FEMALE CATALYST

“There isn’t any man out there who has had success without a woman!”

Originally, I wanted to create a tribute to Obama. At the same time, I didn’t want the contributions of women to not be acknowledged. So for every man represented in “Change” there’s a woman. I started out in the 17th century with a man and a woman who needed to survive in their life. Then we go to the 1800′s where you have Sijourner Truth and Frederick Douglas who represented another part of that era where they could go beyond survival and lend their voices to their mission for freedom. So, the first group was about survival, the second voices, which carried us into the 20th century giving birth to Martin Luther King, but it took the spark of Rosa Parks‘ actions to ignite Martin Luther King’s vision to a national level. In the 21st century I don’t believe that Obama would have had the success that he had as quickly as he did without the endorsement of Oprah Winfrey at the Iowa Caucus. If it came out later okay, but I think her timing took him to the level he needed and then the momentum went from there. Like Oprah, we all have the potential to achieve something phenomenal. Every person in “Change” is about humanity. “Ultimately each person represents some form of humanity that anyone from any culture could relate to!”

A VOICE

“Everyone has a voice!”

What concerns me right now is the voice of the union being systematically squashed. It’s very clear what’s going on in the automobile industry. What saddens me, as leaders of the free world, is that the United States went through a series of events that allowed unions to come into fruition and develop some kind of fairness between management and the people who do the hard labor. I listen to the talk about how we have to compete and that labor is cheaper in other countries so therefore we need to go backwards to compete and this does not represent us as leaders. We should be leading by example showing the best way to take care of our labor force. We should not be breaking our promises through loopholes of bankruptcy that take away people’s pensions they were promised.

I find words as equally interesting as images, and what people accept in the vernacular if you hear it over and over again. There’s this term “cost of legacy”, but the fact of the matter is that a company has a legacy because their biggest asset is their employees. When you look at the image “Change” it begins with slavery, which in this country was started as cheap labor. Now we have an administration which campaigns on “We can’t just worry about Wall St. we have to worry about Main St.,” and I don’t hear Main St. being taken care of lately. For the auto makers to not get the assistance that will allow unions to be able to thrive in this country is not to me a marriage of Main St. and Wall St. It’s actually a going backwards and regressing.

“That saddens me because as leaders we should be teaching all these third world countries that you’re not supposed to have people work to death so I can buy a bag in this country!” I would rather pay more money and know the jobs are going to be there and find a way to raise our salaries instead of the top 2% getting an unfair balance. I think about what Bush Sr. said about the trickle down effect being one of destruction not growth.

“We have long bought into the 45 year plan: We go to school, learn a trade, and go out into the world to get a job in our field. We work until we’re 65, get a nice pension, 401K, and social security. This needs to be analyzed because what’s happening now is people are being misplaced out of that system losing their jobs and the savings that went with it! The truth is 95% of the population continue to work believing that they are creating financial independence when in actuality they are contributing to the ever growing wealth of the top 5%. A fortunate consequence is that this is forcing people to look at other options. People are realizing that the dreams that they had on the back burner can actually lead them to financial independence instead. So we are seeing a rise in the entrepreneurial spirit and the creation of residual income which is exciting and empowering!”

- Blane shares his observation

We get so caught up in the drastic and negative side of what’s going on that we fail to see what’s going on underneath. All these new and wonderful developments are actually surfacing as well! The other thing that I love about technology is that it’s Ageless, Genderless, and Cultureless. You can basically open up a company and work with people all over the world and whatever prejudices you have must melt away because you can only look at the accomplishments of that person, and that’s one thing I do love! This is evening the playing field for some groups of people.

“I think we’re going to come back big, I really do!”

End of Part 2 of 4

Victoria Medina is the founder and photograhic artist of Numina Images Gallery.

Blane Charles is an author, designer and wellness consultant. Blane has ten years of experience working abroad in Canada, Europe, Japan and South Africa, and eight years experience as an Evening Wear specialist / Personal Shopper at Barneys NY. Blane has become his clients’ “Secret Weapon!“

Open, Liberate, Revive your Life through customized management of your wardrobe and interiors. Contact Blane Charles today at info@beautbyblane.com.

written by Blane Charles

founder & president of BEAU-T BY BLANE

“WOMEN are, by their power of conversation and their social influence, the civilizers of mankind. What is civilization? I answer, the power of good women.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Blane Charles interviews Victoria Medina and discovers…

The Person, The Power, The Purpose!

