It was my birthday last week and while I usually don’t care much about my birthday, in recent years it’s always been a positive milestone in my life. While I typically cringe at growing older, my birthday acts as a great launching pad for good things to come. I started working my current job last year on my birthday. Four years ago I met my current boss for the first time on my birthday. Two years ago I planned my very first birthday party as an adult–and people came!

Overall, my thirties have been pretty great so far. I’m still working on being an actual adult, which means I still gotta figure out my health, my home and my relationships. Maybe that will be my focus for year 31. I feel as though I am really transitioning into that next phase of life. Gone are those years of insecurity and doubt from my quarterlife crisis. I may not know all the answers like I wish I did, but I’m okay with not knowing everything. And somehow someway I have managed to be confident about a lot of things I was never really confident about before. Growing up. It works.

I’m really looking forward to this year, I’m looking forward to what God will do in my life. He’s been pretty amazing, I swear He always tops Himself year after year.

And now I leave you with this bit of awesomeness:

• Age 31… Is this when a woman is at the peak of her appeal?

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I remember I used to love to blog. I used to love to write. I still love writing, I just don’t have time for it as much as I used to. Or, let’s say I don’t make time for it as much as I used to. What’s been taking up my time?

Work.

I’m not sure I could love my job any more than I already do. It’s the right mix of fun and adventure with just enough challenge to keep me interested and inspired to do better.

Anyway, enough gushing about my job. We’re here to give an info dump on what I’ve been up to, what I am loving and more. So here we go:

• I gave a pretty detailed Q&A interview on Madame Noire about my career, schooling, etc. Go read it here.
• I went to the GRAMMYs for the third time. It was amazing! Read my posts about this past season here. I have pictures somewhere. I may upload them at some point.
• One of the web series I produce, How I Made It, is in its second season (yay!). Check out the new batch of fashionistas here.
• I’ve been flying all over the place. Mostly NYC and LA, but I was in Houston and SFO recently. Going to Utah and Florida soon. I love to travel! Need to get out of this country, though.
• I’m still hiring. I am always hiring, it seems. New jobs. New positions. I’m slow to hire, as I’m always looking for the perfect fit for my team. My team? They’re all awesome, and I love to do work with them. I strive to preserve this about my team.
• I’m producing a documentary. I am working with some great people. I am excited about this. I wish I could tell you more.

Other than that, I’ve been sitting around counting my blessings. Let’s talk about that, shall we? I may not have everyone’s approval in terms of what I do for a living, where I work, how much I work, where I live, how I live my life, who I hang out with, what I do with my time. However. I know this one thing, the most important thing of all: I was created and made to be exactly where I am at this moment in time. And nobody can say or do anything to make me feel any kind of way about it. Nobody. This is not shade I’m serving to anyone in particular. Really. I just need to get this off my chest, and perhaps I needed to type it out so I can keep this at the forefront of my mind in times of doubt. Also, so I can remember who is really in control here.

I don’t know how long this will last, I do not know where it is going. But when you’ve been through a series of events wondering where all of this is going and then you get to a point in your life where it all “fits” like a convoluted masterpiece, you sit back and look at it all and realize, there is no way I could have gotten to Point X, if I hadn’t stopped at Point J first–no matter how miserable Point J seemed at the time–Point J is what I needed in order to get through Point L and whoa, Point X is kind of amazing. This is how I know God is with me, and has been with me the entire time. I’ve been in this special place before, where everything fit like a glove, and it is the most amazing feeling ever. I know it doesn’t last forever because you’ve got to keep moving, keep growing, and growth doesn’t happen in places of comfort. But for now, I’m happy. This season of life is great.

By no means is life perfect right now. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything and honestly, my improved relationship with God the past few years has been the best thing to happen to me. I very much appreciate the legacy of faith my mom and parents have instilled in me. I have no idea where I would be if I hadn’t found Jesus, even though I found Him when I was 6 years old and can barely remember life without Him. I don’t mean to get all preachy (I hate preachy), but I just needed to share this sentiment that is on my heart.

I feel good.

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I’m looking for interns, producers and editors for my department over at my job (new site coming soon!).

If you aren’t aware, I’m the Managing Director of a production studio for a new media company and I manage production staff/interns for our LA and NYC offices. I need to find some people as soon as possible (interns are ongoing)

Some of the NYC positions may be able to hire/work out of the LA office if I can’t find anyone in the NYC area. Or maybe I’ll hire for both in both offices. My department is growing really fast, so you never know!

LA OFFICE

• Production Intern – For Credit Only: http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/tfr/2804836568.html

NY OFFICE

• FULL TIME: Video Content Editor: http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/tfr/2806594353.html
• FULL TIME: Producer: http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/tfr/2807352431.html
• Post-Production Intern (For Credit Only): http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/tfr/2804941861.html
• Social Media & Editorial Intern (For Credit Only): http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/wri/2804832950.html
• Production Intern (For Credit Only): http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/tfr/2804834662.html

Apply. Send to people looking for jobs. Lather, rinse, repeat.

