New Hairstyle!

Last night I got my hair did!

I went to the salon, THE NAPPY HUTT, and Zakiyah gave me a lovely style. I was going to get a rod set but I didn't have the time to wait for that to dry. With all the hair on my head it would be at least 3 hrs under the dryer!! Ain't no body got time for that! So we stuck to 2 strand twist. I wanted something sexy, I do sassy hair well and I wanted it to be Mohawk inspired cause I do those well too.
That morning though was chilly due to the rain from the night before. I was wearing a sweater for a good part of the day and then moved into a black T when the sun came out. My brother in law said my outfit was very 70s lol. I took a picture before class with my friend Shannon and its "so college" it looks like a college ad photo from the 80s. I support that :)

But anyway back to my hair. So last time I had my hair done 3 weeks ago just about, I posted a blog called "Hair doesn't lie" and I shared with you readers about my hair thinning. Yes as thick as my hair is, it was thinning especially in the back and center of my scalp, unfortunately that was due to stress. That was pretty much the last straw for me and I attempted to make some changes in my daily routine. Started working out a little bit, getting more sleep, and focusing on things that did not cause stress! Well when Zakiyah started twisting my hair she gave me an update on my hair strands.
Good news is that its not thinning anymore.
Bad news is the thinning left a lot of breakage.
Damage was done and unfortunately its  temporarily permanent damage. luckily its only in the center of my scalp so its not like I'll see it everyday and only hair professionals would know the difference. My hair is thick and fluffy so when twisted it swells to its fullness. Well the hair in the middle doesn't swell and I have all these crazy strands of hair sticking out of what should be a flat twist, that's the breakage. The only thing I can do is wait for it to grow out and eventually I'll be cut off when I get a trim. So lets pray my hair starts growing exponentially faster!

Church last Sunday was beautiful so beautiful I need to write its own post about it. But I just felt the need to mention it here. Cause this morning I had my prayer with my spiritual mother and I was telling her about it and boy do I wish some people in particular were there.  My spiritual mother's prayer was awesome this morning. I love how I can update her on my week and we can talk about it and then pray to GOD in praise, gratitude, and call on him for action and guidance. We're praying for you, for ourselves, for our loved ones we see in trouble and when I say in trouble I mean without Christ. She told me that she loves to hear me speak, to hear the hope in my words that are nothing short of a blessing from God. I'm not perfect, I have my moments too. I have happy posts, sad posts, and even angry posts, but no matter the emotion my faith in God is never any less, I never doubt him, and I know to trust him in everything I do.

This week is a tough week for me emotionally but God also made it a busy one and he is filling it with events and people that will keep me busy so I have no time to sulk.
I am living.
I am living in the arms of a magnificent GOD.
Learning, succeeding, failing, and learning some more from those failures.
I don't let just anything happen.
Yes whatever happens happens, but I pray that those happenings are the will of God.
God blessed us with a choice.
The will of man and the will of God.
And I CHOOSE to have nothing in my life but the will of God.

Brand Him Sigma

The other night I witness something I've only heard about!

I was out with my friend Moncello and his buddies and one thing after another I found myself witnessing his buddy Phil get branded.


I was in the company of Sigma's and Zeta's and they reminisced on the old days of them having a good time. One Zeta reflected on how in this very room she got branded up against the refrigerator. Phil who is in all the pictures described his first branding on his arm. Unlike most people his branding didn't swell and raise so it healed looking more like a tattoo.
Moncello showed us the tools he used to brand people who wanted one and Phil was ready for another one, his second branding and his last (according to him). I'm not gonna lie I was excited to witness this.

