Reminisce Over Me

  Hey, and welcome to another installment of According to T. I'm your host Tsiambwom Akuchu.

You know, there comes a point in everyone's life, I think, that they begin to feel the urge, or to describe it more properly, a pull to leave home.(how cliched is that intro?)

But you know that moment people talk about, you know, when the baby bird finally learns to fly and leaves the nest? This is what I mean. It's the point where you walk into the house you grew up in and feel like a stranger; the point where you visit your old church and find that everybody has moved on. You come home for summer vacation and you're maybe lucky that you have 2 or 3 friends still in town with whom you can hangout with and talk about how things are changing.

I used to think that becoming an adult meant that you metamorphosed into this rational, independent, free thinking being, completely capable of contributing to society. How wrong am I? It seems to me that becoming an adult is not this beautiful transformation, but a cold and unfeeling realization. You don't necessarily change, but the world around you definitely does. Becoming an adult is just how you are expected to react to this change, or rather, how you choose to react. Hopefully within the 18plus years you've been alive you've learned enough about responsibility and how to be a functioning member of the 'real world' that you react the correct way.

So why is this my topic or discussion today?

Well I just so recently just went back home to Atlanta to spend fourth of July with my family. I came home to familiar sights and sounds, delicious smells and a full house. About three years ago, this was the norm.

My family consists of five children and two parents. Seven in total. Now you can imagine how hectic that gets. Well, here is that change I was talking about. The three oldest kids, including me have all graduated and moved off for college; my older sister in Texas, I at Georgia Southern, and my younger brother at Georgia Tech. This means the house has now gone from a bickering seven, to a disagreeing four. Oh how quiet it must be.

When I came back for fourth of July, everyone was there, and it all seem normal. But then I walked into my room, and change hit me. It hit me with a wave of nostalgia and faded memories. Adulthood hit me. I looked around and realized that room hasn't been used in a year or so. It has become a time capsule of my childhood. Every drawer, every cabinet, every upturned pillow, and sprawled over book was a memory from the past. It is a pensive of random memories and friends from highschool past. I spent part of my weekend my room, just reminiscing. As I flipped through yearbooks and old scripts, I came across my brothers memories. It seems the room has become his pensive as well.

On the drive back to my apartment, I couldn't help but think about this, and all I could think was, where have my childhood friends gone, where did everyone I used to know go? And of course, whenever you're thinking about your past, you always have to bring up old regrets and stupid decisions. It's a general rule.

You know, I realize that, every mile I drove further from home, is another mile between my childhood and adolescent self. I guess this is growing up....

Moving on. But you know, change is not so bad...well, at least not when you've had to grow up with it.

Until next time friends.

Just One of the Girls

     Hey there friendly neighborhood bloggers. It's about that time again.In my update post a couple days ago, I talked about my summer job. Well, more correctly, I mentioned it in passing, but I did say it.

     The job I have is with the university, through the housing program. What I basically do is clean the residence halls on campus and prepare them for the incoming freshman in the fall. We also clean after various summer programs that use the residence halls on campus. Let me go on a quick tangent here for a second or two. Now, I appreciate this this job. I get paid, 8.50 an hour and the people are great, which I'll get to later in this post....BUT, college students can be....unsanitary to say it mildly. It takes a hard soul, strong mind,  an incredible force of will, and an iron stomach to clean up after college students. DISCLAIMER: what I'm about to describe might make the strongest of you uneasy. I have seen things. Things that would make a grown man cry. Things that should not have to exist but they do. Things so evil....Have you ever walked into a room and get hit in the face with a smell so disgusting it physically shakes you. It sends a chill down your spine and rocks your very core? Have you ever walked into a bathroom to find what generally would be an opaque shower curtain, black and spotted like a leopard....and find the toilet the same? I apologize but this probably is my first and last time working this job. Oh well, tangent over.

     Now, to my main point of this post. My co-workers. At work we the student workers are put into teams of workers to clean the dorms and apartments, and our teams are supervised by team leaders, the permanent work staff at Southern. I had started work a few days late, and when I got there, I was randomly assigned a team. As it turns out I was assigned to a group of all girls. Which mind you, I don't mind. In the past month and half of work our team has grown from 3 workers, not including our supervisor, also a woman to 6. All girls. Only team like mine.

