Ktown.. Building the Empire!

Yikes! I have let a freakin month go by without blogging! Ughhhh.... so much going on! Started a new full time job that I have to say I am really happy there. Such an improvement... Other than that I was blessed to host 2 important events this past month... November 23rd marked the 1 Year Anniversary of the day young Jordan Russell Davis lost his life to senseless gun violence. November 30th we had the 1st Annual #RepYoBrand! Fashion & Talent Expo at The M.O.S.H. which was a blast to host with some amazing talent and beautiful fashions and I got to rock my very own #KtownKris shirt designed by Acropolis Clothing and a sexy red with cold trim dress from NajaMarie Fashions. With so much progression on a professional level as always the personal has its ups and downs. The past few weeks my roommate's 12 year old son was admitted to the hospital after they found a mass in his heart valve and staph infection. Needless to say its been a rough few weeks and she's taken leave fro

Terms I hate: Snow Bunny Becky  I hate preconceived notions of whats expected of me.. don't tag me with some stereotype. Some image that mainstream media and ignorant rumors have created just because you see the color of my skin. I am me, I love everyone, I am far from perfect but I never set out to hurt anyone, I fully believe that what we put into this world is what we receive from it, I love hard, I'm overly sensitive, I fear success almost as much as I crave it but currently the desire to just be more, do more, and fight for more is what is winning out. My heart has been broken, coated over and shaking pretty bad right now. I'm angry with the world but it also pushed me forward. I am loyal and ride or die when my heart is involved. I am powerful, I am hip-hop and I'm a simple chic from a small city in VA who found herself in a city with potential, a city that accepted and molded me, whose music scene has changed my life, is providing me growth and accompl

Every so often I have to open a window or a door to my wall and let you all in on a peek of whats really going on in this mind of mine. Yes I blog and I'm on social networks discussing many things but usually that's topics for you all. Things I think will help other people, supporting various things, etc. This one however is for me. Selfish sounding perhaps but I know that by writing it chances are my words may help others as well and if that's the case then its always worth it to let down my wall, even if briefly... I was sitting here doing some work online, listening to my Pandora and one of my favorite songs from last year (2012) came on- Young Jeezy "Leave You Alone"... This is from his 103 album which is a favorite for so many reasons! I have some fantastic memories to this song and album and as soon as I hear it I think of riding around Duval, fishing on our waterways, dancing across the floor at a few places, great company, fun friends and more... You see

I have been saying it for about a year now and have even been thinking about titling my book after it but I can break everyone in my life down into 4 f's: Family, Friends, Fans and Fakes... This may sound harsh in some ways but its complete reality. the older you get the more you learn that not everyone has your best interests at heart and more often than not they don't care about your needs at all. We live in a world where we grow up on fairy tales of love and compassion yet are surrounded by more of the evil stepmothers and sisters of Cinderella where its more about me, me, me than anything. Let's break it down a bit more... Family - This is a tricky title because family is generally blood. It's who you grew up with and is there through it all. You may disagree and fight yet you are family and at some level even if you don't speak there is usually some type of love and care underneath it all. Now I said tricky because randomly you will have people come into your

In a writing mood so I thought I'd jump on and tell you all hello! My day started pretty rough as I made my commute in the rain. Ever since my car has been down I have been forced to really deal with all the lovely weather our beautiful state has to offer yet I stayed smiling and positive and for that my day completely turned around, I got off early and got a little COD in :) I watched The Secret yesterday. It was my second time watching it as the first was about 5 years ago when an ex had me watch it and it was a much needed reminder yesterday. For those who have not watched it I highly recommend it! I've also been reading a book along the same guidelines and I when I am done with this one I will be looking for another. I have always tried to remain a positive person regardless of the things that happen in life and for that no matter the struggles that arise I always seem to be able to handle them and change things back around. Now its time to leave those struggles in the pas