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More regular writing in 2012.

Promise.

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Yesterday I launched a new series for my job (job? yes–I have a job! more on it later—I’m too busy working). It is called “How I Made It” and it profiles Black women who have made it in the fashion and beauty industry. Our first episode features Mikki Taylor, former Beauty & Cover Editor for ESSENCE Magazine. Mikki is a pretty awesome lady. Shooting this was the first time I have experienced her in the flesh, and I enjoyed every minute of it!

This is the third series I’ve launched for the job so far. Each project is special to me for one reason or another, and every new series is my new favorite. I am pretty proud of this piece, which is saying a lot–I am hardly ever proud of my work for longer than 10 seconds immediately following launching. The team I put together to pull all of this off was amazing. From the makeup artist to the motion graphics team to the director, editor and DP, to the producer, the musician who created the music and of course our regular staff who had lots of input. I think this may have been the first piece we’ve done that I couldn’t stop watching over and over again. I think my favorite part of this whole thing is I got it done right under budget, ha!

I really enjoy producing video content for the web. It’s happening for me really quickly, but being able to tell visual stories that you can’t find in mainstream media–especially those about and for Black people is kinda….cool. I am loving the opportunity to be able to do this.

Watch the video below.

My next web series on deck is gonna be AMAZING! Stay tuned.

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In case you didn’t know, I am a big nerd. I am also a big sap. So when I heard the news that Steve Jobs had passed away today, I kinda broke down in tears. In public. Ugly crying, everywhere.

First, let me rewind. Six weeks ago Steve stepped down from his position at Apple, and I guess I knew then that it was a wrap. Steve had always said when his health got so bad that he could no longer lead Apple, he would step down. And when that day had come, I knew things had to be dire, because Steve struck me as the kinda guy who would try to work until his dying day. I shed some tears that day, knowing his time had to be soon.

I came home crying this evening (finally home where I could really break down) and my roommate thought I was a bit crazy for crying over the passing of a man I had never met. But, much like Michael Jackson, Steve was a cultural game changer for the majority of my life.

My first interaction with a (cool) personal computer was some early model Macintosh. Sure, I’d played Oregon Trail on some sort of early model IBM. But I remember loving computers and thinking they were awesome in 7th grade when my Journalism teacher taught us how to lay out our school newspaper on a Macintosh. It was way more interactive, it made cute, cool sounds and it was easy to work with. In High School, we did our art projects on Macs in Art class. At home, our very first computer was an Apple laptop. My first interactions with the Internet was through an Apple computer, and today I make my living on the Internet. The first computer my parents bought for me in college was a graphite iMac. Every computer I’ve ever purchased as an adult has been a Mac. My first (and last! lol) boyfriend was an Apple Genius. I remember the day I bought my first iPod, convinced that me and 50 Cent had to be the only Black people on the planet who owned iPods…and that was cool. I remember the day I bought my first iPhone. And as a budding entrepreneur and someone trying to mold her career, I’ve admired Steve’s passion, business acumen, and innovation.

In some way shape or form, Steve Jobs has influenced the way I consume and produce media, the way I think, and he’s had a hand in how I communicate with the world. I know we all have a limited time on this earth, but I think one can only hope that they will leave behind a legacy as impactful as Steve’s.

Rest in peace.

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I’ve been super busy lately because I have been in the throws of producing  an original web series for a client. I’ve reached a milestone (the series debuted!), so I figured I would weigh in with some thoughts and an update.

Have I produced a web series before? No. Since high school, I’ve made small video projects over the years but nothing with a budget, an idea, and a team of people to work with to make it happen.  After a longtime client asked me to help oversee his production studio, this web series landed on my desk and I did my best to make it work.

I like challenges.

Enter She’s The Boss

The overall concept of the series She’s The Boss was semi-packaged by the time I stepped on the scene: it would be a series profiling NYC’s Black businesswomen and industry leaders. 20 women, 20 episodes,  5-7 minutes each and sponsored by General Mills. There were some big challenges though: we did not have any guests confirmed, the creative aspects of the series hadn’t been finalized, the client had just bought the show and it needed to go up ASAP. It would be a hustle to get this project up and going. We could do this, right?

Right.

The series debuted last week, and it’s been an exciting few weeks to say the least. We’re still booking guests, but the guest list and shoots have been awesome. We shoot almost every week and every shoot day is different, with its own set of challenges and personalities. The other day I was on set tearing up a bit by just how inspiring and awesome our guest for Episode 3 was. I did a walk through on location with the guest for Episode 5 today and she had the best energy. It’s an exciting time to be working on projects like this.

