Love Spells – The Forthcoming EP and Short Film
The Story
Love Spells is a short film that will accompany a 3 song EP baring the same name. Love Spells is a story about finding true love while exploring the concept of reincarnation and soulmates. Moving through each song, a story will be told through film about the highs that come with encountering someone from a previous lifetime, but then realizing that it was just a lesson to be learned and a pattern that we are supposed to become aware of and not repeat. The story ends with deepening our connection to nature, the cosmos and the love of self which ultimately results in us attracting our true life partner. The film will be shot between L.A., Jamaica and Ghana.
Fundraising to Make the Dream Come True
After fundraising for 60 days straight from January 17-March 17th 2023, we moved our efforts home to our website. From 30 days on Kickstarter and not meeting our 30K goal (so we lost all of what we raised) to INDIEGOGO and attempting to get it all back again, we raised $5,080 (this includes a few monies that were given after it ended.) We have raised enough to start shooting the L.A. portion of the film in May! Please consider donating to help with the completion of this project. Donations can be made via PayPal from Aviana And The Pure Root’s company Live While Living by Aviana LLC. Click the button below to donate and if you want to know more about Live While Living by Aviana LLC, click here.
The Music
The story begins with the first song on Love Spells called “Through His Eyes,” which starts us out on the ultimate high, being reintroduced to our lover from a previous life and the spiritual high and connection that comes from that. In the song “Tiger Love,” we are forced to let go of this connection when we realize that this isn’t supposed to be our life partner this go round. Finally, through letting go of this connection, we discover the love and grace that comes with being grateful for this experience and we lean more into loving ourselves. We ultimately find the joy within and heal the part of ourselves that may have allowed a certain type of person into our space once again, clearing the space for our true life partner to come into our lives. “On & On” represents this actualization. It is the celebration and the acknowledgment of our self-worth and value.
Inspiration Behind the Film
After returning from a family trip to Kemet (Egypt) in 2021 (which was my last international trip with my mother before she passed a few months later), I flew back home to Venice and was approached by someone who I recognized as a familiar soul from a previous lifetime. The heightened encounter on the beach in Venice that day is what inspired me to write the joyful song “On & On.” My mom’s passing, my trip to Jamaica to bring in the new year (which is always a land of ancestral remembrance for me) and continued run-ins with who I like to call “soul family” prompted me to meditate on the concept of love, soul mates and my frequent experience of recognizing people from previous lifetimes. My subject matter has previously tended to delve into more serious explorations like African mysticism, Ancient African history, Afrofuturism, spirituality, nature, colonialism, and cosmology. However, being in a world without my mother in the physical prompted my surrender to the desire of being held deeply by another human and thus express those emotions tied to that kind of longing. It helped me to reflect on previous romantic experiences and situate myself into a space of optimism for what is to come. Love Spells is my journey, my hope, my present and my future in love.
Black Subjects and Romance in Film & Music
Love Spells is my attempt to counter what I feel is missing when it comes to how Black subjects are portrayed in music and film in a romantic sense. I often feel that how romantic love between Black people is displayed within the overwhelming majority of films, TV and especially music, there is a heavy emphasis on lack, pessimism, degradation, violence and unrest. We can use art to reimagine how we as Black people see ourselves romantically. Black people deserve to see ourselves in a more gentle, optimistic, expansive and joyful light when it comes to our romantic relationships and experiences. Further, My work as an artist dwells predominantly within the space of spirituality, cosmology, nature and Afrofuturistic considerations. It is my belief that ALL romantic love is inherently spiritual and result in or are the result of karmic cycles, cosmological shifts, ancestral information and energetic transmutations. It is time that we show the connection between romantic love and spirituality within Black centered entertainment in order to create a more intentional, healthy, progressive and aligned reality within the Black community.
What Does the Title Love Spells Mean?
The title Love Spells is not about casting a spell upon anyone to evoke some type of love, but rather, drawing upon the idea of ‘spelling’- as in the words that come from our mouths having immense power, meaning that we are always casting spells over our lives with the words we speak in our every day. So in this case, when it comes to my music, the words in my songs come directly from source, from spirit, from God…and so these lyrics are really words of gratitude as well as affirmations for the love I have experienced, the love I’ve had to let go of and the love that is to come. It’s me proclaiming greatness over it.
