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Inspiration Board 44

Hey fam, I hope you’re well. Whew with life this past year and moving, war, family health, inspiration has gone down the tube. I mean, I still read, listen, watch, feel, and experience but I have felt exhausted and uninspired to keep it real. I still create because I’ve been doing this for a long ass time, but sometimes it needs to be said that you don’t feel it. Anyway, for the past 6 months or so these are some things that fed or made me feeeeeeel.

Starting from top to bottom, left to right:

  1. The Purpose of Power – book by Alicia Garza. Reallly great read and reminder that the fight is long ahead (Organizing/Activism)

2. Texas Book Festival – 1st time visiting this historic book fest in Austin,TX. Shout out to Lee & Low, Reading Rockets, and the Fest (event)

3. The Spirit of the Palestinian People! – With over 75 years of colonialization they still stand and it is both painful and inspiring to have to witness time and time again. Thank you to the everyday people and the Palestinian organizers! (Resistance)

4. Dr. Marc Lamont Hill– Marc has been doing a lot of work to question society from multiple viewpoints and I’m thankful (Journalism)

5. Bisan Wizard– I’m in awe of this young journalist who has been sharing news in Arabic and English, risking her life to show us what US, European, and Israeli wont; what is happening is genocide (Journalist)

6. Jewish Voice for Peace– BIG shout out to my Jewish fam in the US acting up and showing out to show solidarity and prove that questioning Zionism does NOT equal antisemitism. They have lifted the veil for many Jews, Christians, Muslims, and atheists alike. (activists)

7. Olivia Dean – Love this singer songwriters music. Check her out! (music)

8. LaRussell and Tietta – This duo’s work to put their name, art, and biz savvy has been inspiring to watch. From Vallejo Ca (Business/Art)

9. Maurice Carney – I loved learning about what is happening in the Congo from Maurice of “Friends of the Congo” (Activism)

10. Frizzy – Graphic novel about hair, self acceptance and mentorship (Graphic Novel)

11. Sara Trellez– There’s something life giving and undescribable about this dance routine Sara gives. I could see and recognize the years of work, talent, research, and history she put into this (Dance)

12. Lowkey – This MC from the UK came to me through my boy Pele. I’m so happy I found Lowkey because his skills and wit inspired me. So smart and so relentless! (Hip Hop)

13.  Can We Please Give the Police Department to the Grandmothers? – Shout out to Angela Dalton who showed me this book. Contrary to what adults may think, these are exactly the kinds of questions I think kids can and should grapple with. Policing has got to go (Kid Lit)

14. Motaz Azaiza– Brother Motaz is an incredibly talented and brave photographer who once again is showing us in English and Arabic what the regime of Israel is doing to the people of Palestine. Genocide. (Photography)

15. Amanda Seales– I’ve watched Amanda go through being an MC, a singer, a poet, actor, and now social media activist who has challenged and critiqued not only Israel but many other things. And she’s not just talking, listen-you’ll see in addition to living shes also studied! (Social Media)

16. Artie and the Wolk Moon– Great GN about a young Black girl who learns she is part werewolf!! Perfect for older elementary students and middle grade readers (Graphic Novel)

Did you miss the previous inspiration board? Here it is, plus a few more

Inspiration board 43

Inspiration board 42

What’s this? This inspiration board is one of the ways I stay inspired and sane through all of life’s trials, and tribulations, work, etc. I’ve been making inspiration boards full of films, books, music, events, people, artists, movements, and more for over a decade. Do you have an inspiration board? Please share in the comments. Who am I? My name is Rob Liu-Trujillo and I’m an artist working in kid lit, public art, and other disciplines. Go to my website, or follow me on IG or YouTube. You can also cop my first art book here.

January 3, 2024
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Illustration for “In Dance” Magazine

This is a fun project. Nkeiruka Oruche is the guest editor for this issue of “In Dance Magazine” and she invited me to write and illustrate a short personal experience relating to dance. When she asked me to participate my first thought was that I’m not a dancer but she wanted a mix of folks. Those whose creative practice it is to dance and those who’ve danced at some point in life, which I think is most of us.  Anyway, check out my illustration from the piece.

