The Diverse Arts Project - - - Interview: #TeamHellaSwag, 4 Creative Ladies in the Bay

Friday

Aug052011

Interview: #TeamHellaSwag, 4 Creative Ladies in the Bay

We’re not sure if a short blurb could ever do justice to the force that is known as #TeamHellaSwag. But, we’ll try. And we’ll throw in a few interviews too, while we’re at it. So, here it goes. #TeamHellaSwag is a collective of four young ladies living in San Francisco and taking in the culture of the Bay. Individually, they are an actress, a photographer, an actress/creative director/ model and a businesswoman. Collectively, they are a powerhouse of comedy and culture wrapped into a blog where they comment on various topics ranging from Hip Hop to fashion, black hair care to black bus drivers. Read on: you’re going to love this interview.

This interview’s a little bit different than the others. We call it 4 questions for the 4 ladies of #TeamHellaSwag. We asked them 4 questions as a group, and then we split them up so we could learn about them individually – 4 questions each. Strap in, grab some popcorn and read on.

THE DAP

Why the name #TeamHellaSwag?

#TEAMHELLASWAG

We're a team. We have hella swag. The name was a no brainer. The hashtag was added for effect.

THE DAP

Please define “swag.”

#TEAMHELLASWAG

Swag is the seemingly effortless way someone does anything with finesse and style - from speaking to walking, wooing someone of the opposite (or same) sex, chewing gum, anything. Exhibit A: President Obama's pimp walk. Yep, he has swag.

THE DAP

We’re pretty much addicted to your blog. Do you think this is in some way related to your collective swag?

#TEAMHELLASWAG

Obvi. Our collective swag puts the Sirens to shame.

THE DAP

"Single Ladies” or "Girlfriends”? Why?

#TEAMHELLASWAG

"Girlfriends" wins by leaps, bounds, and interplanetary distances. Why? (1) "Girlfriends" was cheesy at times but at least the acting was a LOT better than that of "Single Ladies." (2) Lisa Raye's diction is atrocious. We can’t understand her lines half of the time. Can someone invest in a speech coach? (3) Although the wardrobes in "Single Ladies" are super duper fab, at least the characters on "Girlfriends" were lawyers, real estate agents, authors, etc. We've only seen "Single Ladies" 1.5 times (we couldn't endure any more so we flipped to the "Real Housewives of NJ" on DVR) but we still don't know what those women do for an occupation. Or is the point that they have sugar daddies?

dubs.

dubs. is a philly bred girl who has designs of being a *superstar* actor /creative director /model /writer /photog /your super-fancy idol, but is currently content with working and living the good life in SF with the rest of #TeamHellaSwag. She frequently undermines any semblance of intelligence on her part by peppering her language with the straight-thugin-ess that she learned on the streets . . . and also undermines her street-cred by saying things like "semblance of intelligence." Really, she's a conundrum and a half, but as a jedi-master-of-the-internet-in-training, she'll never take you on a journey she can't link your way through.

THE DAP

You’re an artist but also a merchandising manager at Google Android. For those of us not in the business world, what is it that you do every day?

DUBS

A Merchandising Manager is responsible for leveraging content and website look/feel to drive sales. If everyone who visits my (imaginary) video sharing site is a 24-36 year old male, I'm not going to feature a clip of "My Little Ponies" front and center on my homepage. That's a merchandising decision. (Actually there is a subset of my theoretical site demographic who might love a My Little Pony Feature, but I'm not touching that). Day to day wise, I crunch lots of tasty numbers to see what is and isn't working in terms of promotion on our website.

THE DAP

Can we get a Google + invite?

DUBS

I really like lasagna. Chicken or turkey lasagna. Or chicken AND turkey lasagna!! I think you see where I'm going with this... ::eyebrow wiggles::

THE DAP

Your interests in the arts are wide – from photography, to acting, to writing, to modeling. Why are you so creative? Can we have some of your creativity?

