What Temptation Taught Me: An Open Letter to Tyler Perry Dear Mr. Tyler Perry, Ten dollars, a bucket of overpriced popcorn and two hours led me to the conclusion that you and I will never be BFF’s; I will never … Continue reading
What image was conjured by this post’s title? A proud, brown skinned Nia Simone reincarnate? A curly haired, dashiki rocking ”boheme”? Well, not exaclty. Diane Birch looks your typical valley girl, but she is anything but. She has lived on three continents, one of them being Africa, and has the life experience and musical influence to prove it. She can be best described as a mash up of Lenny Kravitz, Adele and Janis Joplin with a twist. Her debut album, the Bible Belt, has sold millions worldwide. I know why. It manages to evoke those avoidable emotions without bringing you dooown. Ms. Birch is the real deal. Read the rest of her bio, and download her album at dianebirch.com
Beyonce is gearing up for world domination, so it only makes sense to talk to the Queen of Talk first. Oprah is giving us a first Look at the OWN interview that is definitely going to send the Beyhive into a buzzin’ frenzy. Take a look!
My fave singer of almost all time Jill Scott showed off her multitude of curves in a body hugging, nude and black knee length dress with lace applique. I am glad to see that she went back to natural with … Continue reading
Legendary singer, Gladys Knight stepped out in a one armed, two toned, black and gold floor length gown. Can we say ageless? I’ve got the adoption papers ready because I want her to be my mommy. Work Ms. Knight!
Originally printed on ndigo.com
The theme at CityPoint Lofts this past Saturday would have done Nina and Aretha proud because everyone in attendance was young, gifted and black. Style aficionado and philanthropist Aaja Corinne Carr presented the Color Girls of her She’s in Color campaign.
The campaign was devised to celebrate young women’s past achievements and future endeavors, as well as promote their charitable efforts. So far, she has selected women from various walks of life to represent the campaign. One of her Color Girls, Natalie King, who is a scientist by the way, stated that the campaign “serves to bring forth much needed positive images of women, and does so by acknowledging women who successfully standout by doing good.”
She’s in Color Creator Aaja Corinne & Spokesmodel Amour Genesis at She’s in Color Social Affair: Saturday, January 26, 2013, CityPoint Loft
The event’s hostess and campaign’s spokes model, Amour Genesis of amourgenesis.com, also expounded on the campaign’s mission; “She’s in Color promotes empowerment, and lets us know that it’s OK to acknowledge the fact that we’re all beautiful in many, many ways.”
The event went off without a hitch. In attendance was author, blogger and relationship expert Yanni Brown (makinglovetwogether.com) who has been featured on essence.com and is one sixth of the blog sixbrownchicks.com. Ms. Brown was there to sign and raffle copies of her book Making Love Better Begins Within. The Love guru was also named an honorary Color Girl because of her dynamic efforts to improve relationships. Aaja Corinne felt that Yanni’s initiative, A Woman’s Worth, directly parallels the values of the She’s in Color Campaign which are to enrich and value the worth of women.
She’s in Color Campaign COLOR GIRLS!
The rest of the social focused on introducing of the Color Girls to the public, and to engage them in conversation within an intimate setting. While there, I did manage to briefly engage some of the women in conversation; mainly to get them to share the secrets of their success. When asked about the resources utilized to instill endless positivity in their lives, jewelry designer Marissa Kendrick of deleaylashay.com spoke of her spiritual faith. “I am a Jesus freak, and my greatest resource has to be the bible. There is no greater guide to life than that.”
Natalie King spoke of her faith in God as well. “When my father died, and one of my good friends committed suicide within a short span of time, I had no other choice but to turn to a higher power to stay grounded. I realized that it’s not about me.” That affirmation drove her educational career, and ultimately served as her motivation. One resource she suggested that could serve as a catalyst for positivity is inspirational speaker Tony Robbins’ video series Take Charge of Your Life (http://alwaysgood.com/take-charge-of-your-life-with-tony-robbins/).
The obviously stylish women also gave some tips to help women be as radiant aesthetically as they are spiritually and mentally. Amour Genesis, host of The Glamorous Life, gave some style gems. “Be true to yourself. Your style is a reflection of your personality. For example, if you are reserved, there’s no sense in trying to pick out punk rock-like pieces of clothing.”
Natalie King also expressed a similar sentiment. Everyone has a flaw, but knowing that is your strength. Play up your assets, as well as flaws.” Of course, jewelry designer Marissa Kendrick harped on the importance of accessories. “Accessories can make or break a look.” Color Girl of the week Ariel Simmons stated that the hot trend “color blocking” coincides perfectly with the She’s in Color campaign. “Bright colors up against the skin just looks and feels good. There is a certain confidence that comes with wearing fierce colors!”
The event culminated with a raffle, which included hair products from Essations hair care (essations.com) and Benefit cosmetics (benefitcosmetics.com) among others. There was also a soulful performance from singer Mz. Notra (twitter.com/therealmznotra).
Overall, the event lived up to the campaign’s mission statement: to inspire through sharing, influence by doing good and impact by paying it forward.
