ACE

Upstate Alliance for the Creative Economy

Black-Owned Business

A Freelancer & An Activist: Jade Warrick, “TrashKid”

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Jade Warrick is a powerhouse artist and freelancer. Known in the art world as “TrashKid,” you may remember her from our “Freelancer February” series. Jade is not only a Cap Region icon because of her creative graphic design & energetic spirit, but because of her active voice in the communities she’s a part of and her passion for making art accessible for everybody. We sat down with Jade to ask her what she’s been up to over the past few months – especially during the COVID-19 crisis and the Black Lives Matter movement.

So much has changed since we last spoke in February. How has your business/work changed?

Healing While Black

Business has been decent for me. I’ve had the opportunity to do a lot of marketing and graphic design work and I’m enjoying that. I think a lot of people are getting businesses off the ground and working on things they never had the time to. I’ve been working with a few podcasters, Didi Delgado being one. I’ve also done some commission work with Healing While Black, LLC, an amazing black voice. I’ve been wanting to do more TrashKid stuff – doing more comics and drawings – but it has taken a backseat due to the commission work.

I have some side projects going on. I’m working on building a website that helps promote the work of people of color. I’m also working on a COVID-19 graphic novel with Noelle Gentile, a local actor and children’s author. The book is geared toward youth — it talks about what the pandemic means, missing your friends, etc. It’s a living document and is being changed all the time due to new information, events taking place, etc. We’re hoping to release that in mid-June.

Can you tell us a bit more about the website you’re building to help promote the work of black artists and artists of color?

I’ve been wanting to build this website for a while, but never had the time until now. I want to give my friends and creatives – especially those who aren’t very good at marketing nor have a website — a place where people can see their art and contact them if they’re interested in commissioning them for work. This is a resource for all people, but the idea is to promote artists of color. It’s a place where people can find under-looked black artists and support their business. The logo will consist of a pigeon. Pigeons are looked down upon and seen as gross, but they’re very smart birds. I think it’s an interesting reflection of how people see urbanized black culture.

I regularly see you on social media using art to build community. What’s your latest community building project?

I’m working on mural at YouthFX in downtown Albany today (on Friday, 6/5) while youth in the community will hold a protest and have the floor to speak about how they feel about the current state of the world. I’m also going to be working with Albany Barn, Albany Center Gallery, D. Colin, and others to encourage our black youth to paint murals downtown. Youth are going through a lot right now, not only the protests, but there is still a pandemic going on. People are still struggling and unemployed, kids aren’t going back to school. Kids are angry about a lot. I would’ve loved this type of opportunity as a kid. I wasn’t around art as much as I would’ve liked to and I would’ve been a stronger artist if I had been. I never really got the opportunity, my parents were too busy raising their kids and trying to get by.

Any last words of advice you’d like to leave for our readers?

The world is really negative right now. I’ve been trying to help as much as I can and help people feel less alone. I’ve found positivity through connecting with my community – getting in touch with people who feel the same way as me. If you reach out, many organizations will welcome you in with open arms and provide you resources to join workgroups.

Connect with Jade!

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Cap Region Cocktails at Home: Janesha “Jaja” Levons

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Photo: Konrad Odhiambo

Janesha “Jaja” Levons was born into a military family, and until her early 20’s, they moved every three years, across the U.S. and to Antigua, until finally settling down in Saratoga Springs, where her love for entertaining and creativity began.

After working as a mixologist, model, and other freelance jobs, she moved to Brooklyn, where she walked runways and worked in over 30 venues, rooftops, and restaurants as a bartender. Now, she’s back in the Cap Region, bartending at The Berlin in Troy (currently closed due to COVID-19) and reinventing her modeling career.

