You Can Be Whatever You Want to Be

A Motivational Poem
You Can Be Whatever You Want To Be
Poet: Donna Levine

There is inside you
all of the potential to be whatever
you want to be
all of the energy to do whatever
you want to do.

Imagine yourself
as you would like to be,
doing what you want to do,
and each day, take one step
towards your dream.

And though at times it may seem too
difficult to continue,
hold on to your dream.

One morning you will awake to find
that you are the person
you dreamed of
doing what you wanted to do
simply because you had the courage
to believe in your potential
and to hold on to your dream.

I saw this poem in Iconagraphy Magazine and when I read the title I thought of Brandy's "My Own Little Corner" song. But read the poem Travelers and take it on your journey. Sometimes we just need a reminder.

Happy Travels!

"One Step Forward, Just Glance Back. No Fear, Just DIVA!"

Endurance

Tough As Nails by Lucky Anaiya featuring Balenciaga accessories

Webster's Dictionary defines the word Endurance as: "the ability to withstand hardship or adversity; especially : the ability to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity"

I have learned that in this industry Endurance is a must when holding out for what you really want. Sometimes your journey is longer than another's and it is the quick resolution of a friend, classmate, or worse enemy's speedy success to your "hurry up and wait" Freeway.

Ever feel like you are moving at a traffic jam pace when you are the only person on the road? That can happen in the industry, I'm sure the fashion industry is not the exception, when waiting out the job that you've been waiting for all your life. This is what I am currently experiencing and I have learned that there are two emotions that are only a waist of your time:

1. Jealousy
   
2. Guilt

Jealousy does nothing but burn a potential bridge and makes you more susceptible to a failed dream because instead of focusing on progressively moving along your Freeway you are too busy envying someone else's and it's a distraction. Often times I have found that when it comes to jealousy in the industry it's not even a matter of a common goal that is won over the other but a matter of who got to their dream first. Either way just remember grass is greener and there is always an equal transference of envy between the parties. You never know what the other person is envious of you for and you have to be willing to see the enviable in your own life, (with humility of course).

But just to flip this around, if you happen to be the person who is seeing this quick success don't give others a reason to feel down. Bridges burn both ways and it can hurt when you may need the very person you put down.

Now on to Guilt. There are times when we make decisions that we feel are the best decisions to build our careers at the time, and then....we wait. We get upset with ourselves for making these decisions and start to doubt everything which then leads to overall guilt for having chosen anything in the first place. We question if we made the right choice, create hypothetical situations for all sides of the initial decision and its outcome and then wonder if there is any way that we can change or speed up the process to make us feel better about our choices.

That doesn't always happen. Sometimes you have to bite the bullet. You make this choice because you felt it was the best choice you could make to build your career at the time. There is nothing wrong with that we all do it. But instead of getting all caught up in your head go do something productive!

I will give you a great example: My Story

Upon returning to LA from Ohio I received a job offer on the spot and decided to accept. I knew that I would have to wait for about 2.5 weeks before this position started and I was willing to take that risk. However two days before this position was to begin the one job at the one company I had been salivating to work for gave me a call to give me a chance, however accepting this position meant one thing: More waiting.

Let me break this down for you: More Waiting = Unemployed = Broke and Broker

But because this is where I want to be and my current "dream job" I chose to wait. I started loosing my mind. With friends all asking me about the first position I had to tell them "I gave it up for something else and I don't know when I start" I had no information for them, no start date no nothing, and I didn't have that information for myself! All I had was the choice that I made to turn down one for the other. Did I question myself? Sure, heck I still do, but I know that concerning where I want to go for my career this is best option.

So travelers no matter where you are on your Freeway be willing to "withstand hardship and adversity" especially when it becomes a "prolonged stressful...activity"! It will be all worth it in the end once you make it to that desired Point B.

Happy Travels!

"One Step Forward, Just Glance Back. No Fear, Just DIVA!"

Construction Zone: The Series

Construction Zone by Lucky Anaiya featuring Azzedine Alaia shoes

No matter where you are on your Fashion Freeway there comes a time when you have to start from scratch. I am learning this all too well as a recent graduate. Travelers, this past week I hit a MAJOR rough patch after what I would say was an overflow of opportunity. So for the time being I keep trying to figure out what the heck went wrong with the decisions I made to build my career that lead to this patch. In that I decided to break down what I was doing and what decisions I was making, and rebuild a better Freeway for my journey. I have now entered what we call the "Construction Zone"

For those of you who are new to my blog I define its categories/tags/labels in the form of Freeway Finders (full post here). For this series:

Construction Zone = Tearing Down, Building Up, Starting from Scratch, Making what looks like nothing into something amazing

I want to provide not only my story of tear down to build up but also that of other companies/persons in the Fashion Industry that may also be doing the same. You see there is no one right way to build a career in this industry and there is also no one right way to REbuild either.

