I have an insane idea for a mashup. It came to me on a run this weekend.

If you’ve got a connection to Jay Z, Timberlake, Rihanna, or B, you might want to take note, because i am going to make you INCREDIBLY fucking rich with this idea.

But before i do, before i divulge my genius idea, let’s just backup a hot minute.  and define what a music mashup actually IS…

So i’m going to the source. The only credible source in the universe.  Wiki.

“A mashup or bootleg (also mesh, mash up, mash-up, blend, and bastard pop/rock) is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another.”

Any questions, up to this point?

I thought not.

OK.

So to continue backing up for a second, let’s go back to the most important part of this blog post…

ME.

Yea, i’m going to be selfish for a hot second.

Because my mind works in kind of not-quite-circular-and-somewhat-squarish ways, and when i’m on a RUN, well, any kind of shit can happen (no, not literal, unless this were an actual marathon, which, if you have not done one, DO NOT JUDGE.  shit happens).

So, back to me.

When i run, i get some crazyass ideas.  I am superwoman, where nothing can penetrate my boldness, my femme fatale, my absolute willingness to take total risk.  Running is my superpower.

The hour after is where self-doubt leaks in, my kryptonite shows its ugly self.

It’s where my idea of the “ultimate mashup” no matter how completely AWESOME it was on my run, strumming air guitar along the Wildwood trail, becomes a complete farce.  A whimsical moment between mile 6 and 7.

however.

Between mile 6 and 7, a few months ago, is where i achieved complete clarity on the cover of  a photographical journal I was to publish of my friend May’s beautiful journey through breast cancer demolition (that’s a harsh word, but she did.  she DEMOLISHED these mother-fucking cells).

And the moment i knew a book was in store came to me when she said to me, “AC, I’m scared about my hair falling out.”

So we shot a series of photos of her beautiful black hair and dark brown skin against the white wall of my home, with nothing other than my handheld Canon Rebel T3i, and thus, the cover shot of Come what May was made:

and since we published, I haven’t given the luck of the beauty of that shot a second thought.

I just assumed I was lucky.

So today, this rainy cold-ass Sunday evening, I asked my 11 year old daughter to put on a tank top, get in front of the same wall, and see if i could get ANY of the same results that I achieved with May.

For if I did, it would be great news.  It would mean that any of you, with a white wall, could create magic with nothing more than a handheld camera.

So here’s what we did.

The same hair flipping motions that May did to achieve the amazing cover photo we got, above.

And what a result.

Here is the lesson: with a camera, one that has any sort of fast motion lens, and a bit of desire to edit them (I use Adobe Lightroom, you could use anything that allows a black and white setting with exposure options), you can make a mashup happen.

A mashup that uses the color of the personality of the individual with the black & white filter.

so you see, it’s super simple.

have your person, be it your son, your daughter, your mother or father, your sister or brother, your friend or foe, flip it.  In front of a white wall.

then crop it, put a black and white filter on it, and publish it.

it will be amazing and it will be YOUR vision.

And if, by chance, you happen to have “The Rose” by Bette Midler playing as I did during my run, you might have the come to Jesus moment i did that a mashup of that song with whichever current popular icon wants to attack the challenge.  They can pay me royalties later….

I digress.

It is what it is.

Everything exists.

Except for the things that don’t.

So if they are important to you, make them happen.

#therosemashupidea

Peace,

AC