Photo: Konrad Odhiambo

Jaja says…

Every bar was a new challenge, every venue had new cocktails and a new culture to explore. No two great bars are ever alike. Maybe that’s why I never stayed in any one bar for too long… Once I conquered the cocktail program and culture (which never took very long), the challenge was over, and so was the allure. I had a Forbes 100 client contract me to bartend at a private mansion, where I created a cocktail list especially geared for him and his guests for two days. I’ve worked in London at a private lounge in a luxury residential building where I not only created a cocktail program, but also arranged private parties and gatherings. I just love to create and bring people together to enjoy life. And yes I’m pretty fond of alcohol too…

Everybody loves a nice sangria and daiquiri, especially as we start heading into warmer weather. I’ve put together these special recipes that you can make from the comfort of your own home.

Sangria by Jaja

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of frozen fruits (I like to use mixed berries)
1 Cup Rum (I recommend Bacardi Silver)
Simple Syrup (recipe below)
1 Extra Large Orange squeezed ( 1/4 – 1/2 cup of its juice)
1 Bottle of White or Red Wine (your preference)

Simple syrup
1/2 Cup boiling water (you can microwave it if you’d like )
1/2 Cup of Brown Sugar

Steps:
1. In a large pitcher or bowl place the frozen fruit (at least semi-thawed)
2. Pour the rum over the frozen fruit so the juices can start to marinate in the rum.
3. Pour the simple syrup in the mixture and let it sit for 15 minutes.
4. With a metal hand whisk, mix all together with the goal of mashing the fruits as much as possible. You can also use a wooden spoon or muddler, I prefer the whisk. You can also use a blender. If you find it too difficult (or the fruit is too frozen), let the fruit sit in for a little longer and allow the rum to do its job!
5. Add the juice from the orange
6. Pour wine (750ml ) red or white (I use red) over mixture.
7. Place it in the fridge for four hours. Remember the longer it sits the stronger the berry flavor will be….it’s great to have it sit overnight too!
8. Once it’s ready, serve over ice in your favorite cocktail glass!

Daiquiri

Ingredients:
1 Cup Rum (Bacardi Silver)
Simple Syrup (same recipe as above)
1 1/2 Cup Frozen Strawberries
2 1/2 Cups of ice 
1 lime

Steps;
1. In a large pitcher or bowl place the frozen fruit (at least semi-thawed)
2. Pour the rum over the frozen fruit so the juices can start to marinate in the rum.
3. Pour the simple syrup in the mixture and let it sit for 15 minutes.
4. With a metal hand whisk, mix all together with the goal of mashing the fruits as much as possible. You can also use a wooden spoon or muddler, I prefer the whisk. You can also use a blender. If you find it too difficult (or the fruit is too frozen), let the fruit sit in for a little longer and allow the rum to do its job!
5. Refrigerate the mixture for four hours.
6. Add a dash of club soda and squeeze a large lime wedge into the mixture.
7. Serve over ice in your favorite cocktail glass.

Enjoy!

Contact Jaja!
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Cap Region Cooks: Jermaine Wright

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Jermaine Wright is a Personal Chef, Dancer, and Social Media Influencer from southside Jamaica, Queens, NY, now living in the Cap Region. He is self-taught, and learned flavor profiles from being a “fat kid at heart.” He dreamed of being on the Food Network, and was finally given a chance to compete against 8 talented home cooks from across America, on Food Network’s hit television show, All-Star Academy, where he was mentored by celebrity Chef Robert Irvine.

Jermaine was also selected out of hundreds as Remy Martin’s Circle of Centaurs #RemyChef Winner, which landed him an exclusive mentorship with Food Network Iron Chef Marc Forgione. Jermaine now brings his bold flavors and creative concepts into the home, delivering Personal Chef Services for private parties and intimate events. With a fully customized menu, and his knack for putting abstract twists on traditional classics, clients leave with a full belly and a smiling face, earning him the title “King of the 95% Empty Plate Rate!”. Chef Jermaine’s curated culinary experiences take his clients’ taste buds on an unforgettable journey through food porn heaven, each and every time.

Cooking in Quarantine

“Cooking has always been a fiber in my being, and growing up in southside Jamaica, Queens, meant growing up with humble beginnings. I grew up in a single-parent household with three other siblings, and a mother that took care of kids from the block as if they were her own.