Read the whole magazine HERE

Here’s my sketch, painting of dancers, and added background and text.
I had fun doing this and I’m thankful to writer, dancer, editor, multi-disciplinary artist Nkei for inviting me:). The magazine features a variety of folks from the Bay and nationally, regular folks and dancers of course with some interesting stories about family, tradition, culture, institutions, and lots of opportunities to move your body. Check it out!!!!!
Dig this? Check out
-Illustrations for ACLU X Central Valley Report
April 25, 2023
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Black is Beautiful 2022 – The Black Resurgents

 


“The Black Resurgents” is a historic dance group from Oakland California. There were many dance groups back then but these gents became the official dancers for the Black Panther Party! They also stood out performing at talent shows, concerts, and events all across Oakland and the Bay. For those that don’t know Boogaloo, Strutting, and Robotting come from the Bay. Oakland, Frisco, and Richmond to be exact. And this group was one of the pioneers of this dance. Rick the Robot, Mr Penguin, LA, and The Crowd Pleaser along with others formed the group in 1971. They danced to funk! They moved their bodies with the music and the moves groups like theirs The Black Messengers, Close Encounters of the Funkiest Kind, Media Cirkus, Demons of The Mind, Granny and The Robotroid, P-T 3000, influenced dancers all across the world and can be seen in the moves of Bay turf dancers, hip hop choreography, and in dance competitions. 
A crew of them got together and created their own alliances and a yearly event called the Boogalaoo Reunion to reclaim that name from white supremacists and to celebrate the culture in dancers both young and old. Their continued performing educates the next generation and gives context to where all these people got their moves from. Shout out to Traci Bartlow who is a part of this lineage, The Malonga Casquelord Center, Destiny Arts, The Hyphy movement, and East Side Arts Alliance for keeping dance alive! 

Sources: The Strutters Room, KQED Arts, Doug Harris, TheBlackResurgents.com

2018: Peep this piece I did of Alvin Ailey

In case you’re following along with me, here’s the last one I did this year: The Warehouse Club in Chicago!


February 12, 2022
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Oakland Boogaloo-Dance history

This is a dope video about Bay Area dance/hip hop / Black history featuring “The Black Resurgents”. The Boogaloo, strutting, etc came from the Bay Area which I didn’t know until I was grown. Just heard Davey D talking about this on Hard Knock Radio (Politics and hip hop). And I want to shoutt out Traci “Starchild” Bartlow for always keeping dance history alive and Eric Arnold for being a griot who documents Bay Area history.

 

January 17, 2021
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Black is Beautiful (2018) 7 – Alvin Ailey

Alvin Ailey was born in Texas in 1931. He was born into a time of great struggle not only from the violence of racism, but the strain of the great depression. When he was in junior high school his mother went to Los Angeles to get a better job. She sent for him and he finished high school there. While in high school he tried out football but did not like the full contact sport. He was introduced to dance by a good friend and would join the Horton Dance Company as a teenager. He excelled and loved dance so much that when the director of the company died he briefly took the reigns. He was invited to dance in New York and stayed around the mid 50s. By 1958 he had not seen avenues or companies giving Black dancers enough of a stage so he created his own company; the Alvin Ailey dance company. This life’s work would go on to win awards from the NAACP, the Rockefeller foundation, the UN, the US State Department, President Carter, and would be named “Cultural Ambassador to the world”. Alvin’s style further popularized modern dance as he mixed traditional movements with blues, spirituals, gospel, and later hip hop. He would add his own style to his choreography and would construct pieces such as “Revelations” and “Cry”; eventually designing over 30 pieces of choreography. His company toured in Mexico, Europe, Africa, and the USSR throughout the 60s and 80s. Alvin Ailey passed away from HIV/Aids in 1989 but his company lives on as a school and a traveling dance theater that has inspired countless young people. Myself included.

