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My Week As a Fashion Blogger

I had a blast at Birmingham Fashion Week 2014 hanging out with my pal Ivette Thomas of AllAboutBham.com

In my next writing life, I want to be a fashion blogger.

So last week I dove head first into the wild world of style by covering Birmingham Fashion Week 2014.

But first I needed something to wear. Early last month I enlisted the help of Megan LaRussa Chenoweth, founder of fashion consulting firm Southern Femme.

Chenoweth helped me put together two looks for Birmingham Fashion Week. For my first outfit we “shopped my closet.” Chenoweth showed me how to put together old clothes in new and unexpected ways. She paired a coral peplum top with a cobalt blue pencil skirt. It was actually look I’d wanted to try, but I worried wearing two bold colors together would be too much. Chenoweth explained that these colors work well together because they share the same vibrancy. And she advised that I go with neutral accessories, because “You don’t want to look like a Crayola box.”

I wore that outfit to Birmingham Fashion Week’s Homegrown night, which was a showcase of local designers.

Megan LaRussa Chenoweth of Southern Femme and I shopped my closet for this look.

Then we headed to Target to shop for a maxi dress. I bought two and of those decided to wear the floral frock to Birmingham Fashion Week’s Lifestyle night. When I got dressed that evening my husband said “You look like you should be sitting on a rock playing a guitar singing India Arie’s ‘Ready for Love’ while the seagulls fly by.”

I think that was a compliment.

I sported this maxi dress to the Lifestyle night of Birmingham Fashion Week 2014.

The best part of my time with Chenoweth, however, was a writing exercise she had me do.

Write a sentence that defines your style, Chenoweth instructed. Like a good student, I pulled out my notebook and pen and quickly got to work.

“OK, I think I have it,” I announced a few minutes later. “Javacia is always effortlessly stylish, exuding confidence and power while still being approachable and feminine.”

Chenoweth smiled and said, “Perfect!” I’d made my teacher proud.

I wrote about my style journey with Chenoweth for WBHM, Birmingham’s NPR affiliate, and chatted about my experience last week on air. You can read my article and listen to my interview here.

Elizabeth Singleton at Birmingham Fashion Week 2013
Photo by Brandon Pinola, Courtesy Birmingham Fashion Week

Birmingham Fashion Week was inspiring. I was inspired by Elizabeth Singleton, the winner of the Emerging Designer at Birmingham Fashion Week 2013. The designs she showed at this year’s Birmingham Fashion Week were inspired by a sunset. How admirable to be inspired by the simple yet spectacular beauty of nature! Singleton lives in New York these days but is determined to make Birmingham look good while she’s there. You can read my interview with her at See Jane Write Magazine.

I also had the chance to interview Milo Beloved of the local vintage lifestyle brand Harold&MOD. During our chat I realized that writing and blogging are always on my mind. So much of what Beloved had to say about his work as a designer could also be applied to my work as a writer. And so I wrote 5 Lessons Bloggers Can Learn From Fashion Designers for SeeJaneWriteBham.com.

I’m ready for my close up!

The major takeaway from my stint as a fashion blogger was this: fashion is more about confidence than it is about clothes. From my time with Chenoweth and my interview with Singleton to my chats with other bloggers covering the event it was clear that when it comes to great style confidence is king. This was obvious in the daring designs I saw on the runway and the bold and beautiful models who wore them.

And so I realized that perhaps being a fashion blogger is not what I really want. What I truly wish for is a blog that, as my style statement articulates, exudes “confidence and power” and inspires the same in my readers.

B-Metro Write Like a Girl

How I Landed My Own Column (Without Writing a Pitch)

Photo by Sherri Ross Walters

Just as I do at the end of every year, this past December I wrote down a list of goals for 2014. This time, though, I did things a bit differently. This time I wrote my goals as declarations not aspirations. So instead of writing “I want to land my own column in a local print publication,” I wrote “I will land my own column in a local print publication.” And by January 31 I had done exactly that.

I am now a columnist for B-Metro magazine. My first piece ran in this month’s issue and addresses the issue of whether or not there is a feminist aesthetic. In other words, can you tell a person is a feminist by looking at her?

My column, called Write Like a Girl, will tackle everyday feminism and women’s issues each month. You can read my debut piece “This Is What a Feminist Looks Like” here.