Happy Travels!

"One Step Forward, Just Glance Back. No Fear, Just DIVA!"

Find Me Featured

The past 10 days have been very busy for me in the world of the fashion net. I have been featured on two websites that I am very much a fan of, Essence.com and Fashion Club.

My first feature on Essence.com was for their Street Style segment. While attending a natural hair event in Los Angeles at Wishire Beauty I was asked if they could take my picture. I was really excited even though they were very clear that it may not make the actual site. Well it did! Here is the Link. Check it out and feel free to make a comment I would really appreciate the love!

The second feature was on FIDM's blog Fashion Club. I was interviewed by the great Kim Askew and I hope that my answers will help someone who is looking to start their fashion career at my recent Alma Mater. Take a read and let me know what you think!

Happy Travels!

"One Step Forward, Just Glance Back. No Fear, Just DIVA!"

Thrive LA : Welcome to my Internship

One thing that I am so fortunate to experience is to have been an intern my entire duration at FIDM, and with my most recent internship I felt more fortunate than ever. Just posted some "secret truths" that I have learned through working/interning in the fashion industry, a good number of which I experienced through this internship.

Through an amazing and surreal Twitter experience I was able to land an interview with Thrive, an LA based design house that has clothed celebrities such as Kelly Rowland (Kelly Rowland in Thrive via Posh Glam). I loved my internship! What can I tell you it is the entire Product Development major in action! From sketching to sourcing I did it all there and I could not have been happier or more appreciative of this opportunity.

If you follow me in Twitter then on Thursdays and Fridays you may have seen my twitpics throughout the day of my tasks and errands. However if you are new to my blog then here is a description of my normal day was like:

9:30a – Check with Head of PD for any unfinished duties earlier in the week. Overview today’s schedule

9:45a – Make phone calls for pick up of fabric samples

10:00 – 1:00p – Pick up fabric, trims, patterns, samples (depending on where we are in the production cycle)

1p-2p – Lunch!

2p – Until end of day: Wrapping up loose ends, going back to pattern makers, creating boards for buyers, meetings

I really liked running errands for my internship because I am exposed to so many locations that a normal student would not be allowed (unless they have their own wholesale license). One of my favorite places is Kagan Trim Center. Talk about the epicenter. Travelers I wish I could have taken a picture inside of all the trims from floor to ceiling in there, but it’s against the rules. But here is a pic of the outside.

My time at Thrive is now over as I start my career and I am much better equipped for what I have learned there. Thank you Thrive!

So tell me travelers about your internship experiences. Are they wonderful? Horrific? Leave a Diva Stamp and lets discuss!

Happy Travels!

"One Step Forward, Just Glance Back. No Fear, Just DIVA!"

Secret Truths You Don't Learn in Fashion School

In this awesome article by 39^th and Broadway the authors touch on what they wish someone had told them about working in the industry, and I must say that upon completing my internship and now about to start my first career-building experience in the industry (I try my hardest not to use the word “job”), I must say I am better prepared for what this industry has to offer. Still I am very convinced that there are some what I like to call “secret truths” that are still instore for me to learn.

So they offer 4 secret truths:

Money or lack there of was the number one issue

Working conditions in the garment center are sub-par

The insane hours you will work and how they will be wasted

Competition is fierce in every category and at every level

Money or lack there of was the number one issue:

“Whether starting your own company or working for 'the man', the starting salaries are pitiful.”

· I would have to say this is pretty accurate. I have noticed that lots of us are willing to intern well past graduation just to keep our feet in the industry. Out of shear bold I would ask my interviewer the suggested salary for the position for which I was interviewing and trust me from Production Assistant to Assistant Designer I was thoroughly confused. I was speaking with a friend who works in the admin field in the health industry and when interviewing for a new position she mentioned her starting salary, almost three times what I have heard salaries to be in fashion.

Working conditions in the garment center are sub-par

“There is also a bizarre relationship with technology, a small family run company can have the newest Macs and best programs while a certain $4 billion company uses faxes to send techpacks. Then there is the food issue which boils down to, nobody eats!”

· I think we all get a bit misled by The Hills and The City where the shiny offices are filled with the latest technology and plush desk chairs. But the truth is office computers run slow, shippers can run on Windows 98 while you’re sending ’04. Your school teaches you on the latest Creative Suite with all the short cuts an bells and whistles and then you have Creative Suite basic basic #1 where keyboard short cuts are nonexsistent and gradient variations that can be done only two colors at a time and you are ready to jump out the window!

