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Diary
8/06/07
Dwight and I spent our summer vacation up north. First camping in Arroyo Seco, where according to one shop owner, the baby rattle snakes and deer ticks are in rare form this summer. Luckily, we didn't meet up with any. Then off to Monterrey for some wine tasting, where we got a little hammered to be quite honest. We topped off our trip in San Francisco with a visit to their Farmer's Market and the highly recommended ?????WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE CAFE????. We arrived there to find a pretty long line and decided that was a good sign. Or maybe it was the fact that it took us forever to find it, we were starving and couldn't think of anywhere else to go. It turned out the long line in front was a good sign and the food was YUMMY!
11/01/06
So, it has been about a year since I have updated this journal. How's that for sad? Or maybe busy? So, what have I been up to? Well, I have been writing songs and becoming more proficient with my guitar playing. It was my #1 goal this year. I vowed that when I start gigging again I will accompany myself, which will be happening before the year is out. I thought it was long overdue. It has gone very well. One of the main reasons being a very comprehensive guitar lesson series on DVD that a friend of mine turned me on to called Monster Guitar Method. It's all well organized and John Doyle sets everything up so that you can use what you've just learned. For more info go to www.greenmonstermusic.com.
What else? My Doll Face video/shortfilm was a joint effort between myself and my friend MJ Park. MJ directed and wrote the story and it is features my song "Good Thing" from my "Fabulous EP." We filmed it at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and it doubled as her senior project and my first music video. We actually made this video a few years ago. I am posting it on the web now because more people now have high speed internet and DSL. We had a lot of fun working on it together and hope to do it again sometime. I hope you all enjoy.
I am also very excited about playing out, sharing my new songs and seeing you all again. If you're reading this and are not on my e-mail list make sure you join so that you can get updates. Take care.
11/03/05
Howdy everyone. I know it's been awhile, but I wanted to catch up with you and update my website since I haven't done either in awhile. I saw some old friends over the weekend and they asked me about some of the subjects I had addressed on my site earlier in the year.
My stint as an actress
I enjoyed the classes I took, the coach I was working with and I learned a lot about myself. I even found an agent. As time wore on I realized I hated auditioning. I found the entire experience cold and unsatisfying. After a few auditions, I realized I really had no heart for acting. I know what it is to be passionate about something and I know what it feels like to want to keep going after a ton of rejection. I definitely don't feel that about acting.
Ultimately, I think my brief pursuit of acting was the push I needed to get out of the rut I was in. It's clear to me I get more out of singing, song writing, performing and jamming with my friends (which I've been doing a lot of lately). I've felt more alive doing that than I have when I've tried anything else. What I've learned about acting is that I love music. But acting was always something I wanted to try and I'm glad I did.
Learning from the "life coach"
In hind sight, I see my coach more as a life coach than as one for acting. My need for some direction was definitely met there. Working with my coach is the best working relationship I've had in years. It's definitely a model for future working relationships.
Dwight's Birthday cake
My new life also includes a brand spanking new boyfriend for whom I bought a birthday cake and had a party last Friday. This was a serious lesson in procrastination. I knew I should have ordered the cake a day in advance, but it never happened. When I got to work Friday morning I called the bakery to find out if I could special order a cake. Nope. But they had plenty of cakes already made and I could pick one up anytime that day. As usual work was hectic and I couldn't get away to do it at lunch time as I'd planned. By the time I left work, I was kind of sweating it. What if there was nothing but crap left? I finally got there. Relief! There was only one guy ahead of me and there were plenty of cakes for everyone. So, WHY did this joker order at least half a dozen cakes? I half-joked, half-whimpered to him, "You're taking all the cakes..." Damn it. Unbelievable. Though my choices were quite limited by the time it was my turn I did end up getting what I knew Dwight would like (chocolate cake, chocolate icing). It was damn good if I do say so myself. And I do.
Free Ticket
On the night of Dwizzle's Bidizzle, I took him to see one of his favorite bands Medeski, Martin and Wood. True to form we were pressed for time trying to get to the concert and I hadn't even bought tickets yet. We arrive to the ticket booth, I see a sign that says "Cash only." Crap. They only take cash on the night of the performance. I live by my brother's philosophy of "only carry as much money with you as you're willing to lose." I never carry cash. I feel terrible. We're already rushed and parking was a nightmare and it always takes me forever to calm down after I've been stuck in traffic. Dwight reassures me its fine. The concert was getting a late start anyway. We walk down to the ATM and pull out cash (sans further frustrating incident). As we were re-approaching the ticket booth (I kid you not) this man approached us with a free ticket. It turns out one of his friends flaked and he had one to spare. It turned out to be his birthday too. I only had to buy one ticket. Righteous. The concert was fantastic by the way.