The Zeta started slapping the area on Phil's chest where he wanted the branding. When her hand hurt he continued tenderizing the muscle himself. Meanwhile cello turned on the stove and placed the "sigma" shaped piece of metal face down on the burner. Once it was hot enough Phil firmly braced his back against the refrigerator and got real serious and tense. Moncello reminded him that he can't do it if he doesn't relax. Few deep breaths and Moncello came at him with the hot piece of metal. Instantly  Phil's eyes popped open he breathed heavy and the brand was complete. The room smelt like bacon burning, Moncello went over it with a rag and rubbed away burnt skin I believe. Then Phil went straight for his shot of patron. And its crazy how the skin reacts, it was a little toasty looking then it got whiter and whiter and then you could clear see the layers of skin exposed.

Examining his skin I had something like an epiphany! I could see the edges red and the blood at a stand still and I asked why does it not bleed? Moncello answered with a sly look on his face, "cause it's deeper than the blood" Blood is only present on that initial under layer of skin, but under that it's just our other layers of skin. The symbolism was killing me! I loved it. I'm not a fan of people being branded, and I'm not a fan of how it looks on some people but man do you have to respect it. This is why I appreciate and have respect for fraternities and sororities especially those that are in the NPHC. It's not cause they are predominantly African American but the history and symbolism runs deep, deeper than blood and these organizations hold traditions and respect for where they came from. DEDICATED lifetime members of these organizations have a love for their org like no other. So whether I second the branding or not, I surely do respect it and I will never forget that night I got to witness it.

 

1st brand on the left, 2nd brand on the right (newest one)

LIBERATION!

Today was a regular day of school two classes back to back. I was running late this morning and had a quiz I was nervous about but I tell you Jesus works boy! My quiz was cancelled and my teacher didn't mark me absent!

When I was younger I wanted my ears pierced sooo bad! My mom was against it because my oldest sister had a bad experience when she had her ears pierced. I waited till my 18th birthday to pierce my ear lobes! It was a wonderful experience when it happened! That day was precious and I was surrounded by love.

After getting it pierced at Piercing Pagoda and loving my new ears everyday since I said when I was 21 that I would get my cartilage pierced. I actually wanted the industrial bar but after seeing it on lots of people at SCAD I changed my mind entirely just the single cartilage aka helix piercing would be just perfect.
Over Spring Break I was talking to someone about how I always wanted that pierced but I was waiting till I was 21. Then they said why are you waiting and I was like ummm IDK! I had no reason why I was waiting. With my mindset of always wanting to plan everything 21 sounded like a good time to do it!
Inspired to be spontaneous and go after what I wanted I was like man I'm gonna just do it if and when I can afford it. I googled what the procedure was like, researched and questioned about healing time, pain, costs, materials, I'm a researcher so I covered all my grounds! When telling my friend Ralph he coincidentally always wanted the same piercing as well! And he said whenever I went he'd join me. He's all about adventure so I defiantly choose him to come make it happen! He told me about a Christian based tattoo/piercing shop called "Resurrection Ink" and when I googled them they had great references and reviews AND they had a coupon for $5 off any piercing! I didn't want to spend my school money so I waited till I got paid from a side job and was able to pay for my piercing. After the coupon it was only $25 and that included the surgical steel stud.

After my class today I headed to South Savannah and met up with Ralph I was soooo nervous but so excited!! I really felt a sense of liberation that was about to happen. When I got my ear lobes pierced I had it recorded so of course I had to get this piercing recorded and I'll eventually put it on YouTube. Since I learned a lot from watching other people's videos I'd like to contribute. I am the biggest baby in the world with pain and hitting my toe on a door would hurt wayy more than my cartilage piercing! The guy that pierced it has a FB page but I'm not gonna post my picture on FB  but out of respect for his work I will post his link so anyone in Savannah interested can go to him.
Joe Buckler Pierced my Cartiledge!
This place is loves them some Jesus, they are professional, and oh so clean and sanitary!
http://www.resurrectionink.com/

I'm not gonna trip I left this shop feeling pretty bad ass. Its not a crazy nasty piercing but it's something I love, something I wanted and something that I felt permanently exemplifies my edge, my edge that not many people recognize. The little stud is so tiny no one has noticed on their own yet lol. It's doing well so far. No pain or nothing. Its just gonna be sore for a few months cause this part of the ear takes a long time to fully heal. I can't sleep on that side of my head and if anyone touches it or bumps it i'll probably blow a gasket lol jk but it will hurt tremendously lol. Otherwise I have to clean it twice a day by saturating it with a sea salt and distilled water mixture. They provided the sea salt for me and I went out n bought a gallon of distilled water. Distilled water is better than tap cause I don't want to risk any crazy minerals in the tap water that may react bad.