When in the industry you are pretty much on the clock 24/7. Every place you go, every person you meet could be a connect, a venue, etc.. Dinner with friends, sporting events and even a trip to the mall could lead to a meeting, networking, a gig, a check.. While all of this is great and important it can sometimes get exhausting because no matter how much you know you need to separate it sometimes, reality is you can't. Not like a normal person can. There is no time card to punch, clock to watch or sign off to do. It's you, the entertainer and the world is your stage. This means that any person that is in our lives have to not only realize and acknowledge this but also accept it. Truth is, not many can. Our friends, family, loved ones can't get it if they're not in it. If the passion isn't shared, if the dreams aren't the same then they will never truly get it. This doesn't mean you can just do whatever and get away from it but it means that you gotta keep yo

So I realized this week I have been a very bad blogger... I always feel like I have to have some huge statement to make, political discussion to have, event to discuss, etc. in order to write on this blog of mine but I am now realizing that's not what its about. I enjoy writing and talking about randomness, even day to day life so I will attempt to write a bit more about the things going on from small to large because in many ways I think you all will relate to those blogs even more. I even want to write more about topics that you all suggest- help topics, relationship advice, the music industry, kids and more so if you have something you want me to blog about then email me- KtownKris@gmail.com Thank you all for your continued support and stay tuned for more blogging!

I honestly don't know whether to laugh or cry at this point. President Barack Obama is in town speaking at JaxPort on the economy and the fact that he chose that location shows he knows it is an important asset to our city, state and this country. The projects at Mile High and deepening the shipping channel in the St. Johns will create more business for us, provide jobs and more.  These are all clearly things that will strengthen our economy as a whole, yet when the local news post a photo about the protesters along the President's route here in Jacksonville, the comments from so many are nothing but hate fueled vile that both angers and saddens me. We seemed to have hit a point in race relations since Obama took office that not many were prepared for, few are willing to discuss and many are thriving off of. The facts are that our President is bi-racial with a black father and white mother. He was raised primarily with his white mother and grandparents and lived the struggle

Lately as I find myself hosting more and more events I have really found that this is something I should have been doing long ago. When I first started in this industry I was always behind the scenes.. behind the camera.. behind the print.. behind the promo... behind the artists.... well you get the point. I love music, always have. Its a major part of who I am.. Music sets moods, tells stories and eases pain. It allows people to express themselves, showcase their talent and change lives. To say I am thrilled to have a part in all of this is an understatement. When I first started in this business I'd watch the hosts come in, hit the stage and control the flow of the event. I wanted to do that. I wanted to be that person yet I held myself back. I let myself believe that I didn't deserve that spot on the stage. That I wasn't thin enough, pretty enough, known enough... I doubted myself and as long as I doubted myself how could I ever expect anyone else to have belief in me?

So my whole life I have been scared to take a shower when I am home alone... Partly because of scary movies, partly because of safety.. I just don't like to shower when no one else is home.. as a Mom someone is almost always home... that being said I can't not have a shower so I got home from work yesterday and as I stepped into the shower one of my biggest fears came into play and not only did I slip and fall in said shower but I also hit my neck/head on the shower shelf :( Talk about scared! I sat there for so long just thanking God that it wasn't worse, that I was ok and that nothing was visibly wrong... slowly I got up and showered but was scared to go to sleep for the longest because of hitting my head. Made me think about how different life is when you are used to living alone and when you are not. I've never really lived alone. I became a Mom very young, have always been in a serious relationship and have a million and one friends. A life without other people co

Yesterday was my 3rd day at One Spark and I spent it again with the videographer Michael shooting interviews. Being in the midst of this amazing festival without my phone (I broke it the 1st day of the festival and awaiting the insurance replacement) has been a struggle but its also been a bit freeing. I've had some great conversations with Michael, met so many random people and more which I really think is a result of me not having a phone to occupy my time. I'm not distracted with updating fb or checking tweets; instead I am striking up conversations with random people, catching all the dance performances, tasting new foods and more. I honestly feel like I may have missed out on some of these things with the distraction of my phone. Yes I do want to take photos and keep everyone much more up to date on One Spark but I'm choosing to focus on the positive here and know that I'm a part of something awesome so I have to pay attention! Really I just want to say please open

