Hey Gang!!
Yooooo … Passports & Pastries was DOPE AF
I can’t even explain how proud I am of Angelique, her personal brand growth, non-profit baby and overall mission. *eek*
She asked me to come speak about my self-curated life – from tattoo to branding and most important, my study abroad experience. That’s probably the BIGGEST highlight of my own personal brand. And once integrated into my overall brand presence, may be the turning point to how people engage with me and my brand – *finally* wanting to know more of my story and suddenly respecting my gangsta ~
SELF-CURATED, Not Self-Made
My current creative love affair is with public speaking.
I’m dropping this in da public cuz Life (my speaking coach) has really been helping me pull back layers while also giving me the complete space for my brain to wander, be curious, feel emotion and express my truest heart of the legacy I want to sow.
The BIGGEST thing I’ve learned is that I been sowing my legacy all along. But I was too busy surviving and self-curating my dream life (come what may) that I never took time to realize the magnitude of my own brilliance.
So Passport & Parties was my first step to a long celebration to and thru my road to 20 Years A Tattoo Artist. I’ll be a master tattoo artist in 2024. And I specialize in tattoo THERAPY – peer to peer holistic healing through storytelling and touch 🥺
And so much has happened to get here – from becoming 2nd prominent Black woman tattooing in the US & the 1st in Japan, opening an exclusive high-end tattoo studio, surviving FIVE YEARS as a solo entrepreneur and so much more …
But also – my dreams, my genius, my constancy to creative purpose didn’t get watered by me ALONE. So these days, you’ll probably catch me saying that I’m self-curated. Not self-made ~
Thank Angelique for them words!
But really and truly …
IT’S THE GROWTH FOR ME 🌱
I talk about this annoyance on Instagram all the time … my BIGGEST pain point as an artist: being looked at as just an artist instead of
a well-rounded creative PROFESSIONAL.
But once I got serious about my personal brand – curating images of HOW I want to be perceives in the world, digging deep into what I really want to be known for and truly leaning into my DOPE-factor, with full understanding that the presentation happens before the presentation , everything started to align ~
My passions. My purpose. And my pockets!
Now, when I sat back to reflect while preparing for the event – my first keynote speaking experience and I had an aha moment where I realized I had successfully self-curated an entirely bankable LIFEstyle … from DC to Japan, tho!
This is a personal flex y’all bout to hear about forevs so don’t e’en trip.
Let the chu’ch say AMEN!
Here are the 4 most IMPORTANT things I did to level up for my biz & brand ~
Crazy thing is … Even as an author, I didn’t see how crystal clear I made myself by putting my creative intelligence front and center as an answer to that single pain point, until preparing for this keynote experience.
But in true personal brand fashion ~
Literally. I came to the table like …
There wasn’t a seat at the table for me, so I built myself a stage!
The day’s stage for this big event was in my room, turned walk-in closet and shared home studio space. But after a little thought, I had the perfect way to make my grand entrance to the Passports & Pastries virtual stage.
LIKE THE MOFO ICON I AM!
Look. My closet is a journal.
And while I was excited for this experience I had no idea what my mood was to find the right ‘fit’ yah know?! So I let the cards speak ~
I felt excited but just ok for the first fit. but felt it needed “more” so I listened to me. I turned everything off and started hanging up clothes, still with my card at top of mind.
and my yukata came out. I’ve only worn it once and have always wanted a special occassion to wear it. I’ve only worn it once sincevit was gifted from a friend
and whoah.
air & water =
Her Majesty, The Magical Shi Shi Hatshepsut (more about my ICON name & what’s to come later)
I’ve never felt more comfortable knowing that I’m truly only social (extrovert) in the space of being a caregiver/ nurturer.
Otherwise I just exist –
peacefully or violently as needed.
But necessary to life AND death … like air & water ~
And while I just be exisitng it’s high time I truly recognize the power in my dopiness and quantify my intangibles 🤧
Cuz Life (real life AND my coach) was like naw…
YOU DOPE DOPE! 😅
So we gon’ flex from here.
Be sure to subscribe to access the PASSPORTS & PASTRIES EXPERIENCE replay, free!
Hope y’all don’t mind dat …
I’m the loudest introvert in the room
But really and truly, even in building my own dayum stage, I didn’t come into my greatness … alone.
Indeed, I have visions that I’ll need to complete my own reality. But I wouldn’t be able to paint them without support.
Was That Helpful?
If you think you can’t do this. If you think you can’t chase your passions to purpose and thrive. Here’s a reminder that YOU CAN. ✨
And I know you’re ready to make 2022 your best creative year yet.
So let’s make make that happen!
My FULL STORY is YOUr manifesto to unlocking the hustle in chasing your passions to creative purpose so that you can create your own dreamy bankable lifestyle.
As always, I’M ROOTING FOR YOU!
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