· One thing I will disagree with is the eating statement. You do eat, but you eat on the run, at your desk, hell whenever you can! Delivery men are your new boyfriends and they know when you’ve been cheating! You will have tax/tip/delivery charge added into your new accounting sheets.

· Next up the buildings in which your clothing/samples are manufactured. We once had sendouts in a building that was so gritty that every time we entered I went into a sneezing fit! We also made a game of checking the elevator inspection dates, lol. Some of the most beautiful clothing in the world is sewn together in some of the most grimy, unsophisticated, places you will ever step foot in. Leave your YSL wedges at home, this is def the place to bring your Converses.

The insane hours you will work and how they will be wasted

“…maybe you thought you’d be developing tons of original graphics and creating new logos or innovative artwork but instead, spend most of your time ‘tweaking’ the same artwork for your boss into a hundred different variations.”

· Now one of the great things about being an intern is that I never had to see the super long hours and I only worked one weekend when I volunteered to be a part of Market Week. However…I will be starting my new position and though the title is Assistant Designer I’m sure that my main responsibilities will be very much like this quoted statement. Lol

Competition is fierce in every category and at every level

“Bosses keeping employees down because they are threatened by them, co-workers stabbing each-other in the back, assistants sabotaging their supervisors to the higher-ups.”

· Now I have to make it very clear that this is not at all my personal experience however I wanted to type what I feel to be the harshest statement of this section. It’s better to prepare for war even if you never have to fight the battle And let’s hope you don’t. But I will say that there is a strong need for thick skin in this industry There can be a lot of passive aggressive behavior and a lot of little things can be done to your career in that emotional aftermath. Know your emotional strengths and weaknesses and approach higher ups with caution. Be humble without being a brown-noser, and know who you can and cannot vent to in your office or you will find yourself being talked down to adding unnecessary tention to an already emotional situation.

· I know that I have not mentioned my internship much, if at all here on No Fear Just DIVA, and I will fix that, but I will say this: My immediate supervisor was amazing to me! Working with her was such a humbling experience because she never talked down to me. She knew my strengths and when I didn’t understand. She was a teacher and was patient with me when she could tell that I was getting bored, needed to be challenged, or had a superiority complex (I will write about that later). She wasn’t threatened by me and genuinely happy for me when I got my job. There was no competition between us.

What do you think travelers? Not all of you may have graduated from school just yet but I would love to hear some of your secret truths about the industry, or even your takes on the ones presented here. We have so much to learn about this secret society we call the Fashion Industry and I am more than happy to share those experiences with you!

Happy Travels!

"One Step Forward, Just Glance Back. No Fear Just DIVA!" [source]

Fight

What are you fighting for? Okay travelers this one might get a little deep for ya so if you're looking for a fun read you might wanna find a different post.

*Originally Written 10/18/2009*

On the latest episode of Grey's Anatomy Christina Yang (sandra oh) raised the question "What am I fighting for?"

Just for some back story: Christina is a heart surgeon and it is also her passion. She was training under one of the best cardiac specialists in the country but due a broken engagement (her own) he left and his replacement just really didn't like her and shut her out every chance she got. So in the long run (in this case 2 whole seasons) Christina was just working a job and not building her career. When the hospital had to merge with its competitor doctors were fighting to keep their jobs and Christina found herself fighting, pretty severely, for things she never even cared about. And it was when she lost the battle that she finally asked "What am I fighting for?"

Travelers if you wanna talk about light bulb...even as I type this I am sitting in my car stuffed with a good 80% of my belongings, locked out of an apt where I sleep on the couch.

I was in this exact same spot 3 years ago in Atlanta where I also fought until financially I just couldn't handle the cost of the war. So after watching Grey's and sitting in my car locked out I had to ask myself "what am I fighting for?" I have a family that loves me and I can go home to them without any judgment or love lost. However I will say that this time I think there is a clearer vision to my journey. That the motivators for its existence are a lot more justifiable than when I moved to Atlanta. But there are times, especially like tonight when I look at my car with all my stuff, the couch that I sleep on, and my bank account and ask "What am I fighting for?"

Travelers its okay to ask that question. But also ask are you working a job, or building a career? If its the latter then your fight is justifiable. If it is the former take a pit stop and redirect your route when you have a clearer sense of your Point B.

I have to remember, I have my first position in the Industry, I just haven't started yet and even if that falls through, which it won't (optimism) I'm still tutoring and can make just enough money to gas up the Black Thunder and drive on home.

What am I fighting for? A career in the fashion industry that allows me to use both my degrees in International Business and Product Development. I really like both Branding and Production and Sourcing so we shall see but despite what it looks like on the surface I think I'm doing the right thing.

Happy Travels

"One Step Forward, Just Glance Back. No Fear, Just DIVA!"