So whats next full body tattoo?! I thought about getting a little green pear with a purple and blue butterfly landing on top of it tattooed on like my side or maybe next to my hip bone on the front....

But NAWWWW! I'm done lol. But honestly I was giddy even after the fact cause I was proud of myself. Doing something for me feels great. Resisting my phone was hard I wanted to text and blast it but I did this for me so I'm keeping it to me. I don't consider my blog public since only a few people read it. and by time someone else reads it it'll be buried by other posts lol.

 

I still can't believe it happened!!!! I went to Resurrection Ink during the Passion week when Jesus is resurrected! MY God you are so awesome :) URGGHH I'm so happy. I hope you understand... <3

New Year New Nappy Hutt = 2014!!

December of 2012 saw me with a head full of Bantu Knots by a young girl who didn't last too long at The Nappy Hutt. BUT while she was there she gave me some funky bantu knots that I rocked all of December till the week before Christmas.

After the bantu knots I unraveled them. I proudly took my observations from Trell (the QUEEN on Pin-ups at the nappy hutt) and pinned my curly fries together in a very sexy (sorta androgynous look) that I rocked into the New Year! The front corners of my scalp right before my ears do wonders for me when pulled back. My face is angled and just damn awesome looking. lol.

Here are some ways I rocked my curly fries pinned up.

I rang in the new year with my Bebe/ Neo Perry on the downtown streets of Delray Beach, FL and watched fireworks from the roof top of a local garage :) and  a peak of the moon from the beach.

Since then I returned to Savannah with Perry and we spent the last few days of our winter break together before we parted ways and went back into our academic schedules :/

Last night I got my hair done at no other place but THE NAPPY HUTT and celebrated my anniversary with them lol. I've had my hair styled by all of the hairstyles starting with Trell and last night I cycled back to her :) I was blow dried a little bit in the process of getting some braids and damn near cried. Heat hadn't touched my hair in nearly a year but my thickness and tangley curls were cramping Trell's hand sooo she heat protected my hair and blow dried it some. I constantly touched it making sure it was still ok but my tresses and I made it our safely lol.


I also got a TRIM!! No more bad ends (again) and I'm hoping to keep up with it by doing the following:

-No more keeping hair styles in for 4+ weeks. Since my hair is so coiled and curly I have the advantage of not needing a wash as frequently because the oils from my scalp take longer to travel down my hair shaft. Unfortunately I have abused this advantage and pulling out months old braids and twist leave my head full of sad oily dirt balls in the roots and hair ends.

So new rule!!! No matter what I wash every 2 weeks. and I'll trim every 2-3 visits. I'm getting a lot more comfortable with the idea of trimming my hair. I went from anti scissors EVER to once in a while. but my hair depends on my hair ends to grow and this year I am DETERMINED for some super growth. So my hair ends come first!

Lots of people straighten their hair to see how long its gotten but after straightening my hair for so long back in the day I don't need to do that. I know based on my fro and portions of my hair whether my hair has gotten longer or not. Its grown a little but not as much as I know it can with better care.

But I'm in good hands at The Nappy Hutt, I just have to do my part and show up!

In even better new The Nappy Hutt will be expanding into a brand new and much much bigger Shop! more details to come!

Entrepreneur

This year I'm pushing my businesses forward.

Saje Creations Photography LLC. is expanding.
I've touched on a number of photographic areas but fine tuning it I've created divisions to my work.

I first separated work and art.

