Today, however, was a little slow at first, till I saw this poster from Joey Roth that gave me a "kick in the ass," and it got me moving all day. It's titled, Charlatan, Martyr, Hustler. Now the question is, Where do I fall in?
Apparently, Hustlers back up their talk with real work.
If you want to purchase go here.
A lot of people have been asking a combination of one of three questions recently: When are new clothes are going to be released? Why don’t I update this blog anymore? And when are new clothes going to be released?
So here are some friendly answers for the fine folks at home to the best of my ability. I've been working diligently on creating new 2012 Spring, Summer & Fall clothes and overhauling the website for 2012. Since I design the shirts myself, we are little behind schedule, but I can tell you that we have been hard at work crafting some of the most pure unadulterated design funk to have ever touched the Grits namesake. In all seriousness, whatever I’ve done for Grits before, is far eclipsed by what we’re throwing around right now. Collections usually get thrown together at the last second because well…because all of you start complaining, I feel bad, throw something together and get it out for the Gang. However, with my new found ability to take time to release clothing, that means the quality and overall presentation of things are just getting ridiculous. I know that no one wants to wait, and that I’ve said this hundreds of times on these digital pages, but trust me. This is worth waiting for.
Today's post is from fellow blogger, Jeff Jeffords, he writes a encouraging blog called Fried Grits. I've been following him for a while and love his anecdotes. Check this one out about Fried Grits.
I love grits. I’m talking about legitimate grits that Grandma simmers to perfection and lovingly seasons with butter, salt and cheese. Grits go best with bacon, eggs, fresh fruit and steaming hot coffee. Grits are certainly a substantial dish. It’s no mistake that the term grit interchangeably defines fine granules and determination. For years, my Grandma Jeffords has recycled leftover grits into tasty fried grit cakes. Grandma chills the grits in the fridge then dices them into bite size chunks and fries them in an iron skillet. Fried grits convert a hearty dish into bite-size portions. For me, fried grits represent the incremental, hearty investments that Grandma consistently made into my life.
Like Grandma says; “grits stick to your ribs.” For as long as I can remember, Grandma has been relentless about feeding her family, and feeding them well. While I was in college, I would often call Grandma on Sunday afternoons to catch up. One of the questions that she would inevitably ask me is, “are you drinking enough milk”? The question always made me smile, but it turned out that this was actually a brilliant question. She didn’t badger me about what my major was or how my grades were, but because of her relentless sincerity, I didn’t want to disappoint her. She was influencing me to do my best. Like always, she was steadily reflecting Jesus and cultivating grace in my heart.
Throughout my life, I’ve observed a remarkable capacity within my Grandmother to renew her mind and maintain her focus on the important things. The substantive stuff that sticks to your ribs and establishes character. Through the ups and downs within the lives of children, grandchildren and great grand children, she has always been a steadfast presence. Her home is like an anchor that renews your mind and challenges you to be a man or woman of substance. It takes some life experience to truly appreciate that.
Achieving our goals has everything to do with establishing the right foundation through a consistent, prioritized focus each week. I sometimes have a tendency to overwhelm an individual week with more than I can actually get done and that’s a recipe for neglecting the important stuff for the sake of the “urgent” stuff. Think about it. If we don’t have work goals and relationship goals each week then our weeks take on a life of their own and begin to dictate our schedule. Setting bite-size weekly goals are about aspiring to do significant work and having the grit to take charge of our weekly schedules. We must realize that though we may end a week feeling that we didn’t get it all done, we can’t let that spill over into working too much and stealing time from our key relationships. Don’t miss the simple, yet important, things that happen every week in the lives of those closest to us. I speak from some experience.
Something amazing happens when we become focused and not frenzied. The richness of the simple things in life start shining through. Wise people like my Grandma understand this. There’s immediate returns on resolving ourselves to be priority-driven, but the long range returns are priceless. The long term results craft our legacy. Legacy is birthed within the hearts of those that our lives touch. The principle of Fried Grits is this; A life well led is life that cultivates grace within the hearts those closest to it. Hearty investments made over time leave a mark. We just need to eat our grits one bite at a time.
What’s your favorite way to prepare grits? If you don’t like grits, don’t tell me. I might unfairly and harshly judge you;-)
-Jeff Jeffords
If you would like to share your thoughts, memories, and condolences, please email rememberingsteve@apple.com - apple.com/stevejobs/
If you dont remember, I created a free download from last year inspired by one of his speeches. [Download Here]
But one thing is clear. Southern Streetwear has lot more to do on our part.
I started Grits not only because I was tired of being a graphics monkey but also because the southern culture is so under represented in this arena. After years of buying shoes and limited apparel from all corners of the planet. I grew little disgruntled over the fact that so many bought brands that didn't represent where they lived. Instead of a diet of based on Southern culture our consist of New York, LA and Japan.
So will it does hurt that not one Southern brand was listed but truthfully. Neither one of us are there yet.
But on the upside I believe that we hold the torch. Much like Southern Hip hop was in the 90's, southern streetwear created our own "Chitlin Circuit" and are playing by our own rules.
So when I read the article I was not surprised but neither should they when we are NOT welcoming them with open arms. Southern streetwear culture in general has always been undervalued by attention but has always been a profit center for our neighbors. My feeling is that we should support the community at large but more importantly support our own local and regional independent culture. And not be so quick to allow anyone to come and take advantage just because they are "popular."
Side note: It should also be noted that I’m not only just a fan of The Hundreds as a brand but a lot of others too. But when all is said and done my heart still lies with my Southern roots.
No Grits No Glory!!
I’m not sharing this video because of the NFL or because of the athlete. I’m sharing this because of the important message related directly to success and finding it. You’ve heard it before: If you want to be on the same level as the people that you look up to, you’ll need to work really, really hard. The secrets to success are revealed through hard work.
If you’re going to be successful you’ve got to be willing to give up sleep.
This does not mean do not sleep. However, it does mean you need to prioritize. It is a metaphor for certain things in life that you do that can and quite possibly, need to be sacrificed.
I spent the last week drawing and drawing and choosing the right colors. It’s a lot of moving parts to keep organized and although it seems we have lost track on the blog a little bit everything is finally all coming together and this special release is going to be one of our best yet!