Sources: Alvinailey.org, Wikipedia, UCLA

February 8, 2018
in Black is Beautiful, General, Series
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Kindred Journey 21 – Mary “Butchie” Tom

Mary was born in Phoenix Arizona from Chinese immigrant parents. She came from a family who worked in and owned grocery stores in Arizona as many immigrants owned and worked in stores. Frustrated with the racism she experienced in Phoenix and her choices for work she took a bus to China Town in San Francisco. She first started working as a housekeeper cleaning when she got there and around 1940 she heard about a job opportunity to be a dancer in a Chinese owned nightclub to be opened called “Forbidden City” (the first Chinese owned nightclub) after the city of the same name in Beijing. She started out learning to dance using choreography and became one of many prominent dancers in the Chinese nightlife scene which was visited by all types of people during the start of World War 2. Mary married and moved back to Arizona where she continued to dance; square dancing!


Sources: Oral history-Chinese history of Arizona, Classic ladies of color

Dig this? Check out this post about Raveena (Aapi) or Rosie Perez (Boricua)

May 19, 2017
in General, Kindred Journey
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Black is Beautiful (2017) 6 – Frosty Freeze (RSC)

Like many outside of NYC the first time I saw Frosty was in Style Wars. Frosty was one of the original early 80s members of Rock Steady Crew, a pioneering Bboy crew from the Bronx and Manhattan. Frosty was born in 1963 and began Breaking in his teens. Frosty would do some ill moves that were not only acrobatic but dumb founding and unique like his dead man fall, where he would jump up and fall flat backwards. The brother was featured on the cover of the Village Voice, was in many films such as “The Freshest Kids” and “Planet B-Boy”. Its not known to me what he died from at age 44 but he passed much too soon. After seeing his fellow Rock Steady brother Ken Swift on the train, it was apparent that these dudes were really down to earth, extremely talented, and pioneers for hip hop culture world wide. He was an artist with his own style that showed with every move he made.
Sources: Wild Style (documentary), NY Times, The Freshest Kids (doc), 
You can purchase this original piece $40 (includes shipping), please email at info@robdontstop.com. Anyone who has ties w/ his fam, I’m down to donate to any fund they have set up.

February 7, 2017
in Black is Beautiful, General, Series
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Inktober 6 – Joel Rayon Paniagua

Keep dancing. I imagined Joel soaring through not only the dance floor but the sky. Keep flying.
This goes out to all the family members who lost a loved one to this summer’s tragedy at a sanctuary for dance, music, love and life. My heart goes out to you and all those who’ve been bullied or hurt physically or mentally by a society who does not truly understand who you are. I can’t say that I truly understand, but I can say that I see you and I support your right to love and to dance without fear. When starting my residency with Mobilize the Immigrant Vote, during a morning exercise I was handed three names of people who passed away and I’m drawing an imagined vision of those three people. Keep dancing.

Want this original drawing? $60 or Print? $20 (includes shipping)  

Got an idea for an org to donate 30% cost to? Email me info@robdontstop.com

October 11, 2016
in General, Inktober
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Campaigns worth supporting- Dance, Animation, Film

I cant speak highly enough about the impact Brotherman Comics has had on me seeing my future in illustration and providing a positive reflection. Please share and support.

I had the chance to meet Joti Singh and her husband Bongo recently at a ceremony and was amazed not only by the relationship between husband and wife, but the skill and artistry they both shared with the ceremony’s participants. Please attend the show they are throwing in the Bay Area and support.

Support his project using this link. I don’t know the director but I have seen his name via The African American Animators of the Past & Present site and this looks amazing. If we talk about wanting to see more diverse characters in animation, lets support this!
 

I haven’t met the film makers, but a friend of the team sent this to me and it looks scary! In a good way. Support independent film.

March 23, 2015
in General
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Positive Wall Affirmation- “Dance”

The original reason I chose to do this series is because I wanted to have more positive messages around me. A lot of the words or typography I see daily are using words that are derogatory, shaming, or superficial. I wanted to create artwork that used a word or phrase that people would feel empowered, elevated, or even inspired by, just by walking past it.

This is a hand painted sign I made for fun using some patterns Ive developed doing the light switches and some typography with a positive message/feeling. If you feel it, pass it on, use it in your inspiration board, whatever…Spread positive energy!peace. And dont forget to “dance”. If you can walk, you can dance.

 Store Link

December 10, 2012
in General
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