the arts?
Jasvir: My mum is an artist, and I guess she passed it on to me..
I did O’level art (GCSE) I never took it seriously, the art teacher always threatened to throw me out of the window... because she knew I had potential, however being a teenager I had other things on my mind. I got an A in art without really trying.
I didn’t go to an art school or take my art any further because I had a lot going on personally, so I hate to admit but I wasted that time of my career life. I gave up art all together. I guess it was only after I had my daughter, I was home a lot and decided to pass my time painting, that’s when I started getting orders for portraits from my friends and family. Some paid and most wanted a freebie. ​I was approached by many people wanting my art for their projects or business ventures. I was naive and excited that my art would be showcased. Little did I know it was just a way to get my art for free. I have learnt a lot since and now I’m very cautious of how I let anyone use my artwork.

LHo Team: What places on earth do you call home?
Jasvir: I was born in London, UK, When I was three years old my parents decided to move back to Kenya. I grew up in Nairobi, returned to London when I was 22. Currently London is my home, but Kenya will always be my first home.
​
I love America. It's one of my homes, A lot of times though, living in America feels like having to "choose sides" because identity here is so race oriented. You can't just wake up in America when you are a minority. I can say that because it's a load I realize I'm lifting specifically as I prepare to travel back to various African nations with our customers. Once we are at the airport and especially when we are flying via an African airline, I feel my body relax and put the weight of my color, hair and accent down. It's not like the other parts of Africa I lived in. When you are a minority and you wake up in America, especially when people are not social distancing and sheltering in place, every morning feels like waking up, remembering you have color (or difference) to you and figuring out how to appropriately carry your color (difference) in an acceptable manner in between everything else you have to do that day. Yes, it's a daily thing just like brushing your teeth or taking a bath. For those of us at LHo who were not born or raised here, it feels like having to walk around with a load on your head and shoulders that no one else can sees you are carrying. Sometimes, you think you are safe because you are still in your neighbourhood until the neighbour's child sees you eating fruit and comments out loud about you being a monkey to his friends (loud enough for you to hear) when all you were doing was trying to get your vitamins for the day. Sharing some of these experiences became very important to me because I have a lot of treasured customers who come and discuss race, justice, global culture, women's rights, the struggles that their adopted children, who might be of another race, face with me. I have been invited to dinners where we had to discuss immigration because they felt I was the person they could safely have a conversation with in a manner that birth growth. I am grateful for everyone who trusts me enough to want to discuss these issues and grow from these discussions. I however noticed that not sharing my experiences or the experiences and voices of others was almost a robbery in a way. A lot of the people who gravitate to our organization want a better world. They want to be part of building that better world and they want their children and grandchildren to be part of that as well. For that reconciliation to take place, our truth has to be shared so there can be awareness and from that hopefully, healing. We specifically wanted to know what inspires Jasvir because she creates outside racial lines. Sharing her story is our way of sharing "another existence" or a world where color isn't always such a source for turmoil. I have shared with LHo Team members that I didn't know I had color until I got here in 2004. I learnt it in under two weeks of arriving in America. I cried so hard that day and vow I was going to work as hard as I could to never allow anyone to box me because I had "color to me". Jasvir represents The Old World I lived in. The one where we celebrated difference through acculturation and enculturation. The Old World where we tried to grow from difference instead of look for ways to shame or automatically judge others for not being like us. 

LHo Team: What inspires you?
Jasvir: I love colour, I’m mostly inspired when I’m around colour of any nature, be it skin, nature, wildlife or even jewellery (especially African jewellery) because it is so colourful and vibrant. I love watching other artists create, that really inspires me. I’ll be honest I’m quite a lazy girl but when I have an art idea I forget to eat!

 I love to paint various African skin tones.LHo Team: What advise would you give emerging artists that are discovering their process and path? 

Jasvir: Be patient with the process. Experiment every time you have the opportunity. Learn from other artists. Watch YouTube videos. Create everyday. Have fun with art. Keep going and never give up!

​
LHo Team: Why does your art cover and cross various racial, cultural and/ or religious lines?
Jasvir: Because I grew up in Kenya, around so much culture and diversity. I was mesmerized by the colours of the Maasai Culture. I have every necklace, bracelet and bag from the Maasai Market (bags full)!! I love to paint various African skin tones.
I feel they have so much depth and history in them. They have the perfect features and such beautiful and colourful head wraps. I love colour as you can see from my Instagram feed. It’s all colour!

LHo Team: So what is the most expensive piece you’ve ever sold. Tell us about it and what was it? Do you have images of it?

Jasvir: I did a portrait of a couple married for 40 years a few years ago. I sold that for £250 as it was a very large painting and needed a lot of detail. I don’t have an image of it unfortunately.

LHo Team: Okay, what about your most beloved piece of art? Why is it precious to you?
Jasvir: It’s one I did recently of an African woman. It was an experiment, I was trying out a fluid art technique with a glue gun and the portrait on top. It turned out so beautiful and has over 80, 000 views on YouTube.

​LHo Team: Who would you like to work with art wise and/ or create a piece of art for?

Jasvir: I don’t really know of any particular artist, but I always dream of seeing my work on the international catwalk someday. May be Gucci might come across my work someday... I can dream... :)

LHo Team: Where can people buy your art? Do you offer virtual art lessons?

Jasvir: I don’t have a website yet, but people can check out my Facebook or Instagram page..contact me if they like anything. I also have a YouTube Channel where you can watch the process to most of my paintings.

LHo Team: Is there anything else you would like anyone that bumps into our blog to know? 
Jasvir: I’m a self taught artist and I learn more everyday. I create art that makes me happy and is full of colour. I’m a rebel, very moody but extremely friendly. Hit me up!!

​Supporting indie is not hard and doesn't always have to involve you spending money (especially if you are not in a position to do so). You can support indie businesses and artists by liking posts or letting your contacts know about various artists you might have bumped into while doing life, in case your contacts do want to shop. Please follow Jasvir on Instagram or subscribe to her YouTube channel. That's a way of supporting her too. Below is the video from Jasvir that got 80,000 views, a playlist from our intern Shem and some of our latest designs on Shoptiques that hail from Maasai Market or have beads that were sourced from there. If you would like to commission a piece from Jasvir, get in touch. She is all types of awesome!!! We'll put up another post once her work in available within the US. 

We wish you good vibes, peace, love and a great weekend!!
Hugs and kisses
​The LHo Team. 

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