When I wrote down my declaration last year I also determined that once I did snag this column opportunity I would write a post about how I did it. In the post I would examine the anatomy of the perfect pitch. But I didn’t write the perfect pitch. In fact, I didn’t write any pitch. I was actually offered this opportunity before I had the chance to ask for it.

Nonetheless, I do have a few tips to offer.

Believe in your goals. I’m a woman of faith. If you’re not, this tip might sound a bit weird, but it’s similar to concepts explored in books like The Secret. I truly think that one reason I got this opportunity is because I believed I would. I had faith, faith that I displayed by writing out this goal as a declaration and not simply as an aspiration.

Share your goals. I also believe in the power of simply saying your dreams out loud. You have to be careful with this. You can’t share your dreams with everyone. Some people are haters and will discourage you from going after your goals. But I am fortunate enough to have a group of women in my life who support me, women I met through See Jane Write. One evening at a coffee shop in Homewood I shared my dream with my pal Tanya Sylvan. The glow in her eyes showed she believed I could achieve this as much as I did and that gave me the confidence boost I needed to enter the new year with boldness. Furthermore, sharing your dreams can help in a practical sense as your friends can let you know when they learn of opportunities that may help you with your goals.

Support the goals of others. I have this mantra about blogging that I often preach: Focus on people, not page views. Some may think that the editors of B-Metro approached me about writing a column because I have a wildly popular blog that gets millions of page views each month. I do not. But this little blog you’re reading right now is part of a bigger project. For the past three years I’ve been offering panel discussions, workshops, and networking events for local female writers and bloggers through the See Jane Write organization and I’ve made name for myself among local editors in the process. I landed my freelance gigs with UAB Magazine and WBHM 90.3 FM because of See Jane Write. By striving to help people make their dreams come true I began to realize my dreams as well.

Have you landed a column with a local or national publication? How did you do it?

Originally posted at SeeJaneWriteBham.com.

blogging WBHM

Going Natural: It’s Not Just a Hairstyle, It’s a Lifestyle

It was the summer of 2002, and I was probably on hour three of the tedious process of attempting to straighten my hair with all the heat my scalp could stand. This, of course, was in addition to the chemical hair relaxer occasionally applied to my tresses. While I wrestled with my hair, my roommate turned to me and said, “Maybe your hair doesn’t want to be straight. Why don’t you just wear it curly?”

Those words changed everything.

I was 21 at the time, and in my two decades of living no one had ever suggested that wearing my hair in its naturally curly state was OK. Many black girls grow up with everyone from the media to their mommas telling them that pretty hair is straight hair. So when an African American woman decides – as I did that summer – to forego straightening her hair with chemical relaxers, it can feel like a revolutionary act. Or even a spiritual experience.

“It’s not just a hairstyle, it’s a lifestyle,” says Victor Simmons. Simmons and his brother, Jeffrey Simmons, started the Visions Natural Hair & Health Expo in Birmingham three years ago.

In my latest post for WBHM I discussed my decision to go natural 12 years ago and chatted with the creators of the Visions Natural Hair & Health Expo. Read the complete post and hear an excerpt my on-air segment here.

blogging I Am That Girl

How to Beat Feminist Burnout – Guest Post for I Am That Girl

I recognized the look in their faces. It was a look I’d seen in the mirror far too many times. It was the look of frustration and complete overwhelm. It was the look of feminist burnout.

The two young women standing before me were two students in the 10th grade English class I taught that year. They were two students that – after the school day was done – I had long talks with about feminism, activism, and art.

These two students of mine came to me on this particular afternoon filled with rage about rape culture and feeling helpless to do anything about it or anything else. They began to rattle off all the injustices we women still face and the sexist attitudes that they felt would prevent our society from ever achieving gender equality.

Then they took a breath and looked to me, the grownup in the room, for answers.

I had none.

I don’t know of any simple ways to end rape culture or change the sexist attitudes held by both men and women.

But I do know how to beat feminist burnout. I know how to be a happy feminist.

Beating feminist burnout is the topic of my first guest post for I Am That Girl, a feminist website, book, and movement for teen girls.

You can read the complete post here.

I am so excited, honored and proud to be part of the I Am That Girl family.

B-Metro blogging freelancing The Writeous Babe Project UAB Magazine WBHM

Currently – The Writer’s Edition

At the Vitalogy Wellness Center Open House Party and having too much fun on the job with my pal Tanya.

