So me and my homie Malcolm have gotten really close over the past couple weeks. This little guy has grown by leaps and bounds and it's been great to watch his journey! "If you can conquer your fear, there's nothing you can't do" is a phrase that both ourselves and the amazing instructors here at Crawfish Aquatics have been ingraining into the psyches of these kids. Regarding the overall purpose of TankProof, we always preach that we are providing MORE than swimming lessons. A testament to that is seeing each young person grow in skill AND confidence, which carries over into every aspect of life. If you want to become a part of creating more success stories like Malcolm's, check out http://www.tankproof.org to see how you can get activated. //
Au Cheval
The best burger we’ve ever had! Before we go any further, we want to make it clear that we are not those kinds of people who exaggerate…especially about things as objective as food. The ‘Single Cheeseburger’ by Au Cheval that you see before you is filling and flavorful. From their bacon that’s super thick, lean, and lightly peppered, to their mouthwatering buns that are buttered and toasted to perfection, this burger is the best that we’ve had thus far. If you’re in Chicago, make it a necessity to check this place out!
Pair this burger with some of their hash browns or fries.
Art Institute
The Art Institute of Chicago advertises they are "the best museum in the world"…the jury is still out on that one, but we can confidently say they were the best we've experienced thus far! With multiple pieces by Picasso, an astounding sculpture exhibit, and more modern art than you can shake a stick at, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
This amazing installation @artinstitutechi is called "Murmur Study" by Christopher Baker. This piece examines the impact of micro messaging from your favorite social media platforms, giving you a visual of the mass of information that is stored in servers somewhere far far away. The receipts that you see are printed from thermal receipt printers that monitor specific Twitter hashtags and activity. The end result is a cascade of receipt paper accumulated in a huge tangled pile on the floor!
Shoot at Home
Yesterday, we had a photoshoot at our house to create an image that will be the cover art for our upcoming EP. Our good friend, Dorthy was behind the lens for the shoot, but these are just some outtakes that we shot and edited.
Dorthy.
Studio7
This is the lobby interior of Studio7, a pilates studio owned by our friend Liz Firesheets. We spent a few hours here today with Liz shooting and providing some creative direction for both her business and her personal brand. We also tried some pilates for ourselves just to see what it's like. If you don't know, it gets pretty real to say the least. We got more from today up on our SnapChat --> askthomasbros
Etch
Sending a shoutout and big thanks to our lovely friends @eeestopinal & @zoeganch from @etch_studio for two sets of super dope tie bars and cuff links. We had a great time at breakfast last Monday with this dynamic duo who's behind the design and production of some of the best jewelry coming out of our beloved state. Balancing their brand and architecture majors, they make it all look too easy. Wishing these two nothing but success and we look forward to the next time we all can link up! // http://www.shopetch.com
Meet The Master
Last night, we had a blast catching dinner with the "master" (@masterwilliams, Gary Williams) and the lovely @hey_mari at one of our favorite N.O. eateries, @oxalisbywater. From swapping stories about our travels to brainstorming some ideas for a forthcoming black creatives guild, we shared plenty of laughs and good vibes over an amazingly good burger, short ribs, lima beans and mountains of fries.
Shot by Gary Williams
Pretty Wednesday
Wednesdays, or "Pretty Wednesday" as they are called at Southern University, are celebrations of youth and life on a campus rich in history and tradition. On the day known as the plateau of the the regular work week, you can find the student union crawling with 18-20 somethings. Two Wednesdays ago was unique because there was a DJ setup outside of the Union, bumping music dope enough to sway the most punctual and scholastically focused student astray for a few extra minutes of excitement and hype. Below are some shots we snapped up.
Maker's Space
We're in Seattle this week and so far, the Emerald City has been showing love. As soon as we got off the plane, we ventured towards Pike Place Market and ended up stumbling into Maker's Space. The co-owner and designer of this shared work environment for emerging entrepreneurs, Lana (@lanamorisoli), was so kind to give us a tour and a little background about her synergetic setup. Everything about Maker's Space just works and it's always inspiring for us to come in contact with entrepreneurs like Lana, who rolled the dice and won.
Lana.
Royal Meet
Finally got to meet Gary & Nora of LA-based band Royal Teeth after months of digital acquaintance. We caught some lunch in uptown New Orleans at Rum House, a carribean inspired eatery. It was great hanging out and sharing stories about where music has taken each of us thus far. They're truly great peeps and we're already looking forward to our next run-in!
Private Jet
Blessed to ride this big bird (Dassault Falcon 900B) from Baton Rouge to Birmingham yesterday. Sure beats the five hours it would have taken us to drive! I wish type on a page could express how grateful we are for this special opportunity and one of a kind experience.
Back To School
Today we got the awesome opportunity to read to some really cool three and four year olds at Lutcher Head Start in Lutcher, LA! A good friend of our's, who we can liken as a warm, mother figure, Mrs. Cathy Thompson, invited us last week to come and visit her class. Since hanging out with kids is pretty high on our list of things we enjoy doing, we didn't hesitate to block out our schedules to make this visit happen. Lutcher is about 40 minutes east of us in a rural, neighboring parish (just like a county) called St. James. We rose early this morning, got dressed, then headed out to pick-up our lil' homie, Deshawn from school. Deshawn is like a little brother to us and with his lively personality, sharp sense of humor, and maturity beyond his years, we're down with checking him out of school in a heartbeat to come run around with us on business and cool stuff.
When we got to Lutcher Head Start, we caught the kids as they were headed to lunch, so we greeted them all in their classroom and walked with them to the lunch room. On our way to their lunch room, we passed the gymnasium that just so happened to have a well-aired basketball laying by the bleachers.
We made a quick detour for a lil shoot around, then reunited with the class. On today's menu was tacos accompanied by corn, salad, and some kinda wheat bread with cinnamon sprinkled on top. It was "aight" as far as cafeteria food goes, but now we both have a greater appreciation to be able to choose what we want to eat for lunch everyday!
After lunch, we all walked back, single file, to the classroom. Grabbing our books, scooping up some chairs, and posting up outside, the kids sat and enjoyed our reading from some steps. Overall it was a blast and we're looking forward to next time!