Saje Creations Photography = WORK

Stephanie Brown Photography = ART

Even though all of my photographs are meaningful this is how I market myself as an artist versus photographic services.









Saje Creations is a proud company I founded and nurtured and now it needs to go up in scale, in value and especially in demand. I have the portfolio and the knowledge and plenty supporters but I need more  clients!

Saje Creations does Event Photography with a documentary eye.

• Weddings
• Engagements
• Couples
• Fundraisers
• Family/Senior/Child Portraiture

Divine 9 Imagery

• Fraternity and Sorority Events
• Step-Shows
• Affiliated Organization Events
• Greek Paraphernalia Store Product Photography

Hair Photography

• Hair Shows
• Hair Salon Photography
• Hair styles/stylist

I am working an amazing graphic designer Jonas and together I'm looking forward to making this while he markets me and my services.

I pledge...

I pledge....

Since my boyfriend pledged Iota Phi Theta he influenced a new genre of event photography for me. When you google Greek photography you'll see some pictures of Greek women, the countryside of Greece and other things that you didn't want to see. I photographed his probate because I'm a photographer and I wanted his special day to be recorded professionally. When he crossed he became a life member of that fraternity and watching him dedicate himself to this organization has been so benefactions to his growth and maturity.

Well shopping for paraphernalia in Savannah introduced me to Moncello Stewart who owns Sigma Graphics with his brother. Its the only physical shop in Savannah where you can buy jackets and other items covered in your fraternity or sorority letters. Shopping there brought up conversation and an exchange of cards. Long story short I've been shooting Greek event photography since and I'm really loving it.

 

January seems to hold many Founder's Days for the organizations under the NPHC. The Phi Beta Sigmas and the Zeta Phi Beta held their founders date program at Savannah State University last weekend. And on Sunday the lovely ladies of Delta Sigma Theta celebrated their centennial on Sunday. Their organization has graced this planet for 100 years of service. Photographing these events, especially these founders days are essentially the birthdays and anniversaries of these organizations.

 

When I shoot events I'm looking for the meat and potatoes of the event but these events are different, especially when you see all the chapters and years of Delta women or Sigma Men come together. To see these elderly men and women support their organization really hit home for me to see that these colors they dedicated their life to are colors they wear inside and out, it is seriously till death do they part. The beauty in the relationship between the individual and the ethics and mannerisms of the organization is something I seek to capture in every opportunity I get. Every founder they honor and recognize made it possible for them to chant what they chant and wear the letters they represent. How monumental is that!

Since my boyfriend pledged I get the question often as to what will I pledge...
One would think I can't because my school doesn't have greek life but if I wanted to bad enough I could pledge at another school in Savannah or later in life perhaps in a grad chapter. But even though my appreciation and fascination for Greek life has tremendously increased I've come to realized my place. I'm all about leading, making a change for the better, and sharing life stories for others to learn from but as a sister in a sorority I would be doing that as well as I could with my photography. Not to mention I'm not one to have so many female counterparts. Maybe being in a sorority could fill the void in my life since I grew up with very few good female friends but that's not a reason to join a sorority now is it?

If I must answer the question, I WOULD pledge with a sorority that I grew up to know as a supporter in education and especially uplifting young women in my community and that sorority is Delta Sigma Theta. I still have my honor certificated I got from them every year from middle school into high school and two mentors in my middle school years were Deltas as well. Now I know what the ornaments in their offices symbolized. BUT since I don't intend on pledging I intend to be myself... A photographer, a one-day wife, and a supportive youth like I always am. I put others before myself and I do lots of things out of the kindness of my heart cause God blessed me I want to bless others. And if I was to take part in anything associated with Greek life it would next to my man. My pictures are contributions to the NPHC and the organizations they unite. But my love and supportive nature falls under what some would call a sweetheart. And when I marry my Iota man that is a role I'll proudly take on, cause in that role I can simply be myself wholeheartedly.






See my GREEK Photography on my FB page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Saje-Creations-Photography/189060964466716