New Music... North Carolina's Own Phonte, 9th Wonder & J. Cole

Whether I'm in design mode or relaxation mode, I need my music. As of late, I definitely needed some new music in my life. In steps Tuesday, September 27, 2011... a great day for Music, a great day for Hip Hop and a great day for North Carolina. Being from Noth Carolina, I was happy to see that three of my favorite artists dropped new projects today. The lineup includes Phonte with "Charity Starts at Home", 9th Wonder with "The Wonder Years" and hometown's own, J.Cole with "Cole World: The Sideline Story." NC Stand Up!! Support Your Own.

GUILTY PLEASURES... Entourage, The Final Season

Happy, but Sad. That's pretty much how I feel about the premier of what is going to be the last season of HBO's hot series "Entourage". Season 8 of HBO's emmy winning comedy series premiers on July 24 at 10:30PM. The gang is all back, as Vince and his crew, along with superagent Ari Gold, navigate through everything that Hollywood throws at them, while trying to resurrect Vince's career and keep it on the right path. From the great cast, to the writing & production, to the all star cameos, to Ari's memorable punch lines... I've definitely been a fan since Day 1 and I am looking forward to the last installment of the series. I guess all good things do come to an end...

Get your fix of HBO's hit series "Entourage"

SNEAKERFREAK... Converse, The Clean Crafted Collection

UK based retailer Offspring and Converse link up to bring you the "Clean Crafted" collection. A premium leather upper, leather laces, rand detail and exclusive tongue label are rustled into clean muted colorways to create a unique take on the classic Chuck Taylor silhouette. This colletion is a sneaker collector's dream as they are limited to 150 per colorway, available exclusively online at OFFSPRING

NEW MUSIC... The Foreign Exchange, Authenticity

"Authenticity" is the 3rd full-length from indie-soul duo The Foreign Exchange. Picking up where their 2008 Grammy-nominated "Leave It All Behind" set left off, "Authenticity" is the group's most diverse work to date, with a tight, 11-track song cycle spanning the duo's trademark brand of lush electronic soul, to stripped down acoustic pieces that recall the heyday of 70's singer-songwriter driven folk. "I think every band reaches that point when they come into their own and find a sound that is distinctively theirs," says Phonte in reference to the album's title. "The title refers to me and Nic's journey to find our own unique space within this vast musical landscape. The biggest challenge as a musician is to find that 'thing' that makes you who you are. But I think we're getting there, and we're finding our way more and more with each record." Read More

Photo courtesy of TheForeignExchangeMusic.com

Back to Business...

It feels wonderful to get back to business. After a nearly two month hiatus, I am finally able to let the creative juices flow again. Needless to say, I am ready to get back into the swing of things. 2010 has been a good year for esinessDESIGN and I am definitely planning on taking esinessDESIGN to another level in 2011 and beyond. I have been very lucky to have a great list of clients and look forward to working with many more in the future. It has been a pleasure working with great people who are chasing thier dreams like I am. My clients provide a great deal of motivation and play a big role in my journey. Designing is not just something I know how to do... designing is something that I love to do! Okay, enough talk... its back to business... Let's get it!

INSPIRATION... Johnny Cupcakes

Everyone loves a success story... and Johnny Cupcakes is a prime example of such a story. Earlier this year, I was on google for some reason and stumbled across a photo of some interesting t-shirts. So being a designer and appreciator of clothing, I clicked on the link and was quickly captivated by what I saw. I was intrigued at what this "Johnny Cupcakes" thing was all about. As I flipped through the website, I truly became a fan. He is the epitome of grinding... definitely a source of inspiration. It's refreshing to see someone stay true to themselves, do what they love to do and have some many people appreciate it. BTW, I just purchased my first (of many) Johnny Cupcakes t-shirt the other day and Ilook forward to rockin' it well as I embark on my own expedition(s).

Photo courtesy of JohnnyCupcakes.com

GUILTY PLEASURES... Courtesy of Bose

Whether sitting in front of my computer putting in work or walking through the crazy streets of D.C. or sitting in the backseat of my carpool... I gotta have my music. So when my *raggedy* Apple earbuds stopped working, I visited my good friends at Best Buy. Standing in front of the headphone section, my eyes somehow focused on the beautiful glass case that enclosed the Bose headphones. So I started thinking to myself (*trying to justify purchasing $100 headphones*), as much as I listen to music, why not get a good pair of headphones, oh! and it has a mic too!! SOLD!! It definitely lives up to the Bose name... only thing is, I can't hear anything else when I have them on, not so safe when walking through the streets of D.C.

Photo courtesy of Bose

New Ventures...

As a lover of both art and fashion, I appreciate all that create art and all that create fashion... at the end of the day... I think that both are one in the same. Both fashion and art have been a big part of my life and continue to be to this day. Sooooooo... I decided, hey, why not?!?! Friends and peers have told me that I should of traveled this road a long time ago... my response: "better late than never!" I am in the process of launching my own collection of graphic tees and accessories. So stay tuned and look out for what esinessDESIGN has to bring in the future!! Thanks again to all my clients: past, present and future.