DUBS

Creative is a nice way of putting it. Incredibly scattered is another, haha. I've always preferred life when I was over-committed. Especially in college, at any one time I was preparing for an a cappella concert, a fashion show, an honoring Black people ceremony, a review of my latest video art piece, and a big track meet at the same time. I thrive in that kind of self-imposed environment.

I think it's generally true that creative people are at least opinionated about a myriad of subjects. That's a part of my personality that was highly cultivated by my parents. At their hands, I lived a life of positive validation that sees me charging forward into new areas with (unfounded?) confidence in my instincts and abilities. It's why I think acting as Creative Director for photo shoots gives me so much joy. It's being artsy-fartsy, but It's also bossing people around, armed with nothing but my overly-wrought opinions (and a little experience).

In terms of having the proper "tortured artist" background to rightfully claim my position in the art space, I was also a pretty awkward kid. I always wanted to be like one of the cool actor-kids on "All That," but I was way more "Freaks and Geeks." I was (am?) also properly emo/angsty -- like Daria. I wanted to like the character with the awesome poofy pig tails (I could draw her the best), but I was definitely more Daria. Except I could dance. So I was like a Dancing Daria -- and we know they make the best artists.

Or something.

dubs was the Creative Director for this lookbook for a store in Reno. It's safe to say she's creative.THE DAP

Being a model or Photographing a model? Why?

DUBS

Photographing a model. Models can't eat lasagna.

But seriously, in an ideal world I would be so famous that people would have to accept me, my curves, my lasagna (or meatloaf -- I don't want to be short-sighted here) and my SuperAmazingAwesomeness™ as a viable spokesperson/ model. Like, how Queen Latifah can be an awesome Cover Girl because she was famous for other reasons first (not to mention the fact that she's stunning), and is simultaneously allowed to possess a You-Might-Actually-Encounter-This-In-Real-Life body. Also you're allowed to age (but only a bit).

jvr.

Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, jvr is often spotted wandering the San Franciscan hills in skinny jeans and big hair, with a camera around her neck. Whether, she's bobbing her head to One Republic or listening to old school R&B, jvr loves music and uses any open space as an opportunity to dance! Lovin' the swaglife and lovin' the girls, she's grateful for the life that she's been given and loves life in San Francisco.

THE DAP

Your photography captures the individuality of its subjects, but in a very subtle, serene way. What is your photographic philosophy?

JVR

Thanks Matt! The way I approach photography is very simple. I take pictures of moments I want to remember. Too often, I feel like life is going by way too quickly and when it isn't going by too quickly, it's awfully noisy. Photography gives me the opportunity to isolate my subject from their noisy world and preserve the moment that really captures their personality.

THE DAP

What has been your favorite shoot in San Francisco so far?

JVR

Hmm my favorite shoot has to be my shoot with Brittan Berry! It wasn't a formal shoot. She just so happened to be in my living room and I just so happened to have a camera in my hand. It was a great shoot because she's naturally comfortable with being in front of the camera and didn't require too much direction. When I have a subject that naturally opens up, I can take a step back and focus more on the composition and story of the photograph.

THE DAP

Like dubs, you also work at Google. Is there a secret alliance between artists and Google?

JVR

Haha! That's a great question. There's no denying that there's something about working at Google and living in Silicon Valley that fosters creativity. You get to work and there are white boards in every conference room, and you will hardly ever go a few hours without hearing the words "innovate" and "iterate." Moreover San Francisco has a way of challenging you to move beyond just tolerating other beliefs to having a mature awareness that the world isn't black and white. It's the combination of all these things that really opens the door for you to create something that is truly beautiful.

THE DAP

Automatic Zoom or Manual Zoom? Why?

JVR

Actually, neither! I'm a die hard prime lens fan. While zoom lenses allow you to get up to close and personal with your subject without being in their face, it actually distorts the perceived difference between the subject and the background. A prime lens, however, allows you to capture the subject almost exactly how it appears in real life and handles low light situations very well!

TinaBelle.

