Read Who I Was Starting Davidson here
When I was 18 and writing this poem - I was even cockier than I am today. I would imagine that I would die before 20, and people would discover my poetry, proclaim it genius, and I wanted to leave little clues that connected different poems - so that future students would have something to write about in their poetry analysis. So, this pre-amble very much references another poem - "This Is Not Light" that I had written when I was 16 at Stanford.
However, it sets the tone for everything that would come after in the poem - the love and hate relationship with the city, the idea that things aren't always what they seem, how you can get lost in reality, and how it is so hard to leave your past. Probably the most emotionally resonant line is "it hurts, to laugh and smile sometimes" - because there are just so many times in my life when I am expected to be happy, be awesome, be inspiring, be a leader - and I just feel like crying, but I just laugh and smile instead.
But it was so true that North Park at that time (before the expansion) was a very preppy mall - everyone really did wear polo and khakis. So the first stanza of Dallas is really a memory of a specific day in my life. My best friend, Danny Garcia, was playing with his band at North Park (which felt like a really big deal at the time) and he was doing great, and there was some art opening at the MAC that night and I wanted to celebrate. So, it is really the introduction to this almost glamorous life and lifestyle that was combining the arts and people who had money and prestige in Dallas, that I had wandered into through education and talent.
So, we would wander from place to place, and there was this excitement that we were all going to be somebody special one day - because we had been told how great we were since forever. And we were constantly exposed to cool things - my good friend Matt Whitenack whose mother Nancy owns the leading contemporary art gallery in Dallas, Conduit Gallery, well she was one of the first residents when Southside first opened. I remember running around there with Matt, and they working on renovating the inside of it, and Matt was a hot shot young artist and so he had his own studio on the roof of the coolest loft space in Dallas at the time, with these beautiful views of the skyline, and just this sense of freedom, of having your own space, of being awesome and artsy, that was incomparable at 17.
So, there was definitely this sense that we were a bit more awesome than everyone else we knew, because we were all doing cool things, winning awards, and knew cool, beautiful, rich people, and I was definitely a part of all of that. Definitely believed entirely in this idea of sangfroid - that everything we did we should make it look effortless, that this was all just our birthright - however it wasn't, and I think that is where a lot of the sadness came from.
My good friends at the time were all sorts of screwed up. Behind this beautiful facade - I grew up thinking that it was normal to personally know at least one drug dealer (I knew several) and that it was just part of the high school experience. I did have friends who had tried to kill themselves. And in general we were just all incredibly reckless - this was a time period in my life when my normal driving speed was 100 mph - everytime I got into a car I would break a 100 if I got onto a freeway. There was a definitely an utter recklessness and disregard for rules - so I completely had Gwendolyn Brooks poem "We Real Cool" in mind, especially her ending of we die soon, because that is where we were all headed, and not surprisingly a year later one of us would get there, and it was only by the grace of God that the rest of us are still alive.
One of the big parts of my life during this time was driving - I lived far away from where all the action was, so I was constantly in a car. And it would often be when I was driving from Dallas to DeSoto where reality would set in about my true emotional state - the glitz and glimmer of the city would be behind me, and I was left with just a sadness.
I had this idea that I had already peaked at 16. That I would never be cooler, more alive, more intelligent, more vibrant, than I was at this age. I felt that I had already lived life and really DeSoto is almost my proof for why I felt that way. I had gone to Stanford to write and had met this beautiful girl named Courtney Hopen, and she was the first girl I really enjoyed kissing. And it was a miracle for me to go Stanford, my family didn't have the money, they had offered a partial scholarship for the program, I had raised some funds, but I was still short. A few days before the program started my Dad found this saving bonds they had put away for me when I was a kid, and they had all just matured and was the exact amount of money to the dollar that I needed to go there. Add to this I finally learn how to write poetry while I am there, and I meet all of these great young writers from across the country, I fall in love with the campus and the place, and riding bikes everywhere, and now there is this beautiful girl, who is sitting with me under a tree, and we are making out and reading poetry to each other, and it is a sunny day, and I hear the lyrics to Semi-charmed life "When Im with you I feel like I could die/ And that would be all right, all right", and it is just the happiest moment I had had in my life.
