Embrace the Mess

Atlanta's artist community pulled up and saved the day. Gavin and Paras discuss shooting the music video with the help of local muralists, art venues, storyboard artists and more.Follow Embrace the Mess, @etmpod, or etmpod.com. You can e-mail us questions and comments at etm@reimagineatl.comre:imagine/ATL is a 510(c)3 nonprofit, and all donations are tax deductible. Support this work at reimagineatl.com.Sound Design & Score:Brent Busby

Paras and Gavin talk with Fabian Williams, aka Occasional Superstar, an Atlanta muralist creating political and socially relevant contemporary art. Discussion highlights include Fabian’s personal constitution for success, the journey from working in the corporate world to independent artist, and his insights on becoming a mentor for the next generation.Follow Embrace the Mess, @etmpod, or etmpod.com. You can e-mail us questions and comments at etm@reimagineatl.comre:imagine/ATL is a 510(c)3 nonprofit, and all donations are tax deductible. Support this work at reimagineatl.com.Sound Design & Score:Brent Busby

Paras and Gavin talk with Dustin Bolton, a contract media artist and graphic novelist. Discussion highlights include being a passive consumer vs an active creator, creative career opportunities for youth, and the ideal environment to develop creative discipline.Find out more about Dustin and see his work at http://www.dualbo.com/ and instagram.com/dus10. His first graphic novel, Kudzu: Heart of the Mountain, will be released soon.Follow Embrace the Mess, @etmpod, or etmpod.com. You can e-mail us questions and comments at etm@reimagineatl.comre:imagine/ATL is a 510(c)3 nonprofit, and all donations are tax deductible. Support this work at reimagineatl.com.Sound Design & Score:Brent Busby

Follow Embrace the Mess, @etmpod, or etmpod.com. You can e-mail us questions and comments at etm@reimagineatl.comre:imagine/ATL is a 510(c)3 nonprofit, and all donations are tax deductible. Support this work at reimagineatl.com.Sound Design & Score:Brent Busby

Paras and Gavin talk with Jessica Helfrecht, executive director of MINT Gallery. MINT Gallery was founded to serve and highlight emerging artists. Jessica shares the importance of saying “yes”, giving back as a business model, and encouraging experimental art.Find out more about MINT Gallery at mintatl.org and instagram.com/mintatl. MINT is proud to be the first W.A.G.E.-Certified organization in Georgia, committed to paying artists a living wage.Follow Embrace the Mess, @etmpod, or etmpod.com. You can e-mail us questions and comments at etm@reimagineatl.comre:imagine/ATL is a 510(c)3 nonprofit, and all donations are tax deductible. Support this work at reimagineatl.com.Sound Design & Score:Brent Busby

Paras and Gavin talk with Emma Satterfield, re:imagine/ATL alumni who served as first assistant director on the Know Your Worth music video and teacher’s assistant throughout the program. Emma shares her perspective on living in the same neighborhood as Forrest Hill Academy, and working with teens as a young filmmaker.  Her father Scott joins the conversation and discusses his decades of experience as a Grip in the Southeast.Emma is a young photographer and filmmaker, you can follow her at https://www.instagram.com/emmalsattFollow Embrace the Mess, @etmpod, or etmpod.com. You can e-mail us questions and comments at etm@reimagineatl.comre:imagine/ATL is a 510(c)3 nonprofit, and all donations are tax deductible. Support this work at reimagineatl.com.Sound Design & Score:Brent Busby

Paras and Gavin talk with Malika Whitley, CEO & Founder of ChopArt, an arts organization for teens experiencing homelessness. Discussion highlights include one thing to not do when working with teens, how to overcome imposter syndrome, and the importance of self care while doing this work. We look back on the experience of collaborating with ChopArt to recruit dancers for the Know Your Worth music video.Follow Embrace the Mess, @etmpod, or etmpod.com. You can e-mail us questions and comments at etm@reimagineatl.comre:imagine/ATL is a 510(c)3 nonprofit, and all donations are tax deductible. Support this work at reimagineatl.com.Sound Design & Score:Brent Busby

