HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MAYA & NY

my 1 year anniversary here in NY was on june 8th. in the 1 year i've spent here i've done a milestone of growing. i'd love to say i'm a millionaire, am living in a gorgeous loft and/or brownstone, have "made it", but not quite and let's be honest...this is real life. some may say i'm back at square one but i know i actually just time travelled back to the present to make a different choice and i'll keep time travelling until i make a choice that brings me to my final destination. deja vu? seemingly familiar terrain? auto repeat? no..just time travel :) i'm grateful for all the experiences i've lived both positive and negative, it makes my life that much more colourful!
speaking of colourful here's a lovely pic i took with the hubby heading to dinner to celebrate my 1 year. thank you nyc for challenging me and making me that much stronger!

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and some inspiring lyrics by my girl Alicia Key: Empire State Of Mind (Part II) Lyrics

Ooohh New York

Grew up in a town that is famous as the place of movie scenes
Noise was always loud, there are sirens all around and the streets are mean
If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere, that's what they say
Seeing my face in lights or my name on marquees found down on Broadway

Even if it ain’t all it seems, I got a pocketful of dreams
Baby, I'm from New York
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothing you can't do
Now you're in New York
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Hear it for New York, New York, New York!

On the avenue, there ain't never a curfew, ladies work so hard
Such a melting pot, on the corner selling rock, preachers pray to God
Hail a gypsy cab, takes me down from Harlem to the Brooklyn Bridge
Some will sleep tonight with a hunger far more than an empty fridge

I'm gonna make it by any means, I got a pocketful of dreams
Baby, I'm from New York
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothing you can't do
Now you're in New York
These street will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Hear it for New York, New York, New York!

One hand in the air for the big city,
Street lights, big dreams all looking pretty
No place in the world that can compare
Put your lighters in the air, everybody say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

In New York
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothing you can't do
Now you're in New York
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Now you're in New York!

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothing you can't do
Now you're in New York
These street will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Hear it for New York!

until then :)

awwww...thanks ladies! since my new site isn't up and even when it is perhaps i'll navigate it to my blogspot...just for you Camille and Fly Lady :) it's great to know my thoughts are appreciated.
but back to business :)
i've been hard at work making my dreams a reality. i went to Atlantic City this weekend for an aerobics conference interviewing amazing people for my doc. to put it out there i'm working on a documentary about 80's aerobics :) for those of you wanting to pursue a project that demands time and money look into fiscal sponsors. i'm currently finishing up my package for the New York Foundation for the Arts. Essentially they represent you on the charitable front. they do not provide funds however when you are seeking funding it helps to have an organization behind you as they can offer tax credits to those wanting to financial help your project. the great thing with the application is it's forced me to think long and hard about what i'm actually trying to create. what is this project? what is the timeline? what is the budget? who is your target market? what is my marketing strategy?....all questions that have focused both myself and my project. fiscal sponsors are everywhere and are designed for non-profit projects, however when i asked them about possible sales and distribution they were all for it. their explanation: my project is not for profit in production. since they only represent me while in production i can make all the money i want after that point :) isn't that awesome?! so whether you want to film something, have a solo exhibition, rehearsals for performance, whatever, fiscal sponsor may be able to help out.
and for all you peeps who want to film something but don't have the equipment think about rentals. you can rent ANYTHING these days! digital cameras, mics, lens, steadicams...i picked up a few items from CSI Rentals here in NY. these peeps are dope! i rented a few items for my trip to Atlantic City. although it isn't necessary i'm putting together a documentary trailer with my application. visuals help potential investors or producers see where your vision is going. however if a trailer sucks you may want to omit it all together. all in all my interviews went AMAZING. i learned a lot of do's and don'ts. DO hire a soundman, DO try to be as quiet as possible while interviewing, DO plan ahead and stay open to improvising, DO have fun!
so i have an application to complete :) here are some photos from my trip