So let’s just say I know a thing or two about finding ways to make a meal stretch, and finding creative ways to make something out of nothing. I’m talking everything from gourmet ramen using dollar soups, and using frozen pancakes to make bread pudding, to creating gourmet versions of hot dogs and hamburgers because that’s all the kids in my family were allowed to eat at family gatherings (while all the adults got to indulge in steak, lobster and seafood boils…Can you tell I’m still bitter?). All of that to say, I’ve got this ‘Cooking While Quarantined’ thing down pat, and with these simple recipes, you will too.”

Recipe #1: Curry Chicken (with vegetarian option)

To know me is to know that I love Caribbean food, and LOVE making curry chicken! Something about the Indo-Caribbean flavors and the comfort food nostalgia brings me back to my roots. But with COVID-19, curry chicken has become more than just a taste of my childhood. It’s become a quarantine staple in my kitchen, because it’s PACKED with immune boosting ingredients that naturally help to combat sickness. Thanks to the curry, turmeric, cayenne pepper, thyme and other ingredients, this recipe is anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant and may help treat lung and respiratory issues. Cheers to eating on purpose! Check it out!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time:  1 hour and 20 mins

Ingredients:

–Skinless Whole Chicken Parts (Bone-In) OR Substitute for Portobello Mushrooms

Spices:
–Chief Indian Head Curry Powder
-Jamaican Curry
-Turmeric
-Garlic Salt
-Sea Salt
-Black Pepper
-Onion Powder
-Cayenne Pepper
-Fresh Thyme

Veggies:
– (4) Peeled Potatoes
– (1) Sliced Onion
– (1) Sliced Scotch Bonnet (Habanero) Pepper
– (1) Can of Rinsed Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)

Steps
1. Get some oil going in a stainless steel stock pot on medium-high heat. Once oil is hot (back up and do the spritz test), begin building your curry sauce by adding both curries, turmeric, all dried spices, and the scotch bonnet pepper.

2. Add seasoned chicken ( keep seasonings simple, just salt and pepper so that it doesn’t compete with the curry) into the sauce mixture, and season generously with same seasonings on top.

3. Once the chicken has browned a bit on one side, add water to the stock pot. You want to add enough water to be able to see parts of the chicken surface. Let boil for about 15 mins, then add more herbs, garlic salt, and black pepper to taste. Cover, and let boil for about 15 more mins.

4. Next you want to thoroughly rinse your chickpeas with cold water in a colander. This removes the bitter taste from the canned juices. Chickpeas are great for absorbing flavor (especially curry), and they hold well with other vegetables. 

5. Add chickpeas to pot, add about a teaspoon of Sea Salt, and cover for 15 mins.

6. Once chickpeas have cooked down a bit, add your skinless chopped potatoes. You can’t have the “perfect” curry without potatoes. Even better than chickpeas, potatoes are great flavor absorbers. They hold in a lot of moisture, which means your stew has to have TONS of flavor. Once you add your potatoes, season them with more dried herbs, sea salt, and black pepper. Cover pot, and let simmer for another 15-20 mins (or until potatoes are tender)

7. After 20 mins or so, add your sliced white onions. You always want to add your onions towards the end, just as you approach your final sprint. Onions cook down really fast. Because of this, you add them at the very end because you want them to add body, flavor and character to your dish. I like mine cooked just under, for a slight crunch to add an element of texture to the dish. Once onions are added, cover pot and simmer for about 20mins. (The longer it simmers, the juicier, and tender the chicken and veggies become.)

8. Remove from the pot, garnish, and serve over white rice! I guarantee this will be the BEST curry chicken you have ever had!

Recipe #2: Shepard’s Loaf

For most, quarantining means stocking up on essentials like toilet paper, paper towels, and hand sanitizer. And while those things are in fact essential, chefs, home cooks and foodies alike are stocking up on things like canned goods, frozen meats/foods, and other pre-prepared non-perishables that will help meals stretch a bit further. This next dish is everything that you need during quarantine. Its protein, carbs, and veggies! Just the way we like ’em!