A true California girl, TinaBelle is so happy to be back on best coast, after spending four years back east for college. A full time grad student studying acting, she spends most of her time rolling around on the floor and trying to connect to her breath and character (seriously!). When not in school, TinaBelle loves exploring all the amazing food, arts and nightlife this little/big city has to offer. You can generally find her at a play,a movie or kicking-back with her favorites, the lovely ladies of TeamHellaSwag.

THE DAP

You study acting at American Conservatory Theater. What do you think have been the advantages of pursuing an MFA rather than simply moving to Los Angeles and searching for roles?

TINABELLE

For me the choice was pretty simple. In high school I decided to apply to liberal arts colleges as opposed to acting conservatory programs, knowing that I wanted to do my actor training in graduate school. I knew then that I wanted plays and the live stage to be a huge part of my career and that theater requires a certain level of training that film and television do not. Thus, graduate school was essential.

THE DAP

What’s your dream role?

TINABELLE

That is such a tough question for me. While there are so many roles that I would love to play at some point in my career (ie. Lady MacBeth, Susan in Race by David Mamet, Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams), I really don't think my dream role has been written. It may never be written, but I hope to use my career as a continual pursuit of honest roles that provoke and inspire both audiences and myself. If I do ever encounter my true dream role, I probably won't know what it is until years after I've played it.

Photograph by jvr

THE DAP

Tell us a little about the San Francisco acting scene.

TINABELLE

The Bay Area has a very vibrant theater scene. While ACT is the largest theater in the area, there are several other large all-union theaters and hundreds of smaller scale professional theaters. However, in my opinion, the community isn't large enough to sustain a full career, especially for an actor of color. If I stayed here, I would always need another job to help pay the bills.

THE DAP

You’re also a singer. American Idol or The Voice? Why?

TINABELLE

The Voice!! It's newer, fresher and Cee-Lo Green makes me smile. However, give it a couple more years, a few judge rotations and one or two good scandals, and it will be just as played out as American Idol.

zSwag.

After growing up in DC, zSwag found that moving to SF was quite a change, but with all of the art, culture, partying, and yes, FOOD San Francisco has to offer she has quickly learned to love this quirky city. zSwag's pastimes include watching crappy reality TV shows, dancing (whether at home or at a party), reading, meeting new people, blogging, and eating.

THE DAP

You’re a businesswoman on her way to business school. Why team up with this artistic crew of ladies?

ZSWAG

Great question. I don't bring anything artistic to the crew but luckily I can crack a few jokes every now and again. Also because I don't have any (real) talents, I waste a significant portion of my time (read: life) consuming nonsense including most network and cable reality TV shows, horrific hip hop music, and gossip blogs which provide great fodder for blogging.

THE DAP

What is management consulting?

ZSWAG

Getting paid to tell bitches what to do. i.e. #pimping

THE DAP

As the “self-proclaimed mistress of pop culture,” you have shared your thoughts on artists from Lyrikkal to T-Pain. Please assess the state of Hip Hop music today.

ZSWAG

*Le Sigh*

Hip hop is definitely a far cry from what it was when it was first created in the 70's in New York. Rap and Hip hop were artforms used to express opinions about political and social issues. Today our hip hop music, for the most part, focuses on sex, makin' dat cheddah, booty poppin', and consuming alcohol and illicit drugs. Not gonna lie, some of the beats to the music today definitely gets me moving in the club but the quality of hip hop music is 6 feet under.

THE DAP

Next year, you’ll be in Philadelphia. East Coast or West Coast? Why?

ZSWAG

This is a toughie. The West Coast (specifically the San Francisco bay area) is amazing because people are less judgmental than people on the East Coast, and people in SF are more comfortable to express themselves through their artwork, clothing, etc. The West Coast also has AMAZINGLY fresh fruits and veggies and, of course, the weather is fairly consistent (no humidity, say whaaa?) year around which makes partaking in outdoor activities that much more enjoyable.

Now, the East Coast, however, has that #swag that I really love. People like to dress up and look amazing when they step out; the people just seem to be so much more metropolitan out here. Despite the humidity and the snowstorms, I'll have to vote for the East Coast. I can't deny the sexy swag out hurr.