So, I contrast this super happy moment with the grittier reality of Houston, TX - which for me was always where I felt most black growing up. My mother is from the inner city in Houston, and so that is where we would go when we visited (about 5 times a year) and my uncle owned these row houses in the roughest part of town - 5th Ward. So, you would have this prep school kid going to this totally different world, where people looked like me, but we had nothing in common, yet it helped expand my own experiences - and was exceedingly valuable, and perhaps most importantly at that time was something that my peers in Dallas didn't have.
I continued my case by citing some of the books I read that were really influential to me. There were some geniuses in my class, and they could beat the pants off of me in most subjects, but reading was one thing I felt I could compete with them on. I will never forget we had this Russian literature arms race, and I kicked it off by reading War and Peace. Then everyone else read War and Peace and started on Anna Karenina. Then I had to read that, and somewhere around there everyone read Crime and Punishment - but I started reading The Brothers Karamazov - it was a very competitive thing, but the point is at 16 I read some of the best novels ever written, had all of these great cultural experiences (chitlins), had won lots of awards, gotten standing ovations for my poetry, and was simply depressed by it all.
Because I was smart, I was able to pick up on patterns and have always been interested in human behavior and fancied myself a student of human nature. At this time, I would use my knowledge to manipulate other people and play games - especially with girls. And it all seemed so boring and pointless to me - I was just starting to have my first episodes with Bi-Polar back then, but I didn't understand any of that. I just knew it was weird to have all of these great things going on in my life and to still feel so crappy.
I continue my case for great life experience at 16 by listing these opposite things that I had done. I had this great experience in Houston where I stole a wheel chair with a friend of mine from a hospital, and it was the first real thing I had stolen, but I was also an Eagle Scout (which you wouldn't expect to steal things). The Door was this christian club in Deep Ellum and I had gone to concerts there but was very much in love with hip hop both commercial and underground. In fact, my mother hated the fact I would constantly listen to hip hop because of the profanity but I loved it. So, all of these contradictions that were and are my life, the entire poem, was really just a giant lead-in to the penultimate stanza.
I had struggled for a long time about how to write about trying to commit suicide. I didn't want to glorify it, because there is no glory in it. However, it felt dishonest not to mention it - because by nature it becomes one of the important parts of your life. Most importantly, I knew that no one knew or could really believe that I would have tried to kill myself. I was the kid who had it all. When I applied to college I was accepted to Stanford University, Washington University in St. Louis, Rice University, University of Texas, Plan II program, Davidson College, Austin College, University of South, Emory University, and even got a nomination to the Air Force Academy. I got scholarship offers from every school - clearly whatever you were supposed to do in high school, I had done it just as well as anyone in the country.
Yet, I had tried to kill myself. And it would take another few years before I could reconcile that, but the truth was I felt worthless, I felt like I had nothing to live for, I felt that I had done a lot, so I didn't feel all that bad about ending my own life. The most important part was that no one knew I was dealing with any of these emotions in high school, no one knew I was depressed, sometimes suicidal, it was nothing I could talk about with my parents. All everyone saw was the lakes calm surface, the very talented, accomplished, outgoing, and well-spoken young man.Yet I think it is a powerful (and perhaps familiar) story that the most talented can end up the most lonely, the most depressed, and the most hopeless.
However, I was not 16 when I wrote this poem, I was 18. And I wasn't dead. And the last stanza is really about why and where I was a couple years later, going to college. And there was this girl named Mariana, and she was my first love, and she talked me out of killing myself once, and I will always love her for that, because I might not be here if it wasn't for her. Although, the fact that she was so far away added to my general angst. But I have already written about her in much greater detail elsewhere.