Episode 1: Ericka Dotson, Indique Hair

This was our first shoot–ever–and Ericka Dotson was great. She has awesome energy and her team is very well put together and fun to work with. I was nervous about the shoot but it went well. It’s not 100% perfect, so you know my inner perfectionist is uncomfortable, but overall I am happy. I look forward to our other episodes building on top of this one. Check out Episode 2 over here, featuring my soror Michelle James.

Being A Boss Lady

She’s The Boss is an aptly named series for my first project in this role as I get comfortable with being “the boss” of a team of folks.  I’ve worked for myself for the last 3 years, so it’s been a while since I worked with a team, let alone worked in a leadership capacity. I’m still growing, learning how to lead, getting my stride together, etc, so being on set with these phenomenal ladies has been a a great “learning on the job” experience. These interviews keep me grounded and reinforce to me what it means to a woman and a leader. It’s okay to be confident, it’s okay to be “aggressive,” it’s okay to be a perfectionist, and it’s okay to delegate.

I can’t wait to finish shooting this series! For now, you can catch a new episode every Thursday on MadameNoire.com/ShesTheBoss.

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Dry and boring.

It’s been a while since my last entry, and so much has happened.

Just when I thought turning 30 was going to be boring and borderline pathetic it turned out to be the best thing to happen to me. It’s as if 30 was a literal turning point in my life. After 12 months of being in the backside of the desert, I found myself in a place where….I was meant to be. I can’t really do the story justice. But, let’s just say there have been times in my life where I was absolutely positively sure this was where God meant and wanted me to be, and for the last year or so I hadn’t been feeling like I was in that Perfect Place. The ultimate frustration is when you know you’re not in the right place, but you don’t know how to get where you should be. So you wander around, hoping one day it will all make sense. Welp. I wandered long enough and now? Life is grand. Full. Overflowing.

A brief rundown of awesome things and lessons I’ve learned in the past few months:

• Didn’t have a birthday party, but truly saw how great my friends really are.
• I have more clients than I can handle. Which means more money than I can really handle.
• Closer relationship with God. This is super big. I look back and I am thankful for the foundation and legacy of faith  my mother set for me as a child.
• Re-prioritized people and things in my life. Demoted those that were taking up too much energy and time and returning very little value. Feeling much better about the things and people I spend my time on.
• Moved the needle on putting God first in my life. I’m not 100% there, but I am much closer than I was before.
• Simplified my life. Keep it simple, stupid.
• Timing is everything. There really are no coincidences, especially the ones that seem to be bizarrely popping up in my life.
• I am looking forward to taking another trip to Haiti this year! Going in September. I’ll be writing about fundraising for the trip shortly, and some other cool news.

I have a few other exciting things I’ve been working on in terms of career, but I will save that for another day. I’m learning that I am not my occupation, and while there are some cool things going on, they’re not necessarily definitive of who I am.

I’m overjoyed!

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I’m turning 30 in a few weeks (more like 10 days), and I decided to pick up my bags and come to LA for a few weeks. I needed a life recharge, desperately.

I’m both excited and nervous about 30. I hear you get more confident in your 30s, and I’m looking to gain that. But, I still feel like an underdeveloped adult. Perhaps this won’t change until I have a child. And perhaps I won’t have a child until I change. Life seems like a big Catch-22 sometimes.

I’ve been picking fights with friends lately. I’m growing. Most of the fights have to do with how I’m growing. I’m hoping they stay patient with me.

I’ve quit dating for a year. 12 whole months. Yup. No dating until May 17, 2012. And I’m about to turn 30.  Am I crazy? I might be. But I’ve got some things I’ve got to get right with myself and with God. So for now, dating is off the table. More on that later. Or maybe, in another location and later.

Although I hated chopping my hair off 2 years ago, it was one of the best things I did for my hair. It’s much healthier now, and much like how I remembered it in high school. Don’t be afraid to look ugly, temporarily. Beauty comes eventually. Hopefully.

I miss my parents. I don’t really talk or think about them on a daily basis, as I’ve managed to make a life as far away from them as possible. But. I miss them. I have 4-hour telephone conversations with my mom and sometimes wish I could record them so I can play them back years from now and remember her words of wisdom. I’m staying with my dad in LA and within the first hour of seeing him, he’d given me sage advice about a lot of things I’ve been battling internally for quite some time. I know my parents aren’t perfect. Far from it. But the areas in which they’re top shelf, they run it. And I love them for it. As I grow older, I realize more and more just how amazing they are. Sometimes I think they feel the same way about me.

I am still jobless. But client work is a bit overwhelming. In a good way.

This changed my love/sex/dating/Jesus life. The whole series. If you ever had hangups or questions with purity, the church and celibacy, or ever wanted to know how to manage your modern love life while maintaining your faith, then this series is great: The New Rules for Love, Sex & Dating. I have many thoughts and things to say on it, but right now is not the place or time. Stay tuned.

Back to recharging.

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