As of this post I am on my way home back to the US of A! My year in Korea has taught me a lot that I plan to put into practice in my new career in fashion and I will update more information about that later.

I am not sure how long it will be until the next post since I will be adjusting to the 13 hour difference and I need to purchase a new laptop - the one I have been posting on was my school's. This is a great time to read up on past posts and get reacquainted with my blog, leave comments, subscribe, send in suggestions, or request a Road Map interview!

When I get back I will fill you all in on my quest to get a student loan to cover the rest of school and where I go from there! Until then...

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

I once read a book entitled Get Over Yourself and the author wrote Fear in the form of an acronym:
Face
Everything
And
Recover

and when I am not chanting No Fear Just DIVA I am reminding myself to Face Everything And Recover. I am pleasantly surprised every time at the results when I use these so I am hoping that this time will be no different.

We all have times when we avoid something because we are afraid to fail or be let down or see our dreams get shattered in front of our faces. For me readers, that is applying for student loans. I am scared to death of not getting the funding that I need to pay off the rest of my education to a school that I have wanted to attend for the past four years. Fear kept me from applying directly out of undergrad and Pride is what put me in the current situation that is causing Fear now. So what am I talking about? Credit. Plain and simple Credit. I am putting myself out there and I hope that this will help someone else in the long-run.

The short version of this story is that I was not trying to live the glamorous life, I was just trying to support myself on my own without a proper financial back up plan. I left my hometown and moved to Atlanta and was mismanaging my money for a while and abusing my cellphone for a job that I thought I could write the whole bill off in taxes (so not the case). I lost my job and had a hard time keeping another one - my problem was accepting any job that would hire me even if it wasn't a good fit. Eventually I was able to find a job through a temp agency. I should have moved out of my apt into a smaller one or moved back home with my mother but I didn't. I chose to try to stick it out - bad idea but pride wouldn't let me go home so I paid for it with my credit.

Moving to Korea was on of the best decisions I could have made financially because I was able to work and travel and pay off the big stuff, but still not without seeing a significant drop in my credit score and some stuff that wont come off until 2015. Trust me I am hurting but my situation is causing me to get creative in finding avenues to pursue my dream of a career in fashion and attending FIDM in the fall. One of the upsides to my lack of employment was the amount of aid I was awarded and that is enough to keep me going.

I recently applied for a pre-approval for about half the amount that I need and was shut down. It killed my confidence for a while but I decided that I will apply in person when I get back home to the States. However with big companies such as Wachovia and Bank of America stopping funding for private student loans I am a bit nervous. I know that with FIDM I can pay the amount in a 6 month payment plan but when I don't have a job or place to live the loans are the only back up plan - so what now?

I will go to locations and have face to face conversations with lenders and ask my family if anyone is willing to be a cosigner. One thing that living in Atlanta has taught me is recognize and accept a lost cause and don't let your pride get in the way of your credit, so I do not plan on moving out there on a wing and a prayer.

I am also considering scholarships but I am in a weird place because I am no longer an "Undergraduate" and this degree at FIDM is after my BA but it's not a "Graduate" degree, still I have not ruled them out and I have applied for a few of those too. I will continue to do my research and keep you updated.

Readers know this - Your Freeway is your own and only you know what Point B you want to be your destination. Don't let anything like credit, a child, bankruptcy, or whatever else it may be hold you back. Face it! Just because the scenery isn't what you expected doesn't mean the destination isn't worth the trip.

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

I read this article in WWD* giving very sound advice on how to keep your business afloat during this recession the US had found itself in. I know that a good number of my readers are business owners and are still building their brand so I recommend reading this article in its entirety. It is 11 pages but it is totally worth it. I am not going to recap all 10 of their Business Health Plan points, but some of the highlights of the article are listed below for Business Owners and Job Seekers/Employees.

While Reading an article on WWD.com, for which I will soon be posting, this book was mentioned:

The title caught my attention so I looked it up on Amazon. One of the best features on Amazon is the "Search Inside" where you can read excerpts of the book and that is how the hook baited the fish:

You know those maps in shopping malls that say 'You Are Here'? They exist to orient you in unfamiliar territory, to tell you where you are, where you want to go, and how to get there.

Now is that not what No Fear, Just DIVA is all about!?

The preview allows 7 - 8 pages of reading and it is enough for me to invest in the book when I get back home. Time to dust off the ole library card.

I know that school will soon be in session so the thought of reading another book is just overwhelming with everything else on our social, economic, and academic plates, but if you are not seeing the results that you would like in the building and growth of your career I say pick up this book sooner rather than unemployed/lackluster career later.

Seeing as this degree from FIDM will be my second you know that I am all for a formal bricks-and-mortar-instructor-led education, but I am an even bigger fan of filling in the cracks. Text books and professors can only teach us so much - at one point talent, style, and skill have to come into play to make us stand out amongst the crowd. One great tool to strengthen our style skills is the website Polyvore.

No matter where you see yourself in fashion Polyvore is great practice for anything from interior design to styling to testing out your wardrobe architectural skills. The site provides access to thousands of clothes, accessories, backgrounds, and home decor that is used by registered users to create beautiful collages of stylishness. Another great perk of the site is that for each purchasable item its website and price are provided.

I have noticed that a lot of fashion blogs have been using this site to give great style advice and feature the latest trends; Polyvore also has a blog were they feature some of its top registered users and their collages. It's so much fun to read about some of these fashionably talented users from around the world and very little have a fashion background or formal training so stereotypes are broken here!