The last thing I want to talk about is The Great Gatsby. When I first read this book it was like reading an autobiography. To this day I still often think about certain lines in the book. But there was/is this idea of some far off, marvelous thing, that I am so desperately trying to get to, but trying to get to it is much more important than actually getting there. So, it is important to me that the poem does end on a very hopeful and redemptive note - because ultimately I think that was my high school experience and life experience. I have had moments of intense sadness but I have also had great joy and triumphs and friendships and lovers and unfortunately my periods of normalcy and happiness will always be interrupted by times of sadness and depression, but I don't let it stop me. I am trying to become whomever I am supposed to be, reach my potential as soon as possible, and in truth, I haven't slowed down yet.
Click here to read the poem Who I Was; Starting Davidson.
Before I begin the actual stories behind the poem - I want to talk about the experiences I have had performing this poem.
From really 2001 - 2008, I was blessed to have many great performance experiences, at many universities across the country, at art festivals, for talent contests, opening up for established groups, and of course the normal open mic scene.
However, the most special performance experience I have had involved this poem and happened right after I turned 19.
As I alluded to last time, when I was 19 I had won some grants to travel and make art abroad. Thanks to the support and patience of Dr. Arturo Lindsay, I was able to take part in an artists colony in Panama called Taller Portobelo.
In addition to making visual art, I also did some writing, and one night shared some poems with the other artists in the colony. They were all pretty impressed, and decided I needed to read at the festival - Feria de Portobelo.
Now this was an international arts festival that was sponsored by Panama's government, and the reading at the festival featured some of the most notable poets from Panama. It was like being invited to read with Nikki Giovanni, Amir Sulaiman, Black Ice, and Billy Collins.
Not only that, we were in Panama - they speak Spanish in Panama - so I had to translate my poem, which is the longest poem I have ever written, into Spanish.
I had never really done translation of poetry - but boy is it hard! I had a very patient artist from Spain, Gustavo, who worked to help me translate it and after a week, we finally got the thing done.
So, the day of the performance, which took place in this great old world Spanish fort, there are 1,000 people gathered to hear it - I am a 19 year old kid on stage with these great poets from another country - at an international arts festival- and I am terrified.
We had agreed that I would perform the poem in English, and then another person would read the Spanish version of the poem (because my accent was/and is still quite terrible).
At this time the poem was still really fresh for me - and when I performed it I put everything I had into the piece. And I know we always try to put everything we have into our performances, but in a real way this poem was all I had for therapy.
It was the story of why I hated Dallas (I did back then, never wanted to come back), why I couldn't leave Dallas behind me, the beautiful, artistic, and dangerous lives of my friends, and then the personal pain that was hidden beneath it all.
Because at this time I am still very much wrestling with the fact that I hated myself, didn't care about my own life, definitely didn't care whether I lived or died, was pretty convinced that I would die before I turned 20, and from time to time would try end my life by my own hands.
And this poem was the first time that I had ever admitted any of this - really to anyone, and I will get into much more detail in Part 2, but at this time - nothing meant more to me than this poem.
So, when I say I got up there and delivered the performance of my life - you have to believe me. I was crying by the end of the poem - it was so emotional to me, because the irony was here I am telling all these people about how I wanted to kill myself, at the apex of my artistic career. And add to that I had just learned two days ago that GianCarlo had died, and so I was kind of doing it with him in mind - and it was everything that poetry can be.
Yet, if that was end of it - I don't know if it would be the best performance experience I have ever had. What made it transcendent was when one of the Panamanian poets read the Spanish version of the poem.
All of the emotion, and anger, and sadness - all of it was gone from the piece. In Spanish, the poem was just simply beautiful, heartbreakingly beautiful. And it was amazing how it could have even been the same poem - but by changing the language and changing the reader - it totally transformed the piece and the crowd loved it.