…behind her latest work of photographic art, “Change.”

Victoria Medina,

Photographic Artist and Founder of

NUMINA IMAGES GALLERY

Photographic Art that enhances the environment, inspires the spirit and provokes discussion.

“NUMINA IMAGES Capturing the Spirit of Life!“

Victoria Medina grew up surrounded by a family of artists that had the good fortune of being able to “take paintbrush to paper.” Inspired by the opportunity “to be a part of the discussion,” Victoria chose photography as her voice and the computer as her paintbrush to transform images and create something new. She communicates on a “World Level” to create a stimulus for positive change. With a virtual opening night experience, NUMINA IMAGES GALLERY can even reach someone in a small town in Germany where they may enjoy the exhibits by ordering wine, and in the future hear music and meet the artist through audio and visual media on the website www.numinaimagesgallery.com.

INVOKE

“One picture is worth more than ten thousand words.” -Early Chinese Proverb

“A picture speaks a thousand words.” – Frederick Barnard, 1921

“What I love is that they’re not my words.” – Victoria Medina

It is interesting for me to see what 10,000 words would be for somebody else looking at my image. I have one point of view and they’re my words, and someone else has another point of view which are their words. “It’s like Music!“

I started my career as an actress and learned from improv that we constantly feed off each other. These words of wisdom have stayed with me to this day. “Listen very closely to the people around you, because they can take you to places you could never get on your own.”

“Awareness, Pride, A Call to Action, Ownership, The Power of One, Interconnectedness, Soft Power, Women – The Catalyst For Change, Nothing Is Impossible, Take Responsibility, Justice For All, The Power of Mission, Many in Body – One in Mind.” – Blane Charles, reflections on the photographic art, CHANGE

RIPPLE EFFECT

“Whenever somebody accomplishes anything, a country, an individual person, what were the paths they took to accomplish it?“

I’ve always been fascinated with history. For example, Julie Andrews in her 20′s was performing on Broadway because she grew up surrounded by a family in Musical Theater, so as a child star she had twenty years of experience which led to her achievement on Broadway.

With President Obama, my image represents only half the story, because his mother’s side of the family had a huge effect on his achievements today. “Change” speaks to the fact that in order for him to have reached where he is today there were certain things that had to be in place or it could never have happened.

Similarly, in order for this country to be as great as it is today there were certain things that had to be put in place before that could happen. That’s what really fascinates me. It’s not just this moment, but it is what has already transpired for this moment to have occurred.

In my reading of “Letters From My Father” I discovered what inspired President Obama into public service. His father apparently came to America, learned a lot and went back to Africa to try and help build change in his community. Sadly, the community fought his father and he failed, so I can see where that would inspire President Obama to succeed. Even though he didn’t really grow up with his father there is still a very strong spiritual connection.

For me it comes full circle on two levels. On a smaller level, within President Obama’s own family unit, because his father went back to Africa and failed, while President Obama succeeded in creating change in his own small community in America. In that sense, it’s a small circle. On a larger scale, it’s very interesting to think about a group of people being forced to come here as slaves and then have someone of the same heritage become our president less than 150 years later.

There’s a fine line between blaming and taking responsibility! I think if you’re human you’re going to blame. There was a moment for each one of the leaders portrayed in “Change” when they had to blame someone in order to direct their energies for change. You have to know who it is that is causing the oppression in order to turn it around, whether it’s on levels as horrific as racism and slavery, or unions and corporations. When you can turn that anger, that blame, that desire for balance into action, that’s when you go beyond the blaming and into something of a more positive solution. Blame is an intriguing word because it acknowledges a wrong, but when you allow that wrong to just be and you don’t do anything, then you give up your power!

End of Part 1 of 4

Blane Charles is an author, designer and wellness consultant. Blane has ten years of experience working abroad in Canada, Europe, Japan and South Africa, and eight years experience as an Evening Wear specialist / Personal Shopper at Barneys NY. Blane has become his clients’ “Secret Weapon!“

Open, Liberate, Revive your Life through customized management of your wardrobe and interiors. Contact Blane Charles today at info@beautbyblane.com.