How You Can Help
As an artist, it is our deepest desire to see our vision turned into a reality. The one thing missing in most artists’ lives is the funding to create that vision. You can help to bring this vision into a reality by your generous donation to this campaign! This campaign WILL be successful and you get to be part of what helped to make it all happen! Please share this page and spread awareness as much as your heart contents. I am FOREVER GRATEFUL! Follow our social media channels on Instagram @lovespellsfilm and @avianapureroot. We are also on TikTok @avianaandthepureroot and Facebook Love Spells Facebook Page. You can also visit my website at avianapureroot.com.
Love Spells Conversations
All during our campaign and every week, we hosted Instagram lives on @avianapureroot with artists, healers and creatives to talk all things love, soulmates, romance, art and spirituality. These talks are what we are calling Love Spells Conversations. We spoke with members of the Love Spells film team about the project and got deep into why this art is needed in the world. All Instagram lives are saved on @avianapureroot. We also had frequent Love Spells Q&A and Love Spells Acoustic Sessions.
Learn More About My Work As An Artist
My work as an artist is influenced by my beliefs as an Afrofuturist and one who has been called to bring healing to the world through music. These concepts were explored heavily in my first EP PROPHECY that I released in 2020. Watch the below videos for more information about my art and my previous project PROPHECY.
Watch the self-produced music video for my first single, “Good Morning, Come Noon”
The Team
Aviana And The Pure Root – Songwriter/Musician/Actress
Aviana is an artist, musician, guitar player, singer/songwriter, producer and actress. She is a natural and ‘roots’ healing advocate who is joining the quest to create healing, balance and spiritual rejuvenation on the planet. Her music explores themes of spirituality, Ancient African mysticism and history, nature, the cosmos, Afrofuturism and love. In 2020, she released her first EP PROPHECY comprised of 5 tracks, produced by herself and St. Louis based WhoIsTimothy. Later that year she released the self-directed and self-produced music video for her most popular song to date-“Good Morning, Come Noon,” shot by L.A. based Merlin Akman. In 2022, she and Timothy teamed up again and produced the single “On & On,” which will ultimately appear on the EP Love Spells to be released in 2023.
Aviana recorders all of her music in the 432 hz frequency, which differs from the standard tuning in which music is typically recorded. 432 hz is a tuning that is often applied to meditation music, as it resonates at the natural frequency of the earth, thereby eliciting a healing effect on its listeners. She has performed on stages from Paris, L.A., D.C. to Jamaica and St. Louis and will hit even more across the globe in the new year. She also owns and operates the health & wellness platform Live While Living by Aviana, which sells organic loose leaf herbal tea. Aviana is originally from St. Louis, Missouri, yet spent many years of her young adult life on the East coast. She received her bachelors degree from Howard University in Public Relations and a Masters degree from New York University in Visual Culture: Costume Studies within the Art and Art Professions department. In 2020, she attended Santa Monica College to study music and acting.
Aviana And The Pure Root Website Aviana And The Pure Root YouTube Channel
Susanna Hornil – Producer/Director
Based in Los Angeles, Susana is a Producer / Director that started her career in Walt Disney Studios as the production assistant of films such as The Social Network, True Grit, and The Fighter. As a producer, her films have been successfully screened at top tier film festivals and released worldwide in theaters and streamers. When Susana is not working on a film, she’s creating music videos, advertising and branded content. She’s a Director with a voice that is unabashedly bold and uses her knowledge and passion to bring a deep sense of uniqueness and cohesion to her work. Hornil Brothers Productions
Darnell Lamont Walker – Writer
Darnell Lamont Walker is a writer and was recently nominated for an Emmy for his work on the children’s TV series Karma’s World. Countless journals, poetry written on just about anything and everything, short stories living in books and on the web, plays here and there, and film and television scripts being realized. Lorraine Hansberry, “I am a writer. I am going to write.” These words serve as a mantra for Darnell, filling in where audacity doesn’t. Having never let go of his imagination and playful spirit and believing strongly that representation matters, Darnell currently creates content for children who rarely get to see themselves on the screen. Blue’s Clues and You; Two Whats?! And a Wow!; Work It Out Wombats; and Karma’s World and are just a few of his recent credits. Jokingly called “the most interesting man in the world,” Darnell is also, among so many things, a death doula, true world explorer, storyteller, and filmmaker, looking for intersections for his work. Seeking Asylum, Darnell’s first film, explores safe spaces around the world for Black Americans seeking to escape American injustice. Next, Darnell produced Outside the House, a documentary exploring Black mental health. His third documentary, Set Yourself on Fire, is about the global rape epidemic. Darnell’s goal with his art is to continue to support communities around the world through the building of safe spaces where healing can happen.