A few months later I had the opportunity to perform the piece at the Undermain Theater for a Word Space event. This was the first time I had actually performed the piece in Dallas, which the poem centers on.
As I started getting into the first half of the piece, I heard the strangest sound - laughter.
In North Carolina, the piece was emotional/angry/defiant and the crowd reacted in stunned, appreciative silence and applause. In Panama, the piece was angry but then turned calm, beautiful, and meditative - due to the translation. In Dallas, they thought it was funny.
Mainly because the crowd was in on the jokes - I wasn't exposing something new to them, I was telling them about who they already were, and they reacted with a chuckle - yeah you got us.
So, besides the content just from a purely performance standpoint I learned a lot about how important the audience is in terms of how your piece will be interpreted - and just because you get three sets of applause, they may be clapping for three different reasons.
Next time, I will get into the stories behind the piece so keep reading and stay tuned.
name: Which Way Is Home
hometown: Detroit, MI
label: unsigned
label type: unsigned
myspace visits: 173,891
myspace friends: 12,673
my take on Which Way Is Home:
Michigan. Motown. Detroit. Sufjan. Modern musical history has emerged from this metropolis of sound. Even the joys of Davidson students could be heard from the casings of Ford Field. Further impressing me is our featured band: WWIH. They are touring the Midwest and enjoying every second. An energetic band with the exuberance of 150 children on Christmas morning. Ok, the last metaphor was a bit unnecessary but the power and passion that comes through their music is quite unique.
For those who followed NC/GA/TN/SC/VA music for the last 15 years, there was a band named Jump, Little Children. Sad part, the verb "was." As they have moved on from an incredibly successful touring career to settle down, these fellas, though lacking a cello and violin, draw from the same muses and articulation that JLC rocked for so many years. "Tired and The Torn" takes me back to those glory days.
As much as I would like to leave the review at that, an injustice would have been done. I found traces of STP in a couple of their tracks like "It's Alright" where their dynamic intros are supported by catchy lyrics, guitar interludes and overall intensity. All in all, a great band that I wish would come down South. Cheers fellas and keep doing what you're doing. Check the songs and interview to follow.
AS: Names?
WWIH: Eric Nicolau (EN; vocals, guitar), Ryan Ballard (RB; bass, vocals), Lucas Zell (drums), Mike Nissen (MN; guitar)
AS: Who would win in a fight between the duo of The Beatles (circa 1967) and Bob Dylan vs. David Bowie and The Beach Boys?
EN: My god, that such a hard question! The Beatles and Bobby D. Brian Wilson was locked in his bedroom and the 70's were Bowie's golden years.
MN: I think it would come time to fight and they would put their "dukes" down and have a hippie-lovefest(circa 1969).
RB: Well, I'm goin' with Beatles and Dylan. Beach Boys were kinda losin' steam, and Bowie wasn't quite awesome yet (pre-Ziggy).
AS: If you were a sticky note what would you be stuck to and what would it say?
RB: stuck to the fridge and it would read, "DO NOT EAT MY THAI FOOD".
AS: What is your favorite milkshake flavor?
EN: Vanilla
AS: Favorite Band Live:
EN: Radiohead. Absolutely amazing.
AS: Favorite Band to open up for and/or that has opened for your.
EN: Anathallo.
AS: Favorite instrument that you do not currently play
EN: UM HELLO, THE CELLO
AS: In the 2008 election, what issue do you feel is the most important?
EN: This is tough, but I guess if I really had to pick something it'd be US involvement in Middle-east. Im really not a big politic guy.
AS: How did your band come up with the name?
EN: Its a phrase that I feel encompasses my life and my childhood.
AS: What artist is currently revolutionizing music (other than yourself, of course)?
EN: Nowadays.. Well, it is hard to answer that sadly. On a mainstream/ worldwide level, I don't feel there are any artists that are revolutionizing much really. Chris Martin could easily answer this question for all of us-- "that HE is"... sorry Chris, I'm not feeling that.
