5 Questions from Mom
1. You always knew you wanted to work in the fashion/music entertainment industry, but originally, it was on the design side. How did you zero in on the PR side of it? When and how did that crystallise for you?
That was one of those things that just happened... I think just I realized I had the personality for it. As much as I want to be the creative type, I have accepted the fact that I am more of an organized, right-brain thinker... I like to coordinate an event , such as figuring out guest list and deciding who to invite rather than figure out flowers and couches. But on the flip side, I'm so creative when it comes to hair and make-up and clothes... that's why I freelance on the weekends (or call out sick to do jobs). I need something to nourish my soul.
But when I met and became friends with my boss (while I still worked at my old job) he saw it in me... he has always said that I have my finger on the pulse and I know what's hot, and he basically ordered me to come work with him. And since he literally makes millions telling the world what's hot, I feel pretty great that on a daily basis, he asks ME what's hot.
2. If you could work from home, pure telecommute, where would home be? I'm talking as a main base; in this scenario, you can travel anywhere at any time. Where would the bulk of your time be?
Daym and I had this conversation just last week ... I think at this point, Miami. I love the weather, and the energy of the city. I guess it's so American of me, because places like London, Barcelona, and Rome flew through my mind. Even Jamaica and Trinidad. But I am an American city girl at heart. New York is such an energy drain, L.A. is a little too laid back, the Bay Area is great for me for about 4 days. Miami is that perfect mix of sun, sand, music and nightlife. In an American city.
3. NY is not really set up as driver-friendly. As a California kid, do you ever miss driving?
Oh my God, yes!!! I love taking D's car and driving upstate; going too fast, blasting my music, opening the sunroof... But once we get back to the city I have to swap. Driving in Manhattan gives me a complex. It's like a video game. You never know when a taxi or towncar or bike messenger is just going to dart out in front of you. It's nerve-wracking.
4. Describe yourself as you think you'll be ten years from now. Not physical - I'm talking about your life in general.
Also part of that conversation I had with D ... God, I start typing then just delete, I've done it three times. I think I'm going to be doing similar things to what I do now, but more stream-lined. Right now I work my job and I do events and publicity and marketing, and then I do my free-lance make-up. I see myself figuring out how to take all of that and make it work just for me. I don't want to work for anybody else, want to be my own boss. But I will definitely still be involved in entertainment... I'm just networking to cultivate those relationships for the future. I will definitely own my own home. That is my next goal. The weird thing is, I can't picture WHERE any of this takes place. Miami would be great though.
5. One that was asked of me, and I'm curious, so I'm passing this one on to you: first really cool childhood memory that comes to mind?
It's not a distinct memory (since we're talking about the first thing that pops into mind) but I remember every Sunday, Golden Gate Park would close to traffic, and only bike's, skates, and boards would be allowed. And literally every Sunday with Dad, we would go to the Park (since it was 5 blocks from his house). I remember it all the way back to when I rode on a seat on the back of his bike to my first pink bike (i remember the birthday party when I got that bike, too, at the park on Vicente by Mom's house), to my "adult" brown bike. And we would always stop at 8th Avenue, where the "Ghetto Blasters" (remember the old 80's term for those big boom boxes?) would be on and the break dancers would be poppin' and lockin' on their skates in the park, and everyone would crowd around and watch.
It's so funny how your life turns out. I think back to a memory like that, about how that rap music in the 80's became a part of my soul, and those break dancers became a part of my culture... and now my job is working for someone... not someone, THE ONE, who gets hired by Fortune 500 companies to translate hip hop and music culture to the masses.
I was having drinks with my friend Akinah on Friday night and she said "Your soul is so black!" And I started laughing and said "What the hell does THAT mean?!" And she said, "I can't explain it. You are just like anybody in my family, like everyone I grew up with. You're a black girl inside." And I said, "No, that's just the new generation. For city kids especially, all of those cultures just mixed from our childhoods. I'm like everybody." And she nodded and said I was right.