Erica Soulstice – Line Producer
Erica Soulstice is a singer and songwriter with a profusion of creative talents across industries in music, film, and production. At an early age through performing arts studies in music and mass media, she became the Floor Director for a local sports tv program hosted by NFL pro Demetrius Johnson. A Saint Louis native, she produced high level events for various civic and corporate organizations that featured thousands of attendees and A-listers like past and present mayors and CEOs of fortune 500 companies. Keeping with her first love, Erica has performed at local venues like The Darkroom, Blue Strawberry, House of Soul and the Artica Festival while writing and recording original music. Today, she continues to produce integrative works through collaborative efforts.
Saheed Fawehinmi – Artist/Logo/Branding
A multidisciplinary artist, Saheed Fawehinmi has been a creative for as long as he can remember. He’s a hyperrealistic pencil artist, digital artist and an acrylic painter. A well-versed artist who specializes in hyperrealism pencil drawing, he continues to push the boundaries of conveying various themed subjects in his work using sounds, rhythm and visuals to tell a particular story.
Adia Wilson is a native of Harlem, New York City where she attended public school and trained as a dancer for over 15 years. At the age of 5, Adia was introduced to ballet and tap at the Dance Theatre of Harlem. Later, at the Harlem School of the Arts she studied modern, ballet, jazz, tap and West African dance. By 17, Adia had already performed at the Apollo, Radio City Hall, and Aaron Davis Hall.
For over fifteen years, Adia worked with some of the nation’s top arts and educational organizations where she honed invaluable instructional and creative skills. Engaging a wide variety of people, she’s affected much change through the joy of dance. As a Teaching Artist with the Harlem Children’s Zone, Adia honed the ability to develop engaging arts curricula with limited resources. New York, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and Los Angeles are some of the places where she’s taught and performed. Training as an adult and working at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre’s Ailey Extension program for over 10 years has been one of the highlights of Adia’s career.
As she continues to perform and create for major artists and brands, Adia will continue her mission of introducing underserved youth to multiple genres of dance. Art saves lives is her mantra. Adia graduated Cum Laude from Howard University School of Business, with a concentration in Marketing. She earned her Master of Arts in Liberal Studies, with a concentration in Urban Education from The Graduate Center, City University of New York. She is the founder and director of POISE Academy, an education consulting organization and girls program dedicated to closing the information gap.
Kiki Grace – Music Engineer/Producer
Kiki Grace is a Jamaican-American artist, producer, and background vocal arranger best known for her unique sound combining the beloved sounds of R&B with Jazz and Pop. She has completed numerous works and has collaborated with artists such as Vanchi, Matthew James, Jalil, Jay Maq, Daniel Tademy, Ashley Marie, as well as other upcoming artists in the greater Los Angeles area. She has released 3 EPs and 2 singles including The Commencement, Summer Nights, Winter Mornings, Ratchet, and Guilty. She started her journey of writing and producing at the age of 16 and has progressively grown with her craft to achieve a quality sound as a producer.
WhoIsTimothy – Music Engineer/Producer
Timothy McGimpsey was born in Kokomo, Indiana.
Timothy only enjoyed music from an audience perspective until he developed an interest in producing beats with Fruity Loops in 2005. Timothy’s older brother Andrew noticed his musical ability and suggested to their Mom that she should get Timothy a drum set.
In December of 2005 Timothy and his family moved to Austin, Texas where he spent most of his time developing his new found musical abilities.
Since then, Timothy has taught himself how to play drums, piano, bass, guitar, and sing. Timothy grew on each instrument through playing in Church and eventually other live settings. In the process of refining his craft he has produced and written thousands of songs as an independent artist, but mostly for clients. He has done work with clients around the world from up and coming artists in the United States to developing music for websites and Mobile Apps for My Equilibria, a company in Milano, Italy.
Timothy is currently the Music Director at Influence Church and enjoys working as a Private Music Teacher, Artist, Musician, and Producer based out of St. Louis, Missouri.
WHY WE NEED FUNDING
Making films is very expensive. The 30k will cover all production and post production costs. Most of the crew is working for MUCH less than their usual rate (thank you!) so your contribution will mainly be going to:
-locations
-permits
-equipment
– editing
-insurance
-set design
-casting
-choreography
-promotional and marketing materials
-photography
-videographers
-film crew
-drones
-makeup artists
And SO much more! We have carefully budgeted and planned for this film. Your donations will also cover costs to make sure we are able to share this with the world! Again we can’t thank you enough for your support through your donation!
avianapureroot.com 