RB: Good question, and a difficult one at that. My gut reaction is no one. Not to say there aren't great artists out there now, however the entire music industry seems to be in disarray currently. I hear a good number of bands channeling the spirits of classic rock icons instead of creating their own sound. Granted, there's always a bit of your influences in what you write, my personal feeling is there's a lack of originality across the board.
AS: From what do you draw musical inspiration?
EN: I write songs purely out of habit of picking up the guitar everytime I feel something. Seriously, since I was a 7 yr old kid, I was holding a guitar. I always was working on some riff or idea, playng it for everyone, wanting to know what everyones thoughts were. The creative process is an undefined, mysterious thing.
RB: Depends on the moment I think. I find that when I'm trying to get inspired, it never works. There's something about the process that well, quite honestly, isn't a process. When the moments are spontaneous and I feel caught off guard I think musical inspiration has been at its best.
AS: What music did your parents expose you to in your youth?
EN: The Beatles, The Smiths, The Cars, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, The Talking Heads, U2, Duncansheik, Dishwalla
RB: My parents grew up in the 40's and 50's, so I was exposed to literally polar opposite sounds, generationally speaking. I have my older siblings to thank for the classic rock. To name a few: Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Beatles, Marty Robbins, Johnny Cash, Moody Blues, Sinatra, Blondie, Journey, King Crimson, Queen, The Cars
AS: How did the band get together? If too complicated, was there a comical story in the progression of the band?
EN: Very, very complicated ow it came together to where it is now. But what is very comical is that in my senior year of highschool (while WWIH was a band already), Lucas literally begged me to let him play in the band. I consistently told him no, and he consistently persisted to ask (DAILY!). A few months later, he joined the band.
AS: First Instrument:
EN: My 8th birthday-- A red fender stratocaster... Love
RB: X-mas '85, Casio mini-keyboard
AS: Favorite Venue to play at:
EN: The Magic Bag (Ferndale, MI)
AS: At what moment did you realize you wanted to do live music?
EN: Seeing my Dad play a show (I was about 4 or 5). My dad was playing guitar in bands my whole childhood. Seeing him up there jamming really got me. The seed was sewn.
RB: There's an old picture of me when I was about 4, I'm standing on a coffee table in just my underwear and socks with my brother's mandolin rockin out. Yeah, pretty sure that was the moment.
AS: Most embarrassing moment on stage:
EN: We were playing on a tiny stage, I was approaching the microphone and nearly tripped on the sea of cables and crap clustered about the stage. ahhhh How charming...
AS: What are you looking forward to the most about this touring session?
EN: Playing the new material from the new record (due Thanksgiving time)
AS: And finally, is there anything else that you would like to share with the Art Star audience?
EN: Thanks a lot for reading through all of this and looking into what we have to say about all this stuff, haha. Come by our myspace and try it on. Lets dance
RB: Give WWIH a try if you haven't already, and let us know what you think.
help support the artist. artstar does not get any money if you buy their songs or if you visit their link. we just want to make sure these guys stay well fed so they can keep producing greatness. enjoy and be sure to check out the link below:
ok, start playing the billionaires song....... now. the billionaires - the end of summer song
this entry is an ode to a summer of new friends, the beauty that is romance and a camera that has provided me way too many hours of entertainment. those pictured in this entry, i apologize, the pictures were too great to be left unshared
contrast
may it be the simple differences between colors or hours on photoshop playing with curves, it is fun when the natural contrast occurs. With that said, none of these pictures have been altered in any way (some of the pros out there may say, "well obviously" in response to the quality but hey, I like 'em). the first picture can be completely be credited to the timing of the picture. early slalom runs at 6 am with a camp director and an entry level zoom lens.
the spray of the slalom in conjunction with the low angle of the sun really made this magical.
the next picture is not a stressed out employee at the camp impaling himself, rather an extremely zealous boat driver that somehow was holding himself up on the mop. oh adam... anyways, really liked the frame of the barn and the reflection of the frame on the freshly mopped concrete. a solid, random friggin pic.
