Aireus

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Repost from @glittercatbarista

Thank you, @veronica.p.grimm & @ericjgrimm

✨DiGi2TiON Finals - Aireus✨
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Coffee is an art, and in every drink I make Is a-latte of my heart.
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I try to put intention behind everything I do, especially in my art. In all three rounds, I spent an extensive amount of time deciding how I wanted to express; myself, my message, and my passion.
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In these next few days, I hope to break down my thought process in a sort of ‘behind the scenes view of my Glitter Cat Adventure.
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I immediately drew inspiration from my favorite Black Artists & Creators, both in and outside the coffee community.
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I am starting with my coffee alter-ego. The ‘Crema King,’ a title given to me by @terrellclarkofficial , one of my favorite locals at @gillybrewbar
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The Crema personifies how I [Aireus] wish to present myself in the coffee community. He’s everything I want to be—a future manifestation of the path I’d like to follow. Taking inspiration from; @donaldglover ’s Childish Gambino persona, @michellenotmeesh , and @feliciathegoat , Crema King is confident—yet; humble, calm and collected.
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Truthfully, before Glitter Cat, I was doubtful of myself. But, the emergence of Crema King within this competition makes me believe that my vision of the coffee industry is attainable, and It’s not something that I have to do alone.
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Veronica and Eric summarized it best; There exists a future where financial and logistical barriers have been removed for baristas, and an open forum of communication exists for our professional development.
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Music credit:

Song: Valcos & Chris Linton - Without You [NCS Release]
Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds
Free Download/Stream: http://ncs.io/WithoutYou
Watch: http://youtu.be/

Song: “Tell Me How”, by @feliciathegoat

Featured in a @cocacola campaign.

WE MADE IT TO ROUND 3!

What is Black Spaces?

It's a drink, a collaborative art piece, and a critique of many black people's experiences within the coffee industry. While this drink does cater to my people—the feeling of being ostracized by your own people is a trauma that many individuals, especially those from marginalized communities can relate with.

When I first started building Black Spaces, I had a blueprint of an idea. I wanted a tall, layered drink that looked blackity-black but held the entire universe within its structured layers.

I also wished to develop a performative piece to go along with the drink, but I wanted to produce the music, write the lyrics and even handle the visuals—I wanted to do everything and be an Auteur.

"Auteur: An auteur is an artist, usually a film director, who applies a highly centralized and subjective control to many aspects of a collaborative creative work."

I used to think to be an Auteur was the end goal for any artist. To have control inhibits a sense of safety and a sense of pride regarding your work. But through building this drink, I understand that relinquishing creative control to those you love and trust is perhaps the most extraordinary form of freedom an artist can have.

Just a couple of days before the deadline, I reached out to Alicia Adams and Jake King with an idea—and from that idea, we (let's be honest; they) created the drink of our dreams. Pulling inspiration from our nostalgia of both childhood and prior work experiences, we drafted the first solid idea of 'Black Spaces".

However, our idea was rough around the edges and still needed refinement.

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I'll never be able to thank Crystal and Keenan for their emotional and physical support. The three of us spent the entirety of Christmas Eve inside Gilly Brew Bar, crafting and perfecting the drink through consistent trial and error, taking in notes from the many outside sources that aided in making this experience everything it was.

After one shattered glass, eight Cometeer pods, and seven ice-cream sandwiches later, the three of us brought the vision to life.

We'd created our drink, Black Spaces.

Welcome to the Event Horizon.

📸: @keenan.hadley

As I enter the second round of the Digi2tion, while simultaneously preparing myself for @nkgpace interviews, I've come to understand what it means to be a Glitter Cat. To be a Glitter Cat is no small feat, yet all the same, the barrier for entry is open to anyone willing to apply themselves and be uncomfortable with trying new things.

That being said, Glitter Cat isn't a title that's given to you based upon your popularity or your accomplishments throughout the industry. Theoretically, you could win every competition on the globe, but that wouldn't solidify your position as a Glitter Cat, which makes for some interesting conversation. But, that makes me wonder, is a Glitter Cat something you are, or something you become?

We all have some Glitter inside of us, and in my opinion, a Glitter Cat is an idea and a representation of the morals and character you bring with you into spaces you create or choose to exist in. To be a Glitter Cat means ultimately being yourself, which is as simple as it is difficult. In my experience, Glitter Cat has humbled me and brought me closer to the Atlanta coffee scene--which is new territory for this California boy.

Being a Glitter Cat has forced me to take an intense look at myself, my morals, and how I represent myself and others like me in spaces that generally don't permit people that look or act like me. On the other hand, Glitter Cat has pushed me forward in a direction I've been shy about, which is writing, music, music production, and how all of this blends into storytelling.

I doubt, if not for Glitter Cat, I would've never posted the melodic musings that find themselves looping inside my mind. It's something so small, and some might find it minor, but it's a significant step for me when it comes to being truthful with myself and the expression of art I choose to represent me.

Thanks for that,
@glittercatbarista

@soul.chai repost
This month we were lucky enough to chat w/ Bay Area born, Aireus, who's working w/ the @gillybrewbar team in ATL. Along w/ creating his own path outside of SCA set rules + recipes, he’d like to inspire others to embrace pushback & do the same.
“In the Bay Area, the culture around coffee is just different. I think we like to see each other win because it pushes us to go 'plus ultra', or beyond our expectations of ourselves & eachother. The community is so interconnected, if you go to a throwdown twice, you're likely to run into the same people. I've seen people drive from Tahoe/Sacramento (Shout out to 'The Pour Choice') to a throwdown in San Fran, then make the drive-back post-afterparty at around 9 pm. That's a 3 hr commute back home, so I have to respect the passion. As I was leaving California, a well-known barista in the Bay Area opened up Scorpio Coffee in Sacramento & dozens drove up there from The Bay to show him some love. Again, I'm talking about a drive that's anywhere between 4-6 hrs. I've seen Sam at several competitions over the years so I've seen his growth & have been able to compare it to my own. Knowing he can open a cafe means that whatever plans I have for the future can also be met.
I came from a very fast-paced environment where I’d run w/ a skeleton crew of 3 for a cafe a w/ half the space dedicated to guest-seating & the other half dedicated to the bar/kitchen. Over $3,500 a day in sales. Over time, I became accustomed to doing everything by myself. My workflow was incredibly self-centered, as I had to take the customer's order, pull the shot, prep the milk, basically do everything behind bar. It was very taxing, as you could imagine. I've recently had to untrain myself, as I've been blessed with coworkers who allow me to take a step back and focus on one or two tasks. (Laughing) It's like telepathy-there are moments we don't have to communicate our intentions, we can just trust the process. When working w/ the homies the most you'll hear from behind the bar is 'heard!', or 'got it!'. Every other form of verbal communication is pure banter. It's sick. I honestly wouldn't want it any other way.
Continued in comments >>