Here are three of my favorites from the site*:
*=these collages were not created by me but other members of Polyvore. Please check out the blog for the user's name and page

Some other notables Polyvore site and blog:

• Jobs
• How To's (ie "how to wear a ...")
• Facebook Application

I know that these images can be intimidating but it's about reaching your level. Trust me my images are so level 1 but hey we all have a different starting point! Check me out:

Up and coming clothing line CLOAK (cloakinc.com)
has created a whole new fashion math: "Fashion + Cause = Solution" and that is exactly what this brand is about.

The CLOAK team answered my standard Road Map questions and so much more! This is a brand that is destined to become a lifestyle. For those of you who want to start your own brand with a true sense of purpose, grab your pen and take notes...

It's funny, as the CEO of CLOAK Apparel, Inc. your readers would probably expect me to have a degree in design, textiles or business; but I want to encourage anyone who has a dream to go for it. My degree is in Animal Science, Business. From a small child I wanted to be a veterinarian, but a head butt from a cow was all it took to wake me up from the "dream". I thank God for that cow (I've finally found closure). I sketched as a teen, designed my prom dress and had it custom made, I've played with a little graphic design, painted ceramics and the such, but never really saw myself as creative...and never imagined I would be leading a fashion brand. If I can do it...so can you. However, I think the smartest thing a leader can do is surround themselves with people who make up for their weaknesses.

With that said, the CLOAK executive team is filled with talented, qualified, creative and imaginative individuals.

Terrance Wilson, VP of Creative Direction, whose education includes a Master's Degree in Fine arts and Digital Arts Media from Maryland Institute College of Art. Terrance is an award-winning artist who has held several positions leading creative teams. He has created comic books, short films and also custom designs shoes in his free time. He has a passion for young people and currently heads up a youth group dedicated to changing the lives of young people in Miami for the better.

Johanne Pradel Wilson, VP of Marketing, Branding and Design who also graduated from Maryland Institute College of Art with honors and obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a concentration in digital media and design. She also attended London Institute, Central St. Martins in the UK. Johanne owned and operated a design studio ajd worked with high-end fashion boutiques in Baltimore, MD. She has also worked for world-renown, top branding and design agencies around the world including Landor Associates. She is really passionate about fashion and is excited about the continuing journey in the industry.

Samuel Mukasa, VP of Fiscal Management whose education includes a Master's degree Economics/Finance. Samuel was born in Uganda Africa and came to America on a soccer scholarship from Alabama A & M University in Huntsville, Alabama. Samuel has held several positions for financial responsibility from being a Northwestern Financial agent to being the business manager for a prominent Miami news outlet.

You need to figure out what you want to accomplish or change. What is your purpose or cause? It is important that you are decisive in your cause. Then decide how you're going to create solutions. Our solution was to take something we love (fashion) and use it as a vehicle to provide support to those in need. That is why CLOAK exists. Fashion is one of the few industries where consumption is constant. We feel that this is the perfect medium to offer a sort of penance for over indulgence. Your consumption doesn't only benefit you - it can provide for people that are less fortunate or are going through tough times. It can be a challenge to have a business with a dual purpose, that at times will conflict with the bottom line. If you are serious about combining projects that have a positive impact, we would strongly recommend including it in your business plan. It is important that you plan to give or do. We set out to become a vast resource for charitable works around the world. We realize that many people are jaded by inappropriate use of donations and mishandling of funds by nonprofits that has been so prevalent within the last few years. That is why we thought that we needed to be transparent, and so we included it into our business model, marketing strategies, sales models, our brand and image. We put it out there...this is who we are, and what we want to do. Including it in your business plan puts it in the forefront and helps you stay accountable to your promise.


We thought this was an interesting question, particularly since I got lost on the way home today listening to Mary J. Blige's [recent] release, "Just Fine". Anyone can rock to that song. It just makes me feel like strutting. My mind starts reeling on marketing strategies, locations and venues, combinations for our upcoming photo shoot and the list goes on and on. The design team always keeps Bob Marley songs playing. He music is great for working, thinking and concepting.


There are up and down days, slow and rigorous, happy and disappointing...and when things are not perfect, Hero by Mariah Carey provides some words of encouragement. We remember why we are doing this...we find it is so much easier to deal with the problems when we remember that we are doing this to meet a causal goal. Today it is answering the food crisis in Haiti, tomorrow it could be supporting and reading program for children of incarcerated parents. When you look at things from that perspective...it gives you a passion to push beyond your limitations.




CLOAK decided that we wanted to "DO" something about the many social issues that face our nation and the global community. Our passion is to either participate in the answer...or create one. We are choosing to "DO" both. We discovered that most want to help, but feel so overwhelmed by the issues. CLOAK is a way to become part of the solution.
By purchasing from CLOAK, you not only get the hottest most unique styles...but you become a part of the answer. Fashion + Cause = Solution

In light of the recent focus in our community and the news regarding the food and economic crisis in Haiti, 100% of the profit made from the "Positivity Moves" launch collection will be donated to charities helping the poor living in the nation of Haiti. While CLOAK is a for profit company, the company is really serious about its giving and missions projects. In fact, the company was actually built on the principle of giving and helping the world to progress.

While browsing PR Couture I came across these open positions:

• Coutorture - Fall Fashion Week Interns
  
• Art Institute - Full Scholarship: Fashion Design, Marketing, Merchandising
• For a girl who still owes quite a bit in tuition I say "No Fear, Just DIVA" and go for it!!
  

Click on the name to take you to the links where the team at PR Couture gives you more information!

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