And Some More...
I finally got around to organizing my CD's by putting them in alphabetical order. I thought it might be nice not to feel insane every time I'm trying to find a CD. In the midst of my putting things in order, it became obvious that I am in serious need of some new CD's. Or, at least, music that's new to me. I made a list. Yes, I like things in order and I like making lists. Still I can never remember to make my bed. It all evens out. But I digress. If you can recommend some of your favorite music that you think I might like let me know. My brother gave me Fiona's new one "Extraordinary machine," which I like a lot. I've also been getting into Cesaria Evora who I highly recommend. Good stuff.
The other part of this mission is to see more live music. Since I've moved to LA I've been very good about it. Especially, since I'm going out with someone who loves music and loves going to concerts. This month alone I we went to (yes, "I" am now "we"): the Bradley Knowles Tribute concert (Ozomatli, Fishbone, Tony Kanal, Blackalicious and Los Lobos), Vegoose (Beck, Arcade Fire, Talib Kweli, Jack Johnson, Flaming Lips), Medeski, Martin and Wood. Digable Planets played at Vegoose to and I've got to say I am very happy to see them out and about doing their thing again.
So, it's all been good. Thanks for caring. Catch you on the flip side.
Jamila
3/03/05
I just realized it's been awhile since I updated my diary.
Well...I've been studying acting for the past several months. It's something I've always wanted to try, but didn't because music always came first. I have to say I wish I'd started sooner. It's pretty fascinating. It's really expanded my thinking. I've learned a lot about myself and other people. It's one of those things where it's hard to tell if you're doing it "right" in the beginning. My coach says 'there is no "right" way to do it. You just have to trust yourself.' I'm adopting this as my philosophy for life. It makes everything so much easier.
I've also done a ton of reading lately. At the moment I'm reading a book my mother gave me called, "Creating Money: Keys To Abundance." Obviously, it's about much more than laundering money. It's about the spiritual laws of money, expanding your thinking and creating anything you want in your life (from having your dream career to surrounding yourself with supportive people). I've been recommending it to all my friends.
Something else I have wanted to do for a few years is move to LA full time. I allowed many things (mainly fear) to hold me back. So, I'm finally doing it and I'm very excited about it. Thanks to all of my friends for their support.
As for the love of my life: Music. I'm still feeling it out. Writing songs. Learning to like it again. Last year I tried many things, in terms of working with different people and experimenting with different sounds. Some of those decisions might have been working at the time, but they played themselves out. And that's OK too. I'm glad I followed some instincts and I'm not wondering what might have been right now. My most important discovery is that I don't have to be married to every decision I make. It's all right to admit when something isn't working and let it go. That's when you're free to find something better. I'm taking this time to explore better things. I've been having a good time doing it.
I will be showcasing out in LA soon once I get settled. So, please come by to say hi (odd stalker types excluded).
Love, J
I decided to put a diary on my site. I thought it would be a good way to communicate with fans. So, you can periodically check back to see what I’m rambling on about.
This past year has been funny. Not funny ha ha. I have been planning all year to get started on this album and there have been a lot of distractions. I had to put my cat to sleep, a couple of personal relationships that didn’t go where I wanted them to, and I had to find a new bass player. Many lessons were learned. Other friendships were strengthened. So I guess the growing pains weren’t so unbearable after all. I finally got started on it in November and its going pretty well. Actually, better than I expected. I just took all of those experiences and put them right into the music. Some of you may see yourselves in it. You know who you are.
So, I am now officially focused on creating. I think the best thing about creating is that it’s free and you don’t need anyone’s permission to do it.
Jammy Jam
P.S. The album should be out around April.
8/02/04
I know I'm horrible about keeping up with this journal, but I just want to acknowledge all of the nice, appreciative e-mails I've received over the past couple of months. Both from people who have been following for years and those who are just discovering the CD. I really appreciate it. I am working hard on the new CD, feeling a little less crazy than when I was working on the previous CD's, but still crazy nonetheless. Working with a better than great producer (and those of you who know me know how long that search took!).
Before I started working on this project with this particular producer, I really started to think I peeked vocally. It was kind of discouraging. I wasn't sure how else to express myself through my sound. In this whole process, I've really gone from hating my sound to loathing it to kind of liking it again. It just takes the right person with the right words to create that spark in your brain. I think anyone who's gone through the creative process can relate on some level. I wouldn't wish my creative process on anyone. Well, maybe on a few people...
But it's good to know that you're looking forward to the full length album and wishing good things.
Take care. Until next time...
Jamila "J. Fo" Ford
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