vantage point
tilting and changing the level of your camera to get that "artistic" shot is and isn't as complicated as it sounds. i'm still not sure what separates good from great pictures without outside editing but these past 2 months have taught me about vastness. if you 
are able to make something look never-ending or illustrate how normally substantial items can be dwarfed in comparison to greater objects, then it is well used. i think in both of these pictures, the wide angle zoom (less than 20mm) create both of the types of vastness. both pictures have sentimental values but they also utilize angles and some contrast to create unique pictures. kudos to the guest photographer of
portraits
definitely my favorite type of pictures. so much 
expression, focus really comes into play, and they really capture memories. let us begin.
a simple focus adjustment takes mo into a tarantino or spaghetti western (though a little softer with the plastic gun, but hardcore none the less). the playfulness of the water gun while still having the one eye squinting and completely blue background really makes for a fun picture. just to let you know mo, we will always support this. 
the lake norman's island was not only a kayak destination, but also a place of relaxation for all the staff. here i really like the genuine smile from dj and the feeling of comfort that the island brought us (and yes the kids, too). the lighting could be better as the contrast around the left side is not as strong but it still is a fun and candid picture.
next, we have mister cannon. yes nick cannon, everyone (a little on the kosher side these days but still wild'n out). moving on 
from the inside jokes, the random face extracted from a "hey nick!" captured his personality in a white framed nutshell. needless to say the plastic, $5, reflective sunglasses really do help add to the personality. as another camp picture, the camper in the background (is that kous kous?) helps support the spontaneity of nick and the randomness of the summer. i feel the need to get a pair of the random colored sunglasses. cheers mister cannon.
finally we have one of my favorite pictures of the summer. it was not staged. it was on the fourth of july. it was for all intents and purposes, an accident but it was awesome. may it be the memories associated with it, the beauty of the subject or the sheer randomness its a fun picture with infinite explanations for why she's making that face. guesses for why she's surprised/scared/whatever add it to the comments. i am actually struggling to remember why she made that face. oh well. thanks sonia, minh, and red wine for a great photo.
here's to a great summer. share some memories with us. please join us for one more summer. the sun is bright, the sun is bright in my eyes. its only as bright as the colors it shows.
Few people in our generation can compare to Christopher Devon Burton.
The amount of awards and recognition he has racked up thus far in staggering.
Funny thing is - he barely seems to notice.
A lover of both his God and his Country, Chris Burton has devoted his entire life to helping people.
If you want to do something for Chris Burton on his birthday - go to the hood nearest you, find a kid who has it a little worse off than you did, and mentor him or her.
Don't just give your money to a cause. Don't just volunteer at a food bank.
Find one person, one family, one community - and start building relationships.
Sometimes we have to stop helping, and start saving lives.
This is what Chris Burton does on a regular basis. This is why we salute him. This is why we are proud that he writes for Art Star.
Chris we wish you well in Seminary and look forward to hearing about that truth you find on those mountaintops.
We will be right hear listenin'
Happy Birthday!!
Love,
Art Star
Check Out The Best Of Chris Burton:
Keith Olbermann Went In!
Swag Science 101
A Letter Of Apology To The Boston Celtics
Dis Blog Shall Continue Even Bloggers Have Stopped Blogging
Yes We CAN Style On You
Magic Tricks With Pencils Are No Laughing Matter
i really like equations; digital=faster learning curve. i could not imagine trying to figure out shutter speed and f on old slr's. i can take 900 pictures in a couple of days, keep 20 pictures and be completely content without having to spend $150 on snapfish or even more at wolf's. however, friends and family are starting to get a little frustrated with the kid that always has the camera. well onwards to this issue;s pix (ohhh. it is absolutely ok to shorten pictures to pix in a photo blog entry... not to be confused with entree). sorry for the tangent.