Paras gets a letter regarding the beat, sending the project back to square one. Before Paras and Gavin can tell the teens, a conflict breaks out over how much work has happened versus how much is expected. Our Executive Director, Kimberlin Bolton, steps in to connect with the teens and show them what can happen when you step up the challenge and take pride in your role. We talk with Kimberlin about creating opportunities for young artists, and how to be resourceful while pursuing your dreams.Follow Embrace the Mess, @etmpod, or etmpod.com. You can e-mail us questions and comments at etm@reimagineatl.comre:imagine/ATL is a 510(c)3 nonprofit, and all donations are tax deductible. Support this work at reimagineatl.com.Sound Design & Score:Brent Busby

Conflict arises when it comes time to edit the lyrics. Everyone gets to record at The New School. With the song recorded, it’s time to begin producing a music video. The team must decide between doing something easy, or stepping up the stakes to create something amazing.Follow Embrace the Mess, @etmpod, or etmpod.com. You can e-mail us questions and comments at etm@reimagineatl.comre:imagine/ATL is a 510(c)3 nonprofit, and all donations are tax deductible. Support this work at reimagineatl.com.Sound Design & Score:Brent Busby

It’s crunch time, and the students need to finish their flow. The students get to take a field trip to re:imagine/ATL’s office to go in-depth with counting bars and complex rhyme patterns, and we break down the mess it takes to make that happen. Permission slips, transportation, building trust with parents and schools. Program Director Julie Foster-Straw joins the classroom this week to discuss navigating the mess of getting students where they need to go.Follow Embrace the Mess, @etmpod, or etmpod.com. You can e-mail us questions and comments at etm@reimagineatl.comre:imagine/ATL is a 510(c)3 nonprofit, and all donations are tax deductible. Support this work at reimagineatl.comSources for fact segment:Jost, Kenneth (2007). "Racial Diversity in Public Schools". CQ Researcher. 17(32): 745–767.Frum, David (2000). How We Got Here: The '70s. New York, New York: Basic Books. pp. 252–264. ISBN 0-465-04195-7.Theoharis, George (October 23, 2015). "'Forced busing' didn't fail. Desegregation is the best way to improve our schools". The Washington Post.Student Transportation and Educational Access How Students Get to School in Denver, Detroit, New Orleans, New York City, and Washington, DC Urban Institute Student Transportation Working Group February 2017 Urban Institute Student Transportation Working Group (February 2017). Student Transportation and Educational Access How Students Get to School in Denver, Detroit, New Orleans, New York City, and Washington, DC Goat accents:You Say 'Nay,' I Say 'Neigh': Goats Have Accentshttps://www.npr.org/2012/02/18/147090051/you-say-nay-i-say-neigh-goats-have-accents Sound Design & Score:Brent Busby

Gavin and Paras continue to push the students, using their the keys to moving forward, story circle, The Hero’s Journey, and Uta Hagen’s Six Steps. The main character, Tee, is solidified, and Kat is selected to play the part. The first verses are coming together.Follow Embrace the Mess, @etmpod, or etmpod.com. You can e-mail us questions and comments at etm@reimagineatl.comre:imagine/ATL is a 510(c)3 nonprofit, and all donations are tax deductible. Support this work at reimagineatl.comSound Design & Score:Brent Busby

In episode six, Gavin stands. Gavin and Paras bring yoga and mindfulness to the classroom with Rutu Chaudhari of the Dharma Project, and confront some of the hurdles students place between themselves and mindfulness. Stay turned til the end of the episode for a special gift. Follow Embrace the Mess, @etmpod, or etmpod.com. You can e-mail us questions and comments at etm@reimagineatl.comre:imagine/ATL is a 510(c)3 nonprofit, and all donations are tax deductible. Support this work at reimagineatl.comSources for fact segment:Demographics on who does yoga.Characteristics of Yoga Users: Results of a National SurveyWhy Your Yoga Class Is So WhitePrison Yoga ProjectImplementing yoga within the school curriculum: a scientific rationale for improving social-emotional learning and positive student outcomesSound Design & Score:Brent Busby