     I have spent this summer learning the intricacies of a girls mind....a black girl's mind. All my coworkers are very strong, independent and free thinking black women. I have come to discover that there are very few differences between a guy and a girl, despite the anatomical. I have found out that girls can be just as vulgar, lewd, and twisted as a guys. They are also funny, and smart, and quite frankly better than guys....sometimes. And after listening to my team members talk, I really don't understand what girls see in guys. The amount of....crap girls put up with from guys is ridiculous. I don't don't even think we're worth it.

     It also seems that I've been readily accepted as one of the girls...well considering I am outnumbered 6 to 1. But, for the most part, whether I like it or not, I'm one of the girls. I'm privy to the details of girls lives that many guys don't get to experience. From talking about shopping and getting hair and nails done, to personal problems about guys and health. It's an interesting world. Sometimes I don't even think they realize I'm there. Just the other day, they were discussing skin tones and tans and talking about how light their skin gets on the parts of their body that stays covered up. I almost thought that they were gonna lift up their shirts and show each other what they were talking about, and I was quite flustered and kinda just sank into the corner. I mean....I guess that's just the way it is.

      If by this summer I have learned anything, I would like to think that I learned a little something about girls. Well, women. Anyways, I'll finish out this post for now. Tomorrow is another day of work. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned.

A Griot is an African Storyteller

                           

Ladies and Gentlemen, Griot Studios

 Hey everyone. This is Griot Studios. That's our logo up top. I mentioned in the prior post the origins of Griot Stu and it's purpose for the most part. Griot Stu is a collaborative effort with my roommate Tre, the artist. It was born out of the need to do more professional work within our field of interests, and seeing how they were so closely related, we decided to join forces.  The name Griot Stu comes from me and Tre. Griot is the part I came up with. A griot is an african storyteller, and that's basically what we are trying to do, tell a story, our story, someone else's, a fictional character. Anybody. Plus, I'm african. Stu comes from the abbreviated version Tre likes to say studios. Whenever he came back from art class or from doing the project he'd always say, "Just came back from the stu guys." We think it's clever, but what do we know. We're not that cool.

As of right now Griot Stu operates as a name brand of sorts. We sorta kinda just stick the label on whatever work we do, but our main main function is producing videos for youtube. The videos are anything and everything, from short films, to dance videos, to comedic shorts. Our other productions include visual art, blogs, and music, although the art and music will take a little time to set up. Tre is working on his first mixtape now and is almost done with it. He goes by the rap name Tripp Maximus, so be on the lookout for that. Also, this blog is now under the production of Griot Stu. It's post are now promoted by the studios. Which is also why I will be blogging more heavily now. Gotta produce material for the team. 

Right now, there are four main facets to Griot Stu: GriotMusic, GriotArt, GriotFilms, and GriotWorks, which includes blogging and other social media. We launched with our first video about a week ago and will be keeping updates between our main videos with a video blog.

I personally think we have something amazing on our hands. I mean, not many people put in this kind of work for something they love to do, or I guess they do, since they love it. Anyways, I feel like it's a step in the right direction. The videos we make are something that I want to put on my personal portfolios as an actor. It's something I want to leave college saying I did, that will help further my career. 

I don't know, sometimes it feels like a dream, and I am always half a step from waking up and other times it feels like I'm about to fall asleep.....I think that makes sense. I don't speak cryptically often, but I am pretty good with my analogies, haha.

                     Well, time for some selfless promoting. Check out our first production: Mobbin

and subscribe to our youtube channel. It's a dance short film. I know you have one if you're on blogger. And also like our Facebook page: Griot Stu

You know, when boils down down to the core of why we made Griot Stu, it's just that we are just two artist trying to make it in the world. We understand that our road is longer and harder than most, yet, we still persevere to trying and make it. And not just because we seek fame or fortune or the superficial things, but because we can't imagine our lives without doing what we do. So, give us a chance to tell our story, show you our work. We promise you won't be disappointed.

What Else is New

Hey there blogosphere. It's been.....too long. I know a few posts back I promised to be a more wholehearted blogger. Here we are, more than a couple months later and I have nothing to show for that promise. Well, this time, it's going to be different.

