Life, Love, & Lipgloss
I know it's been a minute since I've spoken to you all (all 7 of you...*sad face* lol) so I'm not even going to go there with all of the normal "I've been a bad blogger" jazz so let's just get to it! One of my closest friends & dear readers (yes I'm stealing your phase :-p) The Editor told me about this writing challenge he posted to his blog about posting 11 goals for the year 2011. The catches are that your readers must hold you to conquering said goals and one reader gets to choose your 11th goal.
Well, coincidentally I had already made a list of goals (personal & professional) that I want to accomplish not only next year, but over the next 15 years. Yes, I went IN! But I'm definitely not going to go into all the goals I personally set for myself, but I will share a select 11 to share with my darlings. Ready? Here we go:
- Do 2 test photo shoots a month: In an effort to start build a strong portfolio, I am making it mandatory that I have at least 2 tests scheduled each month. In the beauty world you're only as good as your book and to compete with all the other tons of girls (and guys) who are all going out for the same paid gigs, you have to cut your creative teeth on TFP (time for portfolio) work. Sometimes you get some really great shots from these TFP shoots, and it give you the freedom to be as creative as you'd like. It also allows you to network with other great up-and-coming talent you can collaborate with later on when the big money does start being offered :-)
- Learn how to do some light hairstyling: Another way for me to hone my skills in order to be more competitive in the industry is to learn how to do some light hairstyling. There are some gigs that don't have a budget for both hair and makeup, so sometimes clients seek out a makeup artist that can style hair as well. Nothing extreme like cuts and color, just simple blowouts and updos and straight styles. I'm all for acquiring any additional skills needed to help me maximize my income honey!
- Start applying to the assistant's lists at various hair/makeup/styling agencies: By the time June 2011 comes along I hope that I'm far enough into taking care of goals 1 & 2 to set this goal into motion. Being an assistant with an agency represented makeup artist would open up more opportunities to not only make some nice dough, it also will begin getting me noticed by some of the top creative talent agencies in the city. By the time I'm 30 I hope to have my own agency representation and starting as an assistant now will get me on my way to achieving that goal.
- Have my business website completed: Again in the vain of getting my name out there and establishing my brand. While it's important to have a hard copy or your portfolio, our digital age has allowed us new ways to not only communicate with old friends from kindergarten (thanks social networking!) but to reach potential business contacts as well. Since I don't want potential collaborators and clients all up in my Facebook business, a separate "work" website is super necessary. I have already started tinkering with my website using Wix.com but of course the content will come from having goals 1 & 2 squared away (anyone seeing a pattern here?). I've also set this goal to be "completed" by Summer 2011. Art is an ever evolving process, so in that respect my website will truly never be "done", but you get the point.
- Lose 30 pounds: I'm so serious this year! Looking back at pictures of me while I was still at Howard and comparing to how I look now, my former coke bottle figure is slowly trying to become a 2 liter - SO not fly. Luckily when I work at it, I can whip myself back into shape in pretty decent time and most of the weight I lose and gain is in my waistline (the boobs never go anywhere *happy dance*). The challenge is just getting back into the routine of working out regularly. I guess taking it easy on my habit of sweet treats and drinking more water are also quite necessary for this goal to be reached. Hold me to it guys!!!
- Read my bible more: Over this past year I have been making great strides in getting my spiritual life together and while I have had a great deal of spiritual growth, there's still plenty of work to be done. Reading the bible for myself and independently deciphering what the scriptures mean that I don't always have to look to others to do it for me. My talks with the big G-O-D might even sounds more intelligent after a while, LoL.
- Revamp my beauty blog: Like I've said before, LL&L was originally suppose to be 80% beauty blog and 20% about my personal life. We all know how that actually turned out. In yet another plot to build my brand I think that building a separate blog for just beauty stuff will aid in establishing myself as the beauty guru that I am. I has a mission to do that 4 years ago and I need to just doing (like Nike and stuff). There's no reason that I can't have a successful, well read beauty blog with all the knowledge I possess and the unique voice I have (at least I hope its unique). I just need to buckle down and do it, especially since this new blog is going to involve very frequent posting (details to come soon dolls).
- Give back!: As corny as it sounds, I really feel strongly about giving back and I have come up with some ways to do that through my church. We currently don't have a clothing bank and thanks to my background with Dress for Success, I think that's a project that would not only be fulfilling for me but beneficial to my community. The other project I thought about was doing makeup workshops for women of all ages. As someone who has (and is still) battling with self-confidence and appreciating both my outer and inner beauty, I have always been very passionate about helping other women conquer those demons. I've already started mapping out the tentative outline for the workshop, so I'm already getting a jump on this goal!
- Finally get my driver's license: Even though I live in a city where public transportation is practically a way of life, I will not be a real grown up until I know how to drive. Period.
- Be comfortable in my own skin: I've been me for almost 26 years now, but that hasn't been an easy journey. Between loving others and trying to be everything to everyone, it's not always easy to address the issue of fully loving myself. This year has certainly been an exploration of that fact. While this will be a long standing process, I need to follow my own advice and accept myself for who and what God created me to be. Quirks, thick thighs and all :-)
EDIT - January 21, 2011
I officially have my 11th goal thanks to The Editor. It's was very well thought out and meaningful and I greatly appreciate the effort put into it (thanks again hun!). Here it is:
11. Un-compartmentalize your life. It seems like you've done a great job no longer trying to be all things to all people, which was definitely a problem there for awhile. But now it seems like instead you've decided to be some things to some people, which has made it clear that you don't want to be other things (that we both know are VERY important) to other people. So in 2011, go all in, unless you don't think it's worth going all in for. Stop holding in or stop holding on. The only way you're going to know if you're supposed to be where you are, or even more where you want to be, is by being all the way there. So don't hold anything back this year, and see where you end up. You might surprise yourself...and somebody else. Happy New Year!
