Greetings!
 
            In this article we’re going to discuss something that many of us suffer in silence with on a day to day basis, knowing our worth and believing that we’re worth it. I have had the pleasure to speak with not only a strong poet, but also a dear friend of mine, Ebone. I’ll let you read the poem for yourself, let it sink into your spirit and lets discuss...
For What It's Worth:
 
A few questions were asked to Ebone to understand where she was mentally and emotionally in leading her to write this poem and how it allowed her to see that she is deserving of more. I’m more than positive that we can all relate to this dark place one way or another. Whether it be through family, friends, or relational neglect and pain. I would say in our moments of deep despair is when we dance toe to toe with our biggest demons and at that moment of true brokenness, you determine how to deal with it. If you take the easy route and suppress with the variety of “escapist” as Ebone called it, that we have immediate access to. Or you take the bold route, the brave route. The path that leads you to recognition in not only facing yourself in the mirror but what you allow to corrupt and damage you in your daily life. Before this poem you can say the writer was taking the easy way out. Let’s take a look at some of her responses to these questions..
What led you to write this poem?: “I was sitting in my living room. I had been drinking a lot, in fact that night I finished an entire bottle of wine” and while I was scrolling through my phone I was thinking about everything that was going on and was like aww man, something is wrong, something is going on. I was very emotional and I just felt moved for me to write, so I started writing. I just let it flow.
 
What was your general perspective on the poem?: “ I felt like it was very reflective of myself and where I was in this time of my life. When I wasn’t really facing who I was and I was just trying to numb the pain, trying to find myself in other people, trying to escape my thoughts, and trying to escape how i feel, with alcohol. I just noticed in myself that I have a lot of escapist within myself when I am dealing with a lot of things and so that’s where that poem came from. I was just tired of trying to find myself at the bottom of wine bottles. I’m trying to find myself, I’m trying to use things that will help me deal, but none of that helps it only numbs and more so it hurts. It diverts the responsibility from myself on to other things that truly can’t fulfill me. It was generally like what are you doing? In reality I was just trying to escape reality.
 
What actions were taken after writing this poem?:  “Ummmm, I cried, because it was like lethargic, it was very therapeutic, so in that process of release I was able to take myself a bit more serious. Even though in that my moment I didn’t begin to make the changes I needed to make. It was my first step to facing my issues. Realizing that I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror and that I didn’t like what I saw, along with what I was allowing into my life. By trying to escape these things it only made my life worse.”
 
Did it help you heal?: “yes , it did help me heal. At that time I wasn’t fully healed ,like I am getting there because now I am in counseling. But, it did help me cope. I really don’t write poems unless I am really moved to or if I have something to say. Poems is me writing a letter to myself about whatever the topic may be. My poems always have a story, or a person, or a feeling behind them. This poem, it was a way to cope and heal myself and forgive myself for allowing the things that I may have allowed and just telling myself that I am worth everything, that I am worth something, I am worth something, I am worth looking at myself in the mirror and changing, I am worth not trying to spread my pieces out to everybody.” 
 
This poem is one of raw and free emotions. In fact, as I was reading it. I realized for myself that recognition is key when going to that dark place of sadness, pain, uncertainty. We all have an outlet of some sort, channeling our energy to that can help us in assisting what’s going on internally. During our time of sorrow we often suppress whats really taking place. Whether it be sex, drugs, shopping, etc… instead of freeing ourselves from the very thing that keeps us bound to the chains that life latches on to us. Oblivion has its way of comfortability, a way of tricking us to think that we’re ok when really we aren’t. We call it “letting loose and having fun.” At times it's a little too much fun, consuming fun. Let’s be honest,  we’re just scared to face the issue. The thought of facing the reality of our situation is almost heartbreaking. Well, that's because it is. We have a defense mechanism with things that make us feel good, i.e. “the wine bottle,” to forget what's really going on and as soon as we come to finality that it’s time to deal with the problem, its this instant feeling of breaking and release above what we think we are able to handle. Truth is, it’s the only thing that will help us truly move on from what people may have put us through and what we have allowed people and life to put us through. The question is, do you know what you’re worth? Do you realize how powerful you really are? The gifts that you entail? The moment you realize that you will no longer settle for less for what you would give to yourself.
For what it’s worth you deserve more than what people give to you, but what do you give to yourself? For what it’s worth, its ok to be selfish and not spread yourself thin to everyone and give to the point of no return. For what it’s worth, you are light with the opportunity to shine so bright and make a difference instead of hiding in bondage. For what it's worth someone needs your story, will you be strong enough to give it to them? For what it's worth you aren’t alone. For what it’s worth, asking for help doesn't make you weak. For what it’s worth, someone still prays for you day and night. For what it's worth, Jesus is right in the midst of your storm, waiting for you to come to the end of yourself. For what it’s worth, he still saves even when you aren’t completely there. For what it's worth, your efforts and sacrifices will pay off one day. For what it’s worth, you’re worth it.
 
 

​Posting on Social media is now a way to make income, for some it’s a prime source of income and it’s very lucrative. If you have an idea and a favorite brand or product, it’s pretty easy to do! People often ask me how do I get partnerships or sponsorships from companies and it’s honestly easier than most people think!  In this blog post I’m going to explain how you can do it too in 5 simple steps. :)
 
First, let me explain the difference between the two! A sponsorship is usually an agreement between a company and an individual, where the individual receives free product or service in exchange for speaking/posting about it to their audience. The payment here is the product and the individual is acting as a brand ambassador in a way! In a partnership, both the individual and the brand are in an agreement (usually a contract) where the individual is paid to post about a product or service, in addition to receiving the free product or service.
 
A common misconception is that you have to have thousands of followers for this to happen, which isn’t the case!! If you know how to make eye-catching content, have creative ideas and a camera of some sort , you’re in business!! All companies really want is someone that can make what they’re selling look good. Now, if you do have thousands of followers, that’s just an added bonus and may make obtaining paid social media posting gigs easier. (Let me know if you’d like a post on how to increase your following!)
 
Now let’s get into the good stuff!!
 
1.) Choose a brand or company:
 
It could be your favorite candy, clothing brand, makeup brand, etc!!! It’s best if you choose something that you actually enjoy using because then you’ll have more zeal when creating your content. For example, I’ve done this several times, let’s use my experience with AriZona
 
2.) Plan out your content:
 
Choose how you want to highlight or feature that product!! If it’s something like makeup, do an amazing look with your product of choice and get some great pictures! If it’s a clothing brand, figure out a creative way to style it and highlight it. If it’s food/beverage, get a shot of you consuming it in a cool way or in a cool place!
 
One of the first times I did this was in 2017, I love AriZona and I drink it as much as I drink water haha! I saw the green tea can sitting in my room and thought “hmmm, those colors would make a great makeup look”. Which brings us to three-
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​3.) Create QUALITY content!!!:
 
I can’t stress this enough, the quality is everything. The lighting, location, product placement and editing all matter! You want to make the product look good without overshadowing it , so it’s about finding a balance. These pictures are the first pictures I ever posted with anything from AriZona, I used an empty can, pulled the colors from the can to do my makeup to match and added some flowers for aesthetic effect! I decided to take them outdoors because I’m a fan of natural light, especially during golden hour!