The Aretha Cool Project: Capturing The Queen of Soul's Essence

This project is both special and significant at this time in my life. You will understand why. 

Carlos Salum

the aretha cool project on kickstarter

Aretha Franklin was a singer, songwriter and a social and humanitarian icon with Honorary Degrees from Harvard, Yale and many other universities, as well as the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. As the Queen of Soul, she sold over 75 million records. Her songs "Respect" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" became anthems of movements for social change. 

Rolling Stone Magazine recently voted Aretha Franklin the Number One Singer of All Time, prefacing their choice with this pounding statement: A force of nature. A work of genius. A gift from the heavens. Aretha Franklin’s voice is all that and more, which is why she remains the unchallenged Queen, years after her final bow. Her singing is the most magnificent sound to emerge from America — more universal than Coltrane’s horn, bolder than Hendrix’s guitar. She blew up worldwide with her 1967 hit “Respect,” claiming her throne as the greatest pop, rock, or soul singer ever. As Mary J. Blige told Rolling Stone, “She is the reason why women want to sing.”

Matthew Jordan Smith is a celebrity, fashion and beauty photographer living in Tokyo, Japan. He's an award-winning artist, a Nikon Ambassador, a Sandisk Extreme Team Ambassador and an Official Photographer for the International Olympic Committee. Matthew has photographed celebrities such as Aretha Franklin, Oprah Winfrey, Angela Basset, Queen Latifah, Tyra Banks, Laila Ali, Mandy Moore, Zendaya, Jeff Goldblum, Christian Slater, Quincy Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, and many others. His advertising clients include Olay, Pantene, Revlon, Showtime and HBO.

A Deep Friendship through the Lens of a Master

There is something inevitably intimate about a world-class photographer and the person in front of his camera. Matthew and Aretha got to know and understand each other as spiritual companions who chose trust, light and music as their language. “She was cool, cool in a 70's way,” Matthew told me. “At every photo shoot, her music was playing, always. That’s how she got in her zone.” During her last decade, they would spontaneously call each other to talk about the landscape of their lives; it was personal, deep and beautiful.

The energy of their collaboration is now a gift to the world, preserved in Matthew’s masterful photographs. Matthew has created a Kickstarter campaign called “Aretha Cool” that goes live on Tuesday, February 28th at 3:00 pm ET.

The Aretha Cool Project involves the production of extraordinary photo books as an homage to Aretha and their special relationship.

 Support Aretha Cool

The Essence of Aretha - in One Line

Since I was four years old, I’ve drawn on my own, inspired by my mother’s love for visual arts. She peacefully passed away last week at 96 years old, having built a legacy as a scientist and as a prolific visual artist. Her dedication to her art was as intense as her previous life as a researcher of the mysteries of life. She was the epitome of a Breakthrough achiever. 

For the past three years, I’ve been drawing frequently on my iPad, tracing one-line, continuous, symbolic designs as a type of meditation. I randomly posted some of the drawings on Facebook without any expectations. However, as it has repeatedly happened through my life, someone was secretly watching me play creatively – and my drawings had resonated with him.

In early January, William Nix contacted me and told me that he was working on a project with photographer Matthew Jordan Smith. 

 William Nix is the Chairman/CEO of Creative Projects Group, based in Studio City, CA. He is a Member of the Producer's Council of the Producers Guild of America (PGA), a lifetime voting Member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), and a Member of the Academy of Television Arts and Science (ATAS), the National Academy of Recording Arts and Science (NARAS), the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) and a documentary and feature film producer who actively serves on Award Nominating Screening Juries for both the International Documentary Association (IDA) and AMPAS.

I met William in 2019 when I spoke at the Raw Science Film Festival in Santa Barbara, CA, and we have explored film production collaborations since. 

In his email, William asked me if I was the artist behind those Facebook drawings and how they might obtain a similar sketch or series of them to be used as a moniker for the Aretha Franklin photographic books that “captures the essence” of Aretha.

I learned over time to never ask "Why" when I'm invited to play a bigger game with the masters. I say "Yes" and joyfully join the game. 

As honored as I was by their invitation, I felt a huge sense of responsibility. How do you capture Aretha's essence in one line? I let my observation, intuition and sensitivity guide me through the texture of her life’s story and the power of her voice. And I let her poised, wise eyes, a Queen’s eyes, talk to me.

To fulfill my contribution to Aretha Cool, I drew over five hundred one-line drawings of Aretha’s essence over four weeks, uploading the most refined ones to a private online gallery so Matthew and William could choose a series of them. Matthew will include them in the books as vignettes related to his visual storytelling. 

When I told my mother about William and Matthew’s invitation to contribute to the Aretha Cool Project and the serendipity involved in it, she was pleased. She will not see the books, but she knew that her essence and legacy live through my heart and fingers.

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I know William and Matthew’s project will make waves and reach thousands of people around the world. I hope you become part of it, as I am. It’s a poetic ode to friendship, to excellence, to the transforming power of art and to the belief that we can evolve to be better together. 

 Support Aretha Cool

Thank you for patiently reading these lines and understanding how this project is both special and significant at this time in my life.

Say "Yes" to the call and play a bigger game. The glass is full and a half - because we make it so.

CARLOS SALUM

Leadership Performance Strategist - President - Salum International Resources