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Behind The Blog: Gabi Smith Blogs The Nu Black

Written By: MIM!—Future revolutionaries need look no further than www.IAmTheNuBlack.com to find positive stories from the Diaspora of the past and present. As the young, black, and gifted founder Gabrielle ("Gabi") Smith explains, "The name thenublack comes from the idea that my generation and those born to parents of the African Diaspora have had a path paved for them by their ascendants." MIMI caught up with Gabi to find out what inspires her to continue paving the path of greatness.

MIM!: What inspired you to start www.iamthenublack.com?

Gabi Smith: I started thenublack in October of 2008 by way of a challenge to see how many positive stories, images, quotes, articles I could post each day for Black History Month in the UK. The blog pretty much continued from then on. I was inspired by the websites, blogs, artwork and features I’d come across and wanted to showcase their talent.

MIM!: I've noticed that in your interviews you ask, what is thenublack philosophy according to you? I'd like to turn the question around: what is thenublack philosophy according to Gabrielle?

Gabi Smith: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams"—Eleanor Roosevelt.

MIM!: Who are the Nu Black?

Gabi Smith: Thenublack comes from the idea that my generation and those born to parents of the African Diaspora have had a path paved for them by their ascendants.

Although we may not have experienced first-hand the effects that many of those well known figures had on the world, I have hope that we're aspiring to be equally as great, as revolutionary and box-breaking as they were and still are. We do what we love and we do it extremely well.

MIM!: What is a "normal" working day like for you?

Gabi Smith: I work as a Junior Designer for ITN (a UK based news station). My day starts with a meeting and ends with a briefing. During that time period I create graphic elements for various news stories. Although it’s a crazy environment due to the nature of the news, one of the things I like most about the environment I work in is the ability to be creative and also that I may be looking at a blog in my free time and use it as inspiration while working on a project.

MIM!: What inspires you—what is your favorite book, movie, and artist?

Gabi Smith: I’m reading The Josephine Baker story at the moment, which I’d say, is a favourite. Also Redemption by Stanley Tookie Williams. Favourite movie has to be She’s Gotta Have It. Favourite artist is Kehinde Wiley, there’s something about his work that constantly intrigues me.

Written By: MIM!—Chef Yoli Ouiya currently runs her own boutique healthy-lifestyle outfit called Ou!ya, which has an online home at www.yoliouiya.com. The website is a must-visit daily digital destination for any vegan interested in learning how to live green on a budget. Find out what the culinary maestro has to say about her green living journey—which includes, catering for various vegan activist organizations, a brief stint at Reboot restaurant, and servicing a cultural array of clients and festivals—in her Q&A with MIM!.

MIM!: Tell us, Yoli is ...

A chic geek who enjoys great food and eco-savings.

MIM!: When and why did become a vegan?

Yoli Ouiya: I began eating vegan after making a bet with a guy I wanted to impress. But when I saw the initial benefits showing up, ie reduction in allergies, physical ailments, eczema, increased reproductive health, weight loss etc , I continued with the vegan diet. Soon after, I started making my own food because being healthy in New York can be expensive; eating out is usually more expensive than preparing meals at home.

MIM!: How did you come to be a nutritional consultant?

Yoli Ouiya: I’m not a nutritional consultant; by definition, I don’t even know what that functionally is. I research, design, and produce food and document the memories attached to them. By trade, I am a graphic designer. Along the way, I was mentored by numerous chefs over the last 7+ years. When I saw how my health was improving coupled with love for food and food preparation, combining the two worlds was a natural fit.

MIM!: What is the meaning of the name behind your company, Ou!ya?

Yoli Ouiya: You know I don’t know if there is a meaning. It’s my family name. I love its uniqueness and it’s all vowels! lol

MIM!: What is a normal working day like for you?

Yoli Ouiya: I wake up, check my astrology, make a green smoothie and/or leftovers, check my online accounts, email, twitter, make blog posts to yoliouiya.com, do some design work, forget about lunch, figure out what to make for dinner, work on new recipes.

Written By: MIM!—Melinda Lewis is the thirty something founder, speaker, creative businessperson and lifestyle blogger of the company Get Togetha LLC. MIMI caught up with the webpreneur behind the successful lifestyle company.

MIM!: Tell us, Melinda Lewis is ...

Melinda Lewis: Authorprenuer, passionate blogger, lover of life, and a lover of a great shoe!

MIM!: How did you come up with Get Togetha, and how did you go from idea to plan of action?

Melinda Lewis: Get Togetha came to me in a dream and I followed through by putting one front in front of the other. Literally.

MIM!: What is a "typical" working day like for you?

Melinda Lewis: Working out in the morning, green tea, scrambled eggs, answering the onsloth of emails, & writing till I'm uninspired. Rinse. Recycle. Repeat.

MIM!: How many people do you have on your team or are you a Jill of All Trades who does everything from research to blog design?

Melinda Lewis: I have a web design team at my disposal but I'm definitely a Jilly. When you're starting out on your own I think its best to understand how every arm of how your business works.

Written By: MIM!—Wedding and lifestyle photographer Onada Abodunde has a love for all things fashionable. Her passionate love affair with the fashionable has been fueled into some of MIM!'s favorite websites: Onada Photography, Look Book By Onada, and The White Dress Shop.

Get to know the creative talent behind these stylish websites in our Q&A with Onada.

MIM!: Tell us, Onada is ...

Onada: Fun, ambitious and a total girly girl.

MIM!: What is a normal working day like for you?

Onada: I try to get up at 6.30am everyday but some how it always ends up being 7am. I rarely ever sleep before midnight. The night before I make a list of everything I want to accomplish the following day and I tick things off as the day progresses. I read a lot of daily blogs (wedding planning, photography, fashion, finance) so I set aside somewhere around one hour to check out the latest updates on my Google reader. I get a lot of email everyday and I do my best to prioritize how I answer them—If I end my day with under 20 unread emails I've done good! I also manage 3 blogs—two business blogs and one personal blog and I try to update them one to three times a week—I'll typically add them to my list of to do's on days I decide I want to make updates.

MIM!: What inspires you?

Onada: My mother. She's the most hardworking and caring person I've ever encountered and she's my number 1 fan :)

MIM!: What do you love the most about fashion? What do you hate the most?

Onada: I love reinvention in fashion and how style recycles but with a different twist each time. I don't know if there's anything I hate about fashion but I would say overkill of a trend isn't one of my favorite things.

MIM!: What is the most treasured item in your wardrobe?

Onada: I don't have one single treasured item. I would say my purses and shoes. However if I were to pick just one thing it would have to be my Chanel canvas reissue clutch purse with gold hardware. I've had it for 7 years and I still get asked about it whenever I carry it. I haven't seen it anywhere since I bought it so I probably won't find it to purchase again if I lost it.