Notes To The Soul: MusicMakers 2017

Posted on October 22, 2016 by A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group

Yesterday morning, we happened to receive an email pertaining to a 3-day career development conference for musicians entitled, MusicMakers. The MusicMakers Conference is aimed at teaching musicians how to successfully brand and monetize their art.

The force behind MusicMakers is a non-profit organization entitled, Notes To The Soul. The vision of NTTS is to inspire positive social change through sustainable music education and empowerment programs to benefit the socio-economic and musically disenfranchised.

Photo by Music is My First Language.

We LOVE the entire vision of NTTS! In addition to running their MusicMakers conference, they also host a program called, Music is My First Language. This program consists of music education residencies in schools for students ages 9-18 in which the NTTS Foundation helps to provide scholarships and grants to children and schools.

For more information on any of the NTTS program offerings, please visit: notestothesoul.org.

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A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group is a brand development agency that specializes in creating opportunities for brand development, exposure, and growth. With an emphasis on culture and lifestyle, the primary focus of A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group is to help companies adapt to culture and build value between brands and their consumers centered around love. Our social mission is to leverage the influence of popular culture to create social change and invest in the collective future of society through the arts, education, entertainment, and leadership. We are driven by AMBITION, fueled by PASSION, inspired by INNOVATION, and suckers for STRATEGY!

Idris Elba + Purdey’s Inspire The World To Thrive On!

Posted on April 30, 2016 by A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group

When we saw a Facebook post from one of our clients yesterday, we couldn’t help but to click for sound and decide to watch the video. We must say – we are certainly pleased that we decided to do so. We learned a lot!

Multi-vitamin fruit drink brand, Purdey’s teamed up with the multi-talented superstar, Idris Elba in an effort to help us get more out of life while introducing the world to Purdey’s belief that we should never stop growing.

What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

Seems like a simple question…right? At first, the question received many laughs, a few surprising looks, and some uncertainty. Then, we were hit with a follow-up question:

Ahhh…as adults, why do we believe that we’ve stopped growing? After all, we never stop growing…right? We actually don’t. In fact, when we are introduced to a fresh new perspective on life, it makes us view our potential quite differently.

Here are some of the inspiring answers we receive when we are able to get others to agree with the notion that we never stop growing:

I Want To …

… Make quilts, amazing quilts!

… Play drums!

… Be Madonna!

… Look after the people I love!

… Be an Actor!

… Be a Spoken Word artist!

… Be a Hot Air Balloon Pilot!

… Be a Football Coach – I think!

So…What Stops Us From Achieving Our Dreams?

There are an endless amount of reasons why we may feel as though we can no longer achieve our dreams. Age, time, discouragement, lack of ambition…LIFE?!? However, would we take the chance to achieve our dreams if we were given the opportunity? Can we get a HECK YES!!! Knowing this, what does it all come down to? It comes down to us, not life. Our lives are largely determined by the decisions we choose to make for ourselves.

From the land of “A Lovers Ambition,” we would arguably say that it’s finally time to spend less energy on creating excuses, and more energy on creating opportunities for ourselves to thrive and live the life of our dreams.

Thanks to Idris, Purdey’s, and Iris Worldwide for compelling us with the compassionate message to move forward and find our inner ambition to achieve our goals and thrive on!

Credits

Music by Baptiste Thiry, “Dreams Come True”

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(Uh • Kway • Us) Aquaus Kelley is a forward-thinking Brand Strategist, Educator, and Music Publisher. As the Founder of A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group, he specializes in identifying talent and creating opportunities for brand development, exposure, and growth. Aquaus has worked with companies and organizations such as Cornerstone Agency, City Year Miami, Universal Music Group, and W Hotels. He is extremely passionate about helping companies adapt to culture and building value between brands and their consumers centered around love. His ultimate mission is to use his influence to project positivity across the globe and invest in the collective future of society through the arts, education, entertainment, and leadership.

Eric Thomas Challenges Our Black Youth

Posted on April 17, 2016 by A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group

Having worked in “inner-city” schools for 5 years, I have personally experienced the barriers, challenges, and obstacles which we encounter as educators when it comes to connecting with our youth, especially our black youth.

On Thursday April 14, 2016 I came across a video on LinkedIn thanks to Danielle Lucido. This video consists of one of my favorite inspirational and influential figures, Dr. Eric Thomas. After being interrupted on several occasions, and out of nothing but pure love, Dr. Thomas feels the need to sincerely express his heartfelt message with a room full of high school students at Vashon High School in St. Louis, MO.

In this video, Dr. Thomas makes time to hit on many important points. Some of these points which he shares with both students and faculty include: the importance of taking care of the few people who actually care about us, being disrespected by his own kind whenever he comes back to speak at black schools, and being embarrassed by how people perceive our black youth.

Dr. Thomas mentions that while pursuing his Ph.D, he was embarrassed when his colleagues and professors would ask him, “What’s wrong with our urban schools?” and “What’s the problem in the school system?” He then brings up the fact of how resilient we are as black people and how our only true setback is due to a lack of effort. “You can’t take our people from Africa, put us in a diaspora, spread us all over the world, and we survive slavery yet we can’t pass a test” says Dr. Thomas, “Have you lost your mind? We are survivors! That’s all we do is survive!”

After offering up his very inspirational and moving message, he then challenges our black youth to go to class, sit down, listen, pay attention, and get an education. “You know how to sit down and shut up” says Dr. Thomas, “You do it when you’re watching videos.”

Despite all of the obstacles and setbacks Dr. Thomas had to encounter prior to achieving his B.A. and then his Ph.D, he did it anyway. “Win, lose, or draw…don’t die not trying” says Dr. Thomas. Keep pushing, keep pushing!

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Rita Pierson: Every Kid Needs a Champion

Posted on May 5, 2013 by A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group

Whether or not you may consider yourself to be an educator, we all help to educate others in one way or another.   Women like Rita Pierson are just one of the many reasons why I chose to get involved in education. To this day, I continue to stay involved in education in various capacities.

City Year Miami

In August of 2011, I chose to serve as an AmeriCorps Member for an education focused non-profit organization entitled, City Year Miami. As a Corps Member, I worked at Miami Edison Senior High School. Our goal as Corps Members were to help decrease the drop-out rate and get “at-risk” students in “under-resourced” schools back on track to graduate.

Where Is The Love?  

So, why do students drop out in the first place? Poverty, poor attendance, and negative peer influences are just a few examples. For this reason, the need for students to form empowering, purposeful, and productive relationships is paramount.   Human emotion transcends cultural barriers. Thus, the value and importance of human connection and relationships are pivotal.

According to Dr. James P. Comer, the Maurice Falk Professor of Child Psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine’s Child Study Center, “No significant learning can occur without a significant relationship.”

Be A Champion  

As Sean Covey puts it, “seek first to understand, then to be understood.” In order to be a good teacher, you must be a great student. Listen and learn. There are voices out here that need to be heard. There are thoughts that need to be cultivated. There are talents that need to be developed.

“Every child deserves a champion.” – Rita Pierson

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What is Behind The Hustle?

Posted on April 2, 2013 by A Lovers Ambition Lifestyle Group

To answer this question, “Behind The Hustle” is an awesome initiative that I am super happy to have come across earlier today. It is a project designed by Creative Contraband and I actually came across it thanks to the likes of another creatively driven and forward thinking movement, Broccoli City.

All of these companies represent the culture and lifestyle that I am so proud to be apart of when it comes to art, education, entertainment, fashion, health, music, social issues, and empowering the youth.

If you’re like me, you will definitely appreciate this video!!!

– Aquaus Kelley

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