     I sound just like a regular guy huh. Making promises, but failing to follow through. These are traits that I generally try to stifle but every once in awhile, I'm T, just another guy who can't live up to his promise. Well, anyways, I'm here now. A lot has happened in my few months of hiatus. It didn't even hit me that I wasn't blogging until about a few weeks ago, my friends asked me if I had posted anything new. I felt so bad realizing I hadn't, and even worse when i realized somebody somewhere reads my stuff. Well, this post is dedicated to all those that looked at my blog whilst I was away.

An Update:

In the now,
- It's summertime- (awesome, what else is new)

- I have a job, part time, but a job nonetheless. It's with the university I go to, Georgia Southern, so I stayed in Statesboro for the summer instead of going home to Atlanta (a semi-regrettable decision). *btw* I clean the dorm rooms for after the freshman have left for summer....it's terrible, just terrible.

-I got my first lead in a play for the summer theatre at Georgia Southern. Lead as in, I am one of the main characters the story is about. How awesome is that? It was shakespeare too. As You Like It. I played Orlando, the love interest, which was new....I've never really played the main love interest.

- Griot Studios. My roommate Tre, I have mentioned in an earlier post, have created a team, a production team of sorts, and have come up with a name brand. Griot Stu, aka Griot Studios. It's an idea sparked by one of my good friends Amy. She and I had big dreams freshman year of college and even wanted to start our own Theatre Company. Well she no longer goes to school here, and is now trying to make it in Atlanta, which is awesome!! Well, I have been feeling the urge to do something with my life already, you know start preparing for the future and begin to build my career in acting. One of my professors once said, "If you can't find work, make work." Basically, if you can't find a theatre to work in or can't find auditions, do your own stuff, put on your own plays, make your own films. And thus, Griot Stu. It my proactive step towards the future. More on Griot Stu in another post. In the meantime, check out the Facebook Page, like it if you will: Griot Stu

- Oh and I'm also auditioning for a talent agency in Savannah in a few weeks. More on that later too.

In the past,

-I was voted Co-President f the student organization for theatre, Theatre South, at my school (whaaaat!?!). Apparently I'm a pretty good leader.

- My friends and I formed a new crew...2 new crews actually, a breakdance crew - Bridge Breakers, and a krumping crew - Euphorian Monsters. We will be making a lot of videos this summer. Produced by Griot Stu.

Well, that's all for this post. Keeps your eyes and ears open everybody, there's a lot more coming your way.

Acting vs Real World

     Everyone knows what the real world is. It's that place where everything you want to happen doesn't happen and the last thing you need to happen does. I mean, it never works the way you want. But that's ok, because  again, it's the Real World. Reality is a very exhausting place to be. And when you have to commit yourself fully to it, well sometimes it doesn't seem worth it.

     I mention in an earlier post that I was an aspiring actor/dancer. Reality is the worse place to be one of those. In all honesty, the chances of me making to the top as an actor or dancer are rather slim. but I'm banking on the chance I've got. I was talking to my roommate Greg the other about where we want to go in the future with our acting, how far would we like to take it. Of course were both want to be the best, make it to the top; beat the odds and become the greatest of the greats. But as an actor the There is a high probability that we could spend the rest of our acting careers as extras in the background, or doing commercials for erectile dysfunction pills. As unfortunate as that might sound, even the actors doing those commercials are the lucky ones. They made it doing something.

     But Greg and I were sitting on our couch and thinking, those people had dreams too. They probably wanted to be the best of the best, be the highest and brightest star in the sky. Yet, the std medication infomercial you see on late night TV  may be the highest and brightest they could be.

     I am also a little envious of those people, because they are doing what they love to do, although, I'm not sure they love being in an std infomercial, but still. They are getting paid to act. That's the dream. That's the goal. A friend of mine, Corbin, plans on moving to New York I think, after he earns his degree in Musical Theatre. His goal is Broadway. Now his hardships are the same. He knows he's probably looking at a part-time job while going to audition after audition in hopes of breaking into the business. I feel for him, I'm in the same boat. I'm thinking of joining him when the time comes to move on from college.

     So until the that day comes when we finally make it big, and get that dream job, it's just gonna be us, the actors, the performers versus the Real World.