I revisited my alma mater to take a few quick pictures and this is the result. two things i 
learned from this excursion:
1) no matter how sweet the camera is, it can't make up for a dreary, dusty day in the south. i fidgeted with settings for hours trying to pick up the academic hall with only results of misty-appearing roofs.
2) parallel lines are fun. sidewalks. columns. archways. all very fun and create a great final product. monocular depth cues (flaunting that psych b.s. degree a bit) really are key for illusions and clarity.
the "ye old well" on the left is a personal favorite of mine because of the tradition, the legends, and the pranks we would pull on friends who really believed if they pushed hard enough the well would start back up for them just as you pressed the button and sprayed them in the face.
i guess i will keep the tradition going (tradition having one preceding entry... again not entree) and get my dogs involved. below is the beloved fergie. do not call her fergilicious, she will not respond. this picture marks the move away from auto focus and an attempt at good lighting with the manual settings. as opposed to drunken party pocket size random picture taking, this is when it hit me that this is photography thing is about patience. waiting for the fergmeister to get where you were focused instead of chasing her around and trying to focus on the fly. hurray and thank you ferg.
moving to black and white. last time i promised a forest shot. i deliver like dominos. the simplicity of black and white is what continuously brings in fans and creates instant classics. not saying this is a classic but it is one of my top 3 favorite pictures i've taken. the contrast from the sun being behind the tree and the somewhat mysterious latter all add to the mystery and beauty of the forest scene. the cool thing was i stumbled across this while on an ultimate frisbee course, walking with my good friend and her dog. cheers to you buddy.
well that about wraps it up for today's edition of baby photography steps with the kid with the camera. next time we explore a lovely art gallery in atlanta with a good ol' republican named clinton kennedy. i kid you not.
cheers
Most everyone at Davidson College knew people on the basketball team.
Most everyone at Davidson College knows most everyone else at Davidson College.
The school is mad small.
I had my greatest interaction with Jason during a Biology lab science class we were both in, but never had a random fun moment with him like I was able to have with some of his teammates (Stephen Curry, Andrew Lovedale, and a really random great one that involved Thomas Sanders, John Falconi's cat card, and the President of Connor House).
(fyi...I kinda rock at random fun moments with people...its like my life)
Still, I loved to rattle off the fact that Jason led the NCAA in assists per game and was by far the most underrated player on the team.
So, even though "the world" is following Stephen Curry (and we encourage you to vote for him so he wins an ESPY) - here at Art Star we are going to follow the pro career of Jason Richards.
First things first - Jason is playing for the Miami Heat in their summer league in Orlando right now.
His first "NBA" game was probably a much larger affair than he would have anticipated - over 500 NBA executives were on attendance because everyone wanted to see what the Darling of Davidson had to offer.
Actually, it was also Rose's and Beasley's first time on the court as well and against each other to boot.
Jason was solid in his first game. He played 14:24 minutes, had 2 assists, and hit a 3 pointer.
Miami defeated the Bulls 94 to 70.
His second NBA game saw him doing more with less. Jason played 7:23 and 4 assists. Miami defeated the Nets 90 to 81.
I am actually watching game 3 right now and Jason just checked into the game. The Heat are down to the Pacers 61 to 53 and unfortunately Jason just turned the ball over. Still, I am sure he will recover and have a great game as he adjusts to the NBA and continues to improve his game.
For the latest on Jason Richards and to watch him live click here.
Oh and Jason Richards just drew a foul and hit two free throws.
(p.s. the announcers are ridiculous for the game - I swear to God someone needs to find Will Bryan and get him on the job)
Oh Jason just made a sweet drive to the basket, was fouled, and hit two more free throws.
Redemption is sweet!
First and foremost happy Juneteenth!...if you don't know what I'm talking about please go read a book immediately.
Very cool arts festival in Davidson, North Carolina March 28th - 29th.
Check out their website here:
http://davidsoncreates.dpurr.com/