Currently is a feature Dani Hampton of Sometimes Sweet and several other bloggers I follow occasionally post on their sites. Currently is essentially a list of what you’re into at the moment and is a great way for your readers to get to know you better. Today I decided to do a Currently post with a twist. And so I present Currently — The Writer’s Edition.

Freelancing for UAB Magazine, along with several other local media outlets. Because I am a teacher, my piece State of Education: UAB Alumni Serve at Alabama’s Top Teachers means a lot to me. This piece for UAB Magazine was one of the first opportunities I’ve had to marry my interest in education with my journalistic work.

Brainstorming ideas for short stories and poems. This is something I haven’t done since college, but lately I’ve been thinking a lot about getting back into writing fiction and poetry. Perhaps it’s because I’m so inspired by my students in our school’s creative writing department. Or perhaps it’s because of all wonderful literature read by the women who participated in Phenomenal Woman, the African-American read-in See Jane Write hosted last month. The powerful prose and poetry read that night reminded me of why I fell in love with writing in the first place. It wasn’t see my name in magazines or on the cover of books. It wasn’t for blog page views either. I wrote because I loved to do so. Last month’s See Jane Write event made me want to write like a girl again. I want to sit in my room for hours writing not because I need to meet a deadline but because I just can’t help myself.

Pitching to WBHM. Each month I’m pitching story ideas to my city’s NPR affiliate. Each month you can find a new blog post by yours truly on WBHM.org. And on the last Friday of each month you can catch me on the air at 90.3 FM (or on the website if you don’t live in Birmingham) discussing my latest post. Last month I explored the meaning of feminism and womanism in a post called In Search of My Womanist Self. You can hear an excerpt of my radio segment here.

Blogging about wellness. Not only am I’m writing about my fitness adventures as I attempt to exercise daily, but on March 6 I had the opportunity to cover the Vitalogy Wellness Center Open House Party as part of B-Metro magazine’s Blog Team. While I was there I even had my first Ashiatsu massage. That’s right; I let somebody walk on my back for the sake of a blog post. It was worth it.

What’s going on in your writing life?

Cross-posted at The Writeous Babe Project.

blogging The Writeous Babe Project WBHM

The Joy of Exercise

Did you catch me on WBHM today discussing my everyday fitness challenge?
If not, hear an excerpt of the interview here.

This morning on WBHM 90.3 FM, Birmingham’s NPR affiliate, discussing my 365 days of fitness challenge. As I announced at the start of the year, in 2014 I plan to exercise every single day. I am a guest blogger for WBHM’s website and for my latest post — Strong Is the New Skinny — I explained why I’m embarking on this challenge and had a chat with fitness professional Kelly Creel for some guidance. Creel, who is the co-owner of Inspire Fitness Birmingham, actually doesn’t think I’m crazy for planning to work out daily.

“The human body was engineered for movement, so moving it every day in some form, even if that’s at a light intensity, is a wonderful goal,” Creel said. She did, however, give me some tips on how to prevent injury during my challenge. She recommended light workouts such as restorative yoga or a leisurely walk outside once or twice a week. She also said I should let myself off the hook and take a break if I’m sick.

At this point I’ve been exercising daily for a month and I’m loving it! If the idea of working out every day sounds absolutely miserable, you probably need to change your idea of exercise. If I were on the treadmill (or dreadmill, as I call) every day or the boring elliptical 7 days a week I would absolutely hate this and probably wouldn’t have lasted one week. But for the past month exercise has meant going for a run on my favorite trail, going for a walk with a friend, and grooving and moving with the Wii game Just Dance. It’s meant Spinning classes and yoga. It’s meant building strength with Jillian Michaels DVDs.

When I was in college I taught group fitness classes and each time I laced up my sneakers and put on that microphone headset I was in a zone. There was no care or concern that my Funk Aerobics class couldn’t dance away.

But somewhere along the way I started viewing exercise as something that I had to do to shed the extra weight I picked up over the years and tone up muscles that were no longer as firm as they were in college.

This month, however, I have rediscovered the joy of exercise. Exercise is a privilege. It’s a privilege to have a body that, for the most part, moves when and how I want it to. It’s a privilege to be able to afford Spinning and yoga classes, running shoes and even $10 Jillian Michaels DVDs. It’s privilege to have free time that I may use to do things I love to make my body feel good. Working out isn’t something I have to do; it’s something I get to do.

If you missed my interview this morning, I believe it will air again this evening around 5:30 p.m. Tune in!

*Originally posted on January 31, 2014 at The Writeous Babe Project.

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