Rock band Loverboy never uttered truer words than when they penned their hit “Everybody’s working for the weekend.” We all grind harder than a cheese grater during the work week, and usually don’t have the luxury of unwinding until the weekend. Hence, the issue of ”what am I gonna do tonight?” rears its ugly head. Limited funds and lack of planning leaves the best of us sitting in solace with our few moments of freedom flying by. The owners of Posh Entertainment are here to remedy that. The sophisticated firm specializes in event promotion among other duties. Kisha Keeney, Paris Tyler,Diamond Ingram and Lesley Martin are here to offer us tips on frugal fun and how to start and groom a small business in this economy. You can also check the ladies’ feature on madamenoire.com http://madamenoire.com/226690/small-business-spotlight-posh-ladies-turn-parties-into-profits/
Kisha: For event planning, I think Chicago is a great place for us to expand. This industry is a growing industry, and if we can be successful here, than we can be successful anywhere! Expansion is definitely a long term objective for us, into another large market.
Paris: Most definitely Chicago is conducive to small businesses. The market definitely encourages an entrepreneurial spirit but the marketing and event planning industry is over saturated. We are currently looking into expanding our services to the Atlanta and New York markets due to potential clients. To answer your other question, Yes the promotions and entertainment is a very male-dominated field, however as women we bring a softer and different touch to our events. We have a keen eye for detail and knowing what Chicago professionals want and not just looking to make another dollar.
JJ: What are some lessons that are invaluable to any entrepreneurial endeavors? Have you guys made any blunders yet?
Paris: I think the most valuable lesson is mapping out your goals. When conducting business it is always good to have benchmarks in place to know how you’re measuring up as far as success. Also, over-communicating is key.
Kisha: Simply put; our professional backgrounds. We all had marketing, media, entertainment, PR, and event planning experience coming into this endeavor. Our Brand is all we have, so we’ve made an extra effort to protect that. Whenever we’re approached with a new opportunity, our first question is, “Will this help or hinder our brand integrity.” A lot of people just do this for the money, and although that’s obviously a piece of it, we don’t let it control us.
Paris: Yes, and to elaborate on Kisha’s statement, we’ve done a great job in branding ourselves through our mission and vision. As you stated it is about sophistication, chic events. We’re hosting events in what we deem as POSH or swanky venues, we’re working with the city’s hottest DJ’s who have a following similar to our own brand. I think we are trying to make sure that we stand out from the next group and by identifying our “it” factor, we’ve been able to stay true to ourselves.
JJ: For those of you that are in relationships, has this particular line of work (nightlife entertainment) posed any issues? If so, how do you handle them?
JJ: How can we get in contact with you?
Kisha: info@theposhlife.net
follow us on Twitter @PoshLifeEvents
Facebook/Instagram Posh Entertainment
JJ: Last but not least, what are some words to live by/mantra?
Kisha: Your Lifestyle….Your Experience!
Paris: As an individual, Keep the faith. No matter what life tosses at you, you have to stand strong and press on and know that things will turn around.
Diamond: Live life to the fullest!
Oddly enough, she is not the only Single Ladies star that felt the need to shed some clothes in order to show support for their presidential hopeful. LisaRaye McCoy’s claim to fame include her memorable role as an empathy evoking stripper in the film The Player’s Club, and being a disgraced former first lady of
via Celebrity Presidential Endorsements: Are They Distracting or Attracting Voters?.
With the biggest political competition under way, both Mitt Romney and President Obama are pulling out all the stops to clench a victory. By now, we have all had the pleasure of viewing or hearing their ads all vying for our trust, attention, and vote. The advertisements show our potential leaders in either the proverbial, “coming of our next savior” sort of way, or in an “America’s answer to Vladimir Putin” kind of unsavory light. Either way, these messages all have the ever present tagline at their conclusion: I’m {insert Presidential hopeful name here} and I approve this message. However, as of late, there has been an onslaught of famous faces lending their support, with or without the approval of the competitors. So far, the legitimate endorsements with the most dominant cyber presence have featured the likes Clint Eastwood, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=933hKyKNPFQ, Rosie Perez http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVIrNxba0ls and Beyonce Knowles http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/09/13/you-get-bs-email/ just to name a few. One can argue that these endorsements serve as a significant catalyst for votes. That in a society driven by a fascination with all things Hollywood, a push from their favorite entertainer can help establish a trust factor between the potential voter and our candidates. After all, if a person does enough of the right stuff to become rich and famous, then they must know what the best political stance is, right? Others,however, view some celebrity political involvement as a distraction.