In episode five, the students learn how to charge what their work is worth through classroom discussions. More important than time and materials, how do you charge for talent? Gavin and Paras discuss the path to discovering their own worth in their fields.Follow Embrace the Mess, @etmpod, or etmpod.com. You can e-mail us questions and comments at etm@reimagineatl.comre:imagine/ATL is a 510(c)3 nonprofit, and all donations are tax deductible. Support this work at reimagineatl.comSources for fact segment:https://www.graphicartistsguild.org/Sound Design & Score:Brent Busby

Paras and Gavin question the students about the creative choices they're making and challenge them to put themselves in the work. The structural tools are used to rein the ideas into a feasible project. Students learn the power of representation after seeing themselves in their project. Gavin, Paras, and Terp discuss their own experiences in representation, and the power that has in media.  Follow Embrace the Mess, @etmpod, or etmpod.com. You can e-mail us questions and comments at etm@reimagineatl.com.re:imagine/ATL is a 510(c)3 nonprofit, and all donations are tax deductible. Support this work at reimagineatl.comSources for fact segment:The Alien series and the genius of out-of-the-box castingBonus: Sigourney's audtion tapeParas' 2006 Short Film Astoria ParkSound Design & Score:Brent Busby

In episode three, Gavin and Paras work with the students to create a character with a financial problem. Students learn processes to create successful art, including Uta Hagen's 6 steps to building a character. The stakes get raised as the students use the tools to take the creative process into their own hands and take ownership of their roles. Follow Embrace the Mess, @etmpod, or etmpod.com. You can e-mail us questions and comments at etm@reimagineatl.com.re:imagine/ATL is a 510(c)3 nonprofit, and all donations are tax deductible. Support this work at reimagineatl.comSources for fact segment:Islamists banned their music. Now Timbuktu is singing againMali conflict: Facts, FAQs, and how to helpThe battle for Mali’s soul is a battle for its musicSound Design & Score:Brent Busby

In episode two, Gavin and Paras settle in at Frederick Douglass High School, and work with students to create a story around financial literacy. In the process, they learn the barriers students face in their own financial goals, asses the student's individual strengths, and reflect on their own journey.Follow Embrace the Mess, @etmpod, or etmpod.com. You can e-mail us questions and comments at etm@reimagineatl.com.re:imagine/ATL is a 510(c)3 nonprofit, and all donations are tax deductible. Support this work at reimagineatl.com.Sources for Facts Segment:Council for Economic Education: Survey of the StatesChamplain College: Is Your State Making the Grade?Marketwatch: This is what it will take to get colleges to teach financial literacyMarketwatch: Should colleges require a financial literacy class?World Bank: Unpacking the Causal Chain of Financial LiteracyUS Debt ClockSound Design & Score:Brent Busby

In episode one, we introduce our teaching artists and explore "the mess". Gavin and Paras introduce re:imagine/COMMUNITY, a 10-week program in which they are tasked with going into Atlanta Public Schools to create film and digital media content with teenagers who have not otherwise had access or exposure to the industry. This program guides students through the process of coming up with and producing a story they want to tell, something personal, something in their voice, something that speaks to their peers. Not just to tell their stories, but plug students into the industry so they can start getting paid. Gavin and Paras experience their own challenges while learning what roadblocks the students face.Follow Embrace the Mess, @etmpod, or etmpod.com. You can e-mail us questions and comments at etm@reimagineatl.com.re:imagine/ATL is a 510(c)3 nonprofit, and all donations are tax deductible. Support this work at reimagineatl.com.Sources for Facts Segment:A Painful Case: Do Parents Need Lawyers for School Disciplinary Hearings?Dis-proportionality in student discipline: Connecting policy to researchRacial Disparities in Youth Commitments and ArrestsSound Design & Score:Brent Busby

Teaching Artists Gavin Bernard and Paras Chaudhari navigate challenging circumstances and search for solutions alongside resilient and creative Atlanta Public High School students.The real, uncensored conversations exist to be an inspiration for other youth-serving educators to share stories of their own work.Follow Embrace the Mess, @etmpod, or etmpod.com. You can e-mail us questions and comments at etm@reimagineatl.com.re:imagine/ATL is a 510(c)3 nonprofit, and all donations are tax deductible. Support this work at reimagineatl.com.Sound Design & Score:Brent Busby