Source: Complex

It’s become increasingly more and more clear that Solange is quite unlike many artists of our generation. While musicians signed to major labels are often swayed to make music that will be commercially successful, it’s very obvious that Solange’s main objective is to be true to herself and her art. She recently spoke to Complex Magazine about how her quest for artistic control led her to create music through an independent label. While, now it may seem that Solange is supremely comfortable and confident in herself and her creative decisions, there was a time when that wasn’t always the case.

She told Complex about a time when her creativity wasn’t so well received.

One day, she wore a “full-on Native American outfit” to Will Rogers Elementary School in Houston. “I had my own little quirks as a child,” Solange says. “I had a very vivid imagination, mostly through my style and fashion choices. The kids had a lot to say.” Her fourth-grade teacher, Miss Bethann, found Solange on the verge of tears in her Pocahontas costume outside of the classroom and gave her a lesson that stuck with her:

“Don’t you ever, ever bend or break because of who you are.”

“From that point,” Solange says, “the idea of convention versus non-convention or mainstream versus indie or any of those quote-unquote ‘conflicts’ has never crossed my mind.”

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If you love Frank Ocean’s albums, you might have to let them hold you over for a bit longer. The singer/producer has his eyes set on something else that allows him to be more creative: a novel.

According to CNN, Ocean told The Guardian that storytelling is the most interesting part of making music “so much so that I might not make another album. I might just write a novel next. I don’t know.”
At this point, there’s no need to worry because Ocean is still not only making music for himself but he continues to work with others (there are rumors that he’ll once again be working with Beyonce on her next project).  However, his creative mind doesn’t allow him to stop at just music. The Grammy nominated artist continued by saying:

“…But I do think – it would be f*****g legendary if I just made ‘Channel Orange’ last year, then put out a best-selling novel next year, then, you know, designed an arena in Stockholm in 2014! I don’t know! You just do what you can and you have as much fun as possible, and love your life as much as you can … As long as your intentions are solid, and about growth and progression and being productive and not being idle, then you’re doing good in my book.”

There’s no end to what he might do next but his fans are already chomping at the bit for something new so hopefully, he’ll oblige by dropping a haiku, guest feature or another story on his blog as soon as possible.

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No doubt, if you’re building a career, you’ve got a profile on LinkedIn that you include on your resume and in your email signature. What is your profile saying about you? Apparently, in the US, a lot of us are saying we’re “creative.”

The professional social network has just released this year’s list of overused buzzwords from around the world; words that pop up in far too many profiles found on the site. And the number one buzzword in the US and around the world is “creative.” Again.

“If you want opportunity to come knocking, you’ve got to make your LinkedIn Profile stand out from the pack,” Nicole Williams, LinkedIn’s career expert said in a press statement about the latest buzzwords. “Millions of professionals say they’re ‘creative,’ so set yourself apart by describing and linking to projects you’ve worked on that truly were different, unique, and compelling.”

This is the third year that LinkedIn has published this ranking and the second year that “creative” has topped the list. In the first year, the phrase “extensive experience” was number one in the US. Other words appearing on the overused list for the US this year are “organizational,” “effective,” and “motivated.” “Extensive experience” is number five. Many of these words are also commonly used in profiles from around the world.

The site suggests three things to help improve your profile: take a look around the network to determine what you like and don’t like about other profiles; make sure you fill in the skills portion so people can endorse you; and re-think your professional headline to make sure it grabs eyeballs.

Still, we wondered why so many people keep coming back to that word “creative.”

“Being creative doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to be artistically inclined or an inventor of new gadgets,” Williams told us in an email. “It is the ability to see things differently and come up with new solutions. My personal thought on the matter is that when creative is looked at from that lens, it is a trait that is valued in almost any field, hence the reason so many people use the word to describe themselves as a professional.” But people tend to use the word rather than explaining what exactly makes them creative. In journalism, we say you should show, not tell. The same idea applies here.

“It may take a bit more work, but describing specific projects that you’ve worked on where you moved the needle will help you stand out from the millions of ‘creative’ professionals on LinkedIn,” Williams added. For more on the overused words list, check out the LinkedIn blog.

Source: typef.com

Everyone has a bad hair day. You wake up in the morning and your hair just won’t lay right. Of course, you need to be out the door to work, school, or an appointment and your hair is telling you that it doesn’t care about your timeliness. The frustration of bad hair days is real. But regardless of your hair type or texture there are some quick fixes that can help you navigate your hair’s bad timing.

thirstyroots.com

1. Keep it simple, bun it up.
Simplicity is key and a bun ‘do is the essential quick fix to a bad hair day, whether straight/relaxed or natural. Use a small amount of water to smooth the back of your hair into a ponytail, and spritz your hair with water (add a dash of essential oils to keep it healthy), and also smooth the hair down with your hands. If you have pressed your hair straight then obviously you want to stay away from the water; simply pull your hair back into a ponytail. Use a weighted cream, like whipped Shea butter, or gel to help smooth your hair down and tie a silk scarf around the front of your hair. Keep this on for as long as possible to smooth down your hair and create a sleek look. If your hair is long enough, you can pin your ponytail, with bobby pins, into a bun. If you need added length for the bun, use Marley hair (for the naturals) or jumbo brand Kanekalon hair (for the relaxed/straight), to pin down around your ponytail into a bun. Voila!

Source: http://store.ebonyline.com

2. The emergency wig
A definite essential is the go-to wig for when you’re in a crunch. Whether a half wig or lace front, having one wig that can help you out on a bad hair day is a great option. For a curly hair look, Creta Girl is a great half wig option for around $22 (depending where you buy it from). It’s a half wig that can be easily blended with your hair regardless of texture. The Tori lacefront wig by Freetress is a popular straight hair look that can save any bad hair day.