Take actress Stacey Dash for instance. The beautiful face behind such powerful roles as Dionne from the cult classic Clueless, and Kanye West’s girlfriend in the visual accompaniment to his All Falls Down single; she has surely captured our interest from proving herself as a serious actress and a productive, philanthropic, and politically dialed in citizen of society. Right? Yea, no, that’s not the case. Most of her success hinges from the fact that she has a beautiful face, shiny lustrous hair, and a fit, lithe body. Allison Samuels of the Daily Beast touted a similar notion. She states,” Stacey Dash is drop dead gorgeous, so people take a special interest when she voices an opinion.” http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/10/11/why-stacey-dash-s-looks-not-her-race-matter-in-her-romney-endorsement.html She has never really been equated to being a thought provoking, truly interesting person, whose opinion we desperately needed to listen to and share. Before recent times, she had never been featured on anyone’s CNN or been a subject of any serious political rhetoric. Besides her brief stint on the questionably acted Vh1 series, Single Ladies, she hasn’t even really been on our radar. All of that changed, well sort of, when she posed alongside a big bright rocket embossed with the slogan “Dash for America” all while being clad in a tight red swimsuit and a smile. The message accompanying the photo on her Twitter page read, “Vote for Romney, the only choice for your future.” My first thoughts were that she looked good. But, so what? After shaking my head free of my shallow cloud, I then thought, why does she support him? What failures under Obama’s administration does she think Romney’s can succeed at? Whose lake did she swim in following the photo op? These are all pressing questions that came to mind because she did not offer answers to them in her ad; however she did offer a handful of cleavage and distraction.
Oddly enough, she is not the only Single Ladies star that felt the need to shed some clothes in order to show support for their presidential hopeful. LisaRaye McCoy’s claim to fame include her memorable role as an empathy evoking stripper in the film The Player’s Club, and being a disgraced former first lady of Turks and Caicos. I don’t really recall any political quips, or inspirational “quotables” from the actress. However, she felt the pressing need to bare her back, which revealed a painting of President Obama’s face, to metaphorically show us that she’s “Got Obama’s Back.” I get it, you support our president. You wanted to physically embody the slogan that was made famous by our FLOTUS at the Democratic National Convention. But, did you really have to simulate that fact while being topless? I honestly wouldn’t really take Ms. McCoy’s opinion with a grain of salt, but that’s just my own OPINION. She, along with her aforementioned cohort, has never really struck me as the politically well versed type. But, I have to say that if their goal was to keep our tongues wagging with their names on the tip of it, mission accomplished ladies. I just hate that my attention was momentarily diverted to parts of their body, as opposed to the reasoning behind their political stances. #WeGotToDoBetter
“I can stretch a green black dollar bill from here to kindom come!
I can play the numbers pay the bills and still end up with some!….’cause i’m a woman!”
Upon reading Lakesha Womack’s About Me page on her self titled blog, I couldn’t help but hum Peggy Lee’s acclaimed “I’m a Woman” with a new appreciation for the lyrics. She is a bona-fide “slash artist”: businessconsultant/writer/radio talk show host/mom/active church member, among other things. She recently sat down and revealed some of her secrets of success in business, romance and spirituality.
JJ: I see that your book “Is She the One?” is self-published. What advice do you give those with similar aspirations of self publishing?
LW:find a mentor that has been through the process, just because you self publish doesn’t mean that you have to do it by yourself. Also, set a timeline for the finished product to be complete so that your editor and graphic artist are clear about your expectations in terms of their roles with the project. Finally, research your printing company and gain a clear understanding of your distribution options.
JJ: Speaking of “Is She the One,” which focuses on the romantic life of men, what are some things that you learned from writing the book?
LW: Almost everyone that I spoke to about their relationship helped me to see that communication and the willingness to compromise were the essential ingredients for a successful relationship. Also, a lot of the concepts seem very common sense to me but I am constantly surprised at the number of men who say they never/realized certain things that we discuss.
JJ: Being a business consultant and a financial adviser, what are some tips you can dispense to the financially illiterate?
LW: There are two things. First, know your numbers. If you don’t understand them then you should find someone to help you even if it’s just going to your local bank. Most of us don’t have unlimited resources so it is vital for us to be proactive with our money matters Second, follow the Basic Money Management Principal outlined in the My Money Matters workbooks – I will not spend more than I earn. That is a sound finance statement that can be applied personally and professionally. Obviously, there are cases where we need credit but the payments should be in alignment with your budget.
JJ: Do you have any advice for upstarts/small businesses regarding the ever important issue of branding?
LW: Begin with the end in mind. Take some time to think about who you are, what you are trying to say, who you will be saying it to and where they get their information. Don’t just throw yourself out there saying and doing anything thinking everyone will buy your product/service.
JJ: After reading your blog, and your books, one can easily recognize that you are a very spiritual being. Do you struggle with staying abreast of all things social media (which often bombards us with negative secular images) and staying true to your Christian lifestyle?
LW: Not at all… I think that its important for Christians to be abreast of what’s going on in the world. As a Minister, I don’t believe that I should focus all of my energies on saving the saved. My faith has to be strong enough to go where the unsaved dwell and be a light out of their darkness. I’m blessed to have a network filled with Christians and spiritually lifted people so I don’t think I see as much of the drama and negativity as some people. I see and read some disturbing things but I don’t judge people. Instead I try to understand what makes them think or believe those things and that’s usually the inspiration for a blog post.
JJ: What is a motto of your/words to live by?
LW: Luke 12:48 – … To whom much is given, much is required.
God has blessed me tremendously in this life and I feel spiritually compelled to give back whenever possible. I’m not rich by the world’s standard but God requires that we focus more on wisdom and understanding than material gain. I do my best to share those riches with anyone that I come into contact with.