PrepTime : 15 mins
Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

 Meat:
– Ground Beef (can substitute for any ground protein, including meatless grounds)
– Italian Sausage 

Vegetables:
-Chopped Carrots 
-Chopped Onions
-Chopped Celery 
-Corn (optional)
-Peas (optional)
-Peeled Whole Potatoes (can substitute with boxed mashed potatoes)

Spices:
–Salt
-Pepper
-Adobo
-Crushed Red Pepper
-Dried Parsley 
-Smoked Paprika

Misc.
–Flour
-Heavy Cream
-Sour Cream 
-Butter
-Shredded Cheddar Cheese
-Vegetable Oil

Steps:

 1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Add salted water to a stock pot and set to boil. Once boiled, add whole peeled potatoes and cook til tender. 

 2. Heat oiled skillet to medium heat. Once hot, add chopped veggies. Sauté and season in dry spices for about 5 mins or til al dente (fancy for: cooked with texture in tact). Set aside to use later for meat mixture.

3. Brown your meat. Add ground beef and sweet Italian sausage to a hot oiled pan. Add all dry spices and use a spoon to fold in the flavor. Once browned, add the veggies that we set aside earlier. Combine and cook together until veggies are tender.– The veggies become flavor-absorbers, locking in all of that deliciousness from the meat. 

4. Once potatoes are tender, drain water and mash with a wooden spoon or a potato masher. Once mashed, Add 1 cup of heavy cream, 1/2 cup of sour cream, 2 Tblsp of butter, salt, pepper, dried parsley and shredded cheese to taste. Use an immersion hand blender to achieve a creamy texture and to ensure that all of the ingredients are successfully combined. The potatoes should have a nice velvety whip to them.

5. Take a loaf pan, and layer the bottom of it with a very thin layer of mashed potatoes.  Next, add your meat and veggie mixture. Be sure to dense-pack the ingredients into the loaf pan using the back of a serving spoon. It is important for everything to fit nice and tight into the pan to achieve equal distribution of heat. 

6. Add a generous layer of mashed potatoes to the top, and put in the oven and bake for about 15 mins. 

7. Next, set your oven to broil for about 3 mins, to quickly brown the top of the pie.  

8. Remove from the oven, garnish, plate and enjoy! 

Check out Jermaine’s website! Follow him on Facebook and Instagram!

Cap Region Creatives in Quarantine: David Reali

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Creatives in Quarantine is a segment that highlights creative professionals across the Capital Region during this period of isolation due to COVID-19. We have developed some questions that will allow our community to share experiences and learn from one another during this time. 

Meet Entrepreneur & Fashion Designer, David Reali.

David, introduce yourself.

I am David Reali. 34-year-old, Schenectady born creator who now lives and LOVES TROY, NY. I am just a human with some dope ideas looking for the best ways to execute them. I am the creator of LYF SUPPLY, a clothing brand…no, as of today, it’s officially become a PASSION PROJECT, a brand that has evolved from just a hat and embroidery brand to a lifestyle choice, which is represented by garments that reinforce the idea of self love. Even if the items themselves don’t refer exactly to self love, hopefully those who are familiar with my story know that this brand operates and lives on the confidence I have in myself and my ideas and my passion for creating opportunity and expressing yourself via art in some form.

I recently began a brand extension called UPLFYTED which consists of thrifted items, upcycled into 1-of-1 pieces that also include LYF SUPPLY signature embroidery in addition to some really cool transformations. In addition, I provide embroidery for many of the local businesses in Troy that sell their own DOPE A** MERCH, SO CHECK THEM OUT (Superior Merch, Little Pecks, Joan Kelsey Silver Lining, YESFOLK TONICS, POOR DEVIL PEPPER CO., etc). I am also currently working on music. I won’t get too in depth yet, but I will have some really great tunes lined up for everyone’s enjoyment.

