Emails Please.

Right. Emails. So much is said and written about the powers of contacting people in your field, I have read whole articles and books dedicated to just that. And it makes sense too, obviously. You might not get a reply or you might get a "sorry, not interested" reply (still can't decide which is worse) but I guess if either of that happens at the very least people YOU are interested in find out about your project's existence.
So, so far, where the 'subjects' are concerned, I have sent official project emails to : MC Ty, DJ Shortee Blitz, Skepta, soul2soul, Slick Rick and Akala (check ME out embedding all these links!!! Just now figured out how to do that haha.) Gosh imagine being able to convince Akala to pose for a 'family portrait' with his sister - this idea is making my head spin but thankfully I am good at managing my own expectations - focus on getting them one by one.
(I wonder if I should display the original emails I'd sent on here? I'm undecided on whether I think it's relevant to the blog - I know lots of people freeze at the though of writing the 'right thing' and I know lots of people who feel fine about it. So I guess if I get asked then I'll put it up.)

As far as other people in 'the industry' go, I've emailed: pop-up Ap-Art, Che Kothari (Canada!), Lloyd Bradley, Ali Khalil, Graffik, AJ, Phat Startup (America!), Saphreem King (America!), ABC Life charity (its founder Ashley is sceptical about working with me I tell you, and I am the opposite - super keen!), London Live and, of course, SBTV. These are my big-deal emails (they were long, too!), there have been literally a hundred others sent to galleries, photo studios, photographers, web designers etc.

Like I mentioned yesterday, some reply, some don't, some reply that they don't. And yes it's disappointing to not get the results I want but I have trained myself to not care for longer than an hour. After which I go back to emailing again. Phone conversations are even more interesting - for starters, my English goes and I can easily find myself mumbling BUT I actually prefer calling to emailing. At least when you call you KNOW they will get the information through. I've read lots about how making actual phone calls is what separates the people who 'want' from the people who 'do'. I can definitely see why - I've to spend half a day practicing what I'm going to say before I even dare dialling the number. Oh the effort! (On that note, ABC Life's Ashley's phone has been switched off lately and it's driving me crazy because all I want to do now is keep making offers for the charity)

I guess this is it for today, I just wanted to show that I AM contacting people I think would want/ be able to help and people I would want/ might be able to help. Kelly does most of the research on what's happening in the hip-hop/ art world and she alerts me to something and I make myself known. No matter how long writing that email takes (sometimes 2-3 days to make sure it's appropriate to the receiver). Sometimes it's writing back and forth, sending reminders, asking more questions. As for the results, they haven't come yet, at least not in the form I'd like them to BUT we're having our first shoot tomorrow. OK, arranging 19 more is a daunting thought but I have single handedly put a photoshoot together. With a rapper. And my favourite photographer. It's too bad (is it?) that I'm not good at praise because I should probably celebrate, but I will come home, put my little girl to sleep and start sending more emails.

PS. I've a joints condition, it's really making my life hell today - do you think for someone whose fingers constantly ache a career in blogging is a bad idea?