YEAH ME! (revised)

So... I (don't know if I listed it in my rules for 2008, but) made the decision that I would get more invovled into the student writing scene on our campus (ie: papers, magazines, etc.). With that being said, I was assigned my first two articles a little over a week ago and they were due last night. With the help of my WONDERFUL journalism teacher (*big ups to Geo, peep his blog- it's in my 'respected blogs'), I wrote and revised my first "college clip". That's right. You guessed it! I will be sharing it with you. Here goes nothing:

For most people, the term ‘black cloud’ carries a negative connotation. For Temple University freshman, Isaiah Little, it is the name of his proudest achievement. Inspired by the lack of creativity he saw in the fashion industry and his love for entrepreneurship Little decided to create his own clothing line.

“I didn’t see anything of my preference, and I wanted something different,” he declared. Despite the authenticity behind his concept, few people showed support for his ideas. The negativity became ‘a black cloud that he had to rise above’. Therefore, the name was no longer solely representative of the brand. It was a lifestyle.

Little, a big kid at heart, can turn into a business man at the drop of hat. He is a zany person by nature, but he is fully aware that there is a time for everything. Nonetheless, his Jersey roots are undeniable: as they are apparent in his conversation and use of street slang.

Black Cloud is a reflection of its designer and his background. It’s a street brand, which means it’s inspired by the streets. Therefore, most designs include graphics of simple day to day objects. True to the ‘street brand’ concept, it is slowly taking over Temple campus.

You can find Little walking around in clothes that can be bought from places anywhere between Bloomingdales and the thrift store. Nothing is too expensive or too cheap. Fashion is a way of self expression, and the most important factor is confidence and comfort in whatever you are wearing.

For example, Little has a head full of dread locks. Some people grow dreads to further represent their culture and ethnicity, others grow it to be trendy. His reasoning is a lot less complex. He wanted to grow his hair out, but he didn’t want braids because they hurt too much.

Like his hair selection, the process for designing his clothing is just as simple. “Something will pop in my head, and I’ll just have to do something. I do things when I have the time, more or less,” said Little. There is no designated “design time”.

However, there is a design process. He pulls out his iPod, blast the music as loud as his roommates will allow, grabs a pencil and paper, and begins to design different patterns free handedly. If not sketching by hand, he uses the soft ware on the computer to create his designs versus scanning them onto the computer.

As with most great inventions, his first shirt was designed on accident. While internet surfing and listening to Joel Ortiz, the saying “hip hop started out in the park” stuck in his head. As he browsed through different websites, he saw a stereo. Following the stereo, he saw a picture of a man dancing, and decided to combine the two pictures with the quote.

With the shirts unanticipated success, he began to let his designs take on a form of their own. It is Little’s hope that Black Cloud will matures as he matures. “Ask questions. As much as you think you know, you don’t know everything. What better way of receiving information than from the source itself,” he advises.

His latest design, a black crew neck sweater, reads “The Muckers Club: Antidote for your Enemies”. The Muckers Club was a name given to an ambitious group of John F. Kennedy’s close friends who liked to enjoy themselves. This idea seems to be an exact reflection of Temple’s up and coming designer.
[THE END]

*The editor of the section I wrote the article for told me I did a great job. I was souped! So what if I'm corny for it; sue me. It's one thing to rant about topics of my choice and completely disregard grammar/style- it's something else to write for a school publication. This is my first major foot step down my road to success. I had to crawl before walking, but I think I've been a baby long enough. It's about time to step up. Don't be suprised if I'm chief editor of your favorite magazine in 4 years. No, really. Oh yeah, lesson learned in the completion of this article- my weakness is in revising. However, practice makes perfect, and I plan on getting lots of it. Got to go, I was actually supposed to be writing another article that's past due now. Sidetracked? Uh... yeah, a bit.

Contentment is Key, (your fav. aspiring magazine journalist)
B

ps- If you're interested in the clothing line, which I FULLY vouch for (the shirt I'm wearing in my 'Rules for 08' post is one of his)- you can check out his line and/or make a purchase (actually, I insist) at http://www.blackcloudeffect.com/blog.html