What does your workplace look like, and is it working for you?

I currently work in my home in a very, very small room. I have two machines now, so for my larger orders, I take my equipment to Electric City Barn in Schenectady because it has a lot of room and I get to socialize with other creatives and the staff there which I often miss out on when I’m working from home constantly. Working from my home gets to be a bit stressful because my workspace only has room for one embroidery machine. I plan to invest in a Commercial Embroidery machine which will require a lot more space than I have.

Electric City Barn also has a space for screen printing and I am currently learning that skill. Long story short, my space is working but I really need to be in a bigger space that accommodates everything. I AM BLESSED though because I could still be working in an office which I dread, so shout out to the universe for putting me in position.

More can be found on www.lyf.supply

How are you coping with this new reality?

It hasn’t set in yet. The lack of socializing has made it very difficult to focus on work and creativity. It does remind me of being a kid again though. I was the only boy in my family and also the youngest, so a lot of my time was spent creating stuff and ideas, typically with my wrestling toys, etc.

Back in the 90’s, the best part about things not being as advanced as they are now was our need to create our reality within our limited amount of space and time we had available due to curfews, bedtime etc. So in a way, I’ve been going back into my mind finding that kid that would re-enact the battle of Fort Wagner from the movie Glory in his living room or plan out an entire Pay-Per-View wrestling event with all of my wrestling toys, which always gave me something to look forward to when I got home from school. I would be in school thinking about my makeshift wrestling event literally all day (lol). So with these circumstances, I try to allow myself to be that kid again, but with access to the internet, an embroidery machine and a sense of self awareness that may not have existed then. Also, LOTS OF FACETIMING WITH FAM AND MY GIRLFRIEND!!

Have you started adapting and/or innovating your business model to operate under these conditions? Please explain.

So, that is still something I am working on now. Luckily my operation has been via my online store so sales haven’t been really interrupted but I am aware that after all of this madness is over that LIFE will be different so LYF must become an evolved version of itself. I have proposed the idea of TROY NIGHT IN which is a take on Troy Night Out but in this instance, creating a one stop shop for people to have access to every creative person, small business etc. in the form of a live feed which gives a direct to consumer, pop up-like event using social media. I planned to do pop ups once a month, independent and collaboratively, and free from any groups or affiliations that we would have to get permission to do so but the Coronavirus happened. I think having a place online where people can get direct contact and access to the creator and their services and goods would be very convenient and user friendly for the consumer and help continue to build the creative economy here in Troy despite the circumstances. I am open to suggestions as to how to make that work effectively.

How have you seen the local creative community band together to support one another? Do you feel like there are additional resources/tools/strategies that you need to succeed under this circumstance?

www.lyf.supply

Honestly, It is amazing at how fast everyone came together to support one another during this time. It has been great seeing people and other businesses really show support for one another by posting each others stuff. I hope that all of this love and generosity continues when this is all over because this showed us how resilient we can be and also how much we actually do love and need each other. As far as support, I have seen a lot of different business grant opportunities by way of Facebook and other mediums.

Understanding your consumer is always important. A lot of my customers may have lost their jobs or have their income cut, so I have created discounts on products and reduced the cost of embroidery services for regular clients because I know it’s hard and I rely on them for my well being. I also had to take some time and rid myself of shame of selling items despite the fact that we are in quite difficult times. I’ve still gotta make a living and while doing so, I help when and where I can. We are only week two into this and I haven’t suffered enough yet to offer anything outside of what I have already done pre-Coronavirus, but I would say to reach out to others, get help when needed and allow yourself to evolve, even if it means letting go of something/someone/somewhere to make room for what you need.

Are you thinking about ways that you’ll change the way you do business in the future?