After completing my second day at One Spark I am both thrilled and exhausted. Today I worked with a videographer named Michael conducting interviews and we spoke to several creators and some of Jacksonville's top figures. The one thing that stood out the most to me today was the bond that all of these people have created in such a short time. These creators are all vying for their "chunk" of the crowdfund yet they are all supporting each other! I don't think I spoke with a single creator today that didn't mention how awesome another one was! In a world of competition, greed and corruption how exhilarating it was to see such a brotherhood forming out there. These are connections that will be long-lasting and are directly the result of the One Spark Festival! After eating a great pulled pork sandwich from one of the mobile food trucks I watched an amazing dance performance in front of the library and I actually teared up as I took in not only due to the beautiful pe

Yesterday was everything I had hoped it would be and more... Being in a city so big and so spread out I have seen on countless occasions some amazing events that weren't packed out as they should be. I was excited about today, I told all my friends, shared it on twitter, fb, instagram and more. I'd have whole conversations with complete strangers all the time about what One Spark is and what it means for our city. I checked into my shift around 2pm yesterday. There were several familiar volunteers faces that I've met recently on this journey. Everyone was getting situated and sent to their destinations, they were all smiling, excited and eager to help. Everyone has that buzz, that feeling that this is something awesome for us all and we are all thrilled to be a part of the very 1st one ever. I ended up manning the video camera for Kinnetic in front of the Hemming Plaza Pitch Deck which was also where the opening celebration took place. Several creators took to the stage to

So those that follow my facebook page and/or read my last blog already know how excited I am about One Spark! This is going to be an amazing festival and I am proud to have been apart of it in so many aspects already and looking forward to everything thats to come. I worked as Customer Service today helping check in creators and passing out information about the festival. I originally signed up for a 4.5hr shift but enjoyed the people I was meeting and helping so much that I stayed an extra 3 hours. That is how pumped I am. I think we all have to take time and CONTRIBUTE to our city. So many want to complain about what we don't have that they don't appreciate what we do have and what we COULD have if we all just tried a little harder. This is a huge spread out city and we all know people here like to stick to their "side of town" but if we all helped build downtown we have that central location to claim as THE spot to go! So instead of sitting there on the computer co

Last night I went to my first training sessions to volunteer for One Spark. I was already excited about this event but being in the room while it was discussed amongst everyone really got me pumped! I am disappointed though that so many have yet to even hear of One Spark so I thought I'd take to my blog and fill you all in a little bit on what is is, how it will change the game *in my opinion, of course* and how amazing  it is that we are fortunate to host it right here in Jacksonville, FL AKA Duval! One Spark is the world's FIRST ever crowdfunding festival and it will be FREE to attend. There has never been an event like this. The festival is being described as a mixture of kickstarter.com, ArtPrize in Grand Rapids and SXSW in Austin. If you are familiar with all of those it helps but if not let me break it down for you a little better. From April 17 at 3pm to April 21 at 12pm the entire downtown area of Jacksonville, FL will become a non-stop festival of innovation, creat

Sometimes I feel like a volcano on the verge of erupting.. the thoughts and emotions that can swirl around inside this head and I always pick and choose what I release and what I hold onto. Don't get me wrong, I am not one to bite my tongue at all BUT I am what I call a consequential thinker. Before I say or do anything I try to think out the response/repercussions. This often means that instead of doing what could be in my best interest at the time I weigh it out and go for the long term results, usually thinking of others before myself... often times this leaves me with a lot of unsaid thoughts and unmade motions... I usually say I am going to do better at this and start just doing what I want but reality is I care too much, I want too much and I think way too much. Problem is I am guessing here.. I only think I know what will happen if I say what I want or do what I want so in reality the only person holding me back is ME. My own fears of moving forward, my own fears of things

I just wanted to jump on here and wish all of my readers and fans a very happy new year! Hopefully you all kicked it off in the right frame of mind, surrounded by the right set of people with the right goals in mind. To truly get the year started off on the right foot you have to have yourself in the position to actually achieve all the goals you have set for yourself. Break each thing down and see whats required to get it accomplished, follow your own steps and keep track of your progress. When we can actually see the growth that you've made in your plans it encourages you to keep moving forward because you know you can get it accomplished plus it can motivate you to try even harder and excel even more. We are responsible for our own thoughts and our own actions. Stop letting the emotional turmoil of others around you prevent you from being the person you were created to be. Setbacks will always arise but its how you chose to handle them that determines the winners from the loser