Tick Tock

Time flies by so quickly.  Tomorrow I will be attending my goddaughter's graduation from fifth grade.  My bestie and I are celebrating 30 years of friendship later this year.  And this July 29th marks my official thirteenth year as owner of Sorta Kinda Enterprises.

I remember when I walked to the courthouse in downtown Brooklyn on that hot summer day so many years ago and filed my sole proprietorship papers.  It was not a sense of accomplishment that I felt, but it was just one of those things that one must do to classify your endeavor as a business.  Little did I know that it would be my first giant step in my evolution as a business owner and an independent fashion designer.

Some of you know it has not been an easy road and my net worth might even be less than what is was before I started on this fashion odyssey.  But it continues to be a trek that is free of second thoughts.  The simple truth is that I love what I do.  My fashion business has provided me with a sense of purpose.   From the moment I sketch a design to the time that it is made into an actual garment, I am giddy.  Ebullient.  Happy.  I don't know what I would do if I could not create fashion.  Lucky for me I don't have to entertain the thought.  Never mind Father Time as long as I have Lady Fashion to keep me company.

Peace & Fashion!

Don't Hate!

Okay, so it is time for me to come clean.  Earlier in my career, not that long ago, I would analyze the careers of some of my more established colleagues.  And I'd compare their seemingly meteoric rise to fashion stardom with my plight as I continued to languish in fashion anonymity.  Struggling to find creative ways to finance my dream, my reality was the cause of much consternation.  How had the young cat with the curly hair made such a splash and become the new darling of Seventh Avenue?  Why wasn't it my creations that magazines and store buyers and celebrities spoke of so impassionately?  Secretly, I wanted all the adoration and riches that young designers like him enjoyed and the fact that I had been passed over plagued me.  I thought I was as talented, if not more so.  I had integrity.  And I listened to all the constructive criticism that was provided by industry vets.  But the brass ring was still handed off to others.  "Damn them," I thought.

As I get older, I get wiser.  Now, I no longer compare myself to anyone else.  My path is unique and it is all mine.  I realize that all the riches and blessings in store for me are meant for me.  And me alone.  The current darlings of Fashion Avenue may have surpassed me for the time being, but we all know who won that race between the tortoise and the hare.  And I don't feel like I have to measure myself against the golden children of fashion.  I just want to be my best.  No more hating!  And I am moving along at my own winning pace.

Peace & Fashion!

Paradise

I have opposing forces pulling at me.  On one hand, I am all Zen and connected to the universe as I invoke the preacher's words from Sunday's church service with declarations like "I am a winner!"  But on the other, I am worried that I will never quite measure up to the bigness of my dreams in the fashion world becoming just a small footnote that was never quite in vogue.  I wrestle with these 2 frames of mind often.  And so on the eve of what is to be my big launch, the angel and the devil are chillin' on my shoulders once again whispering in each of my ears as I try to press forward.  I'd rather listen to the angel with her ceaseless message of my success, but sometimes that devil encroaches and I become a panic-stricken fool.  My dresses are progressing nicely, though not at the pace that I would like them to.  Things are falling into place.  My creativity is through the roof.  But I just cannot get too overjoyed, yet.  Much still has to be done.  And I don't know how it's all going to play out.  But I just want to continue to trust my faith in myself and in my journey.  After all, a kind of paradise is on the horizon.  And it is filled with beautiful women wearing my dresses that they bought from the stores that I have always imagined carrying my line.  They are the kind of stores that dispense pretty shopping bags stuffed with tissue paper and provide unparalleled service.  Paradise is my destiny.  The devil be damned.

Peace & Fashion!

The Roof Is On Fire!

It's been hot as hell!  At least that's what some have reported back to me after their visit to the fiery depths.  But the heat cannot impede my progress with the collection.  I've gotten a ton of advance praise for my aesthetic from my fellow bloggers who represent the curvy customer.  And I am so pleased.  I will admit that it feels a little strange to go from a fashion community that virtually ignores me to a tight-knit club who reveres my work.  But I ain't complaining.  I really appreciate it, ladies!  Thank you.  One issue that has remained constant, however, is how my business partners and I are always on the hunt for valid and creative ways to finance our endeavor.  It is quite a challenge.  And I know I am only speaking to the choir because all of us are faced with a similar conundrum.  This time, though, the universe has spoken and there is a demand for what I do.  Unlike any other time, women are more interested in learning how they can find the dresses for purchase instead of just congratulating me saying, "That's pretty."  A few weeks ago, I had a phone conversation with my milliner friend, OH, and my sister-in-law who is such a gifted photographer.  I was telling them that I think the secret to financial success is to stop obsessing about money or in our cases the lack of it.  We should just release it as an issue and not worry about it.  If we can focus on the joy that our craft brings and just continue to look for new ways to express our creativity, then I think the dollars will come.  Listen, I heard it on Oprah and she's got a little stash, so it must be the gospel.  So I am taking her advice.  And it's not just her.  It's a lesson that is hard learned, so it is a message that I read or hear from other successful people.  And I just need to live it.  I was born a winner.  I feel it in my soul.  And I know that all of you are winners, too.  Now that's what's up!  Check out some of the notices that we've gotten from some of my blogging divas by clicking on the following links:  The Curvy Fashionista, The Fat Apple, Madison Plus, The Fat Shopaholic, and The Bohemian Diva. 

Peace & Fashion!