Absolutely. With all of this social distancing, it makes me really miss the ability to be around people. I get inspired by people randomly. Whether it’s a beautiful face, or song by a local artist I accidentally stumbled into while getting a drink or my current friends, I miss being inspired by people so I want to use that inspiration and include people in the communication aspect of LYF SUPPLY. I want to tell the story better and more clearly, from a multi perspective instead of just my own because as I said, I am inspired by people and LOVE.

Do you see any long term changes to the way people work coming out of this situation?

HELL YEAH!!! Honestly, that’s all I have been thinking of. Especially the workers who are deemed ”ESSENTIAL,” I really hope they are getting paid for what they are worth now and moving forward. Hopefully during this period, people can find a passion or something that they can freelance at and create opportunity for themselves. 2020 has been dookie so far but I do hope that people who have the spirit for entrepreneurship take a chance. No, take several chances, to see the world from a different perspective and become something more than what they may have settled for. Sitting in an office for eight hours a day for five days a week is becoming obsolete and this is proof of that, because if it weren’t the case then work that needed to be done in an office setting would be on complete pause right now but it’s not because it doesn’t have to be. For those with office jobs that are working from home…take time to reflect and think about who you are and what you want for yourself. There is so much opportunity available but there is so much more opportunity that has yet to be created and discovered. Now’s the time to explore.

Can you share a final note of positivity with our readers?

Bet on yourself. Invest in yourself. Love yourself. Hold yourself and others around you accountable. ALWAYS BE CURIOUS. Go after more than what is just available to you because there is a great chance that there is ALWAYS MORE than what OTHERS are offering. NO ONE IS GOING TO DO IT FOR YOU so you have to do it. For those who are transitioning from a job to their own thing, the hours you’re putting into what you’re working to get away from should eventually cease and not EXCEED the hours you put into what you’re working towards. ESPECIALLY IF YOU LOVE IT!!

Connect with David:

David, eating vegan nuggets, in Quarantine

Cap Region Creatives in Quarantine: Konrad Odhiambo

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Creatives in Quarantine is a segment that highlights creative professionals across the Capital Region during this period of isolation due to COVID-19. We have developed some questions that will allow our community to share experiences and learn from one another during this time.

Allow us to introduce our first feature, Konrad Odhiambo.

How are you coping with this new reality?

Now that most of us are stuck at home with possibly no income, times are tough. But we can use these times to our ‘advantage’ and do things we normally wouldn’t do or don’t have time for. I have been finding time to work on self improvement and find a balance between family and work.  Looking at relationships between friends, parents and siblings and making sure no one feels left behind.

Have you started adapting and/or innovating your business model to operate under these conditions? Please explain.

Lots of us are super busy and often don’t have time to update our website. Now we do! Basic stuff like updating my site with most recent work and in general, make my website look good for potential future clients.

How have you seen the local creative community band together to support one another?

I’ve seen the community come together and do virtual meet ups as we normally would in person. There is a lot more communication happening online and people checking up on each other. The Power Breakfast Club has been holding its meetings online and using Zoom Cloud Meetings to keep the engagement going. I’ve seen the 10 push up challenge where friends challenge each other to stay fit while indoors. 

Are you thinking about ways that you’ll change the way you do business in the future?

For my business, I’ll be working on improving my internal processes when it comes to client acquisition, booking and follow up after the fact. In these times I’d like to start offering more tangible options such as albums, prints and gifts cards to keep a positive cashflow.

For printing, my online gallery has a direct link to my vendor. Once orders are placed, my printer will drop ship the order directly to my clients. Vendors include White House Custom Color and Nations Photo Lab.

Do you see any long term changes to the way people work coming out of this situation?

I believe it’s essential to start planning long term and make sure you have a six month safety net in case anything happens. Now more than ever creatives who solely rely on one stream of income will have to diversify and have multiple sources of income.

Now is a great time to sharpen your skills. There are plenty of tutorials online that you can use to improve your workflow in shooting and editing. With all the extra time, now is a good time for self improvement. I’d like to participate in tutorials geared toward post production and financial planning.

Get in touch with Konrad:

Konrad’s Work

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