Happy New Year???

As a child, I never really understood why my parents and their friends would still wish each other a happy new year well into the year... I'm talking about giving happy new year greetings in March.  It wasn't until I got a little older that my parents explained to me that in the Nigerian tradition the first time you see anybody during the year, it's appropriate to tell them happy new year because it's the first time you're seeing them that year.  Hmmmm,  it still doesn't make 100% sense to me buuuuut I will use it as my excuse to wish you a happy new year today; 5 days into the New Year.  

How's that for a long rabbit trail? :)

American tradition dictates that black-eyed peas are to be eaten on the first of the year for good luck.  For my family this means akara.  Akara is a dish made by  first soaking black-eyed peas in water and  peeling off the skin from each. individual. pea. Yes, it takes as long as it sounds.  The skinned beans are blended & spiced and then deep fried to produce yummy goodness.

Basically you start like this

And end up like this!

I'm not the hugest black-eyed pea fan (no pun intended), but I never turn down some freshly cooked Akara.

Here's to wishing everyone lots of luck in 2012!

If you're wanting a more detailed recipe for Akara check out this recipe here.  It's not quite as good as my mom's but it will do ;)

Do you want Juilliard?

Going to film school taught me to appreciate films like Citizen Kane, The Crowd, & It Happened One Night.  

However, I never confessed to my film professors my secret love of teen dance movies.

Step up? Loved it! Helloooo it had Channing Tatum in it :)

And you know I think some cheerleading movies may count as dance movies (Bring it On anybody?). Okay, I know I just lost some MAJOR cool points with that admission, but maybe, just maybe someone else gave me a secret fist pump in the air.  ;)

The one dance movie I've literally watched 50 times (or more) is Save the Last Dance.  I love the cheesy drama, the dancing, aaaaaaand Sean Patrick Thomas is pretty cute too.  Now you may not be with me on the whole dance movie thing, but who hasn't dealt with the themes the movie portrays:  loss, fear of pursuing dreams, & hope of grasping the unattatinable.

In one of my favorite scenes, after seeing the Joffrey Ballet live, Derek (Sean Patrick Thomas) senses Sara's (Julia Stiles) hope and asks her if she wants Juilliard.  Slowly she admits to him (and herself I think) that she really does dream of auditioning for and attending Juilliard.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who can relate to this.

I love the beginning of a new year,  because somehow this time of year is filled with a freshness & hope that allows me to do the same; give voice to my secret hopes and desires.  I may not dream of attending Juilliard (because Lord knows, no matter how I try I cannot and more importantly should not dance in public), but I have other hopes and dreams for my life.  And maybe 2012 just might be the year that I have the courage to voice them out loud!

Now see, that film degree wasn't wasted completely; how else could I analyze and bring out depth from a teen dance movie ;)

2011 in Review

Anyone else getting whiplash from how quickly 2011 has flown by? There were days that literally crawled by, but as a whole I'm struggling to wrap my mind around the fact that all of 2011 will soon be history.  

Reflecting comes naturally to me, so I love the times of our lives that naturally cause us to stop and reflect.   A great idea I received from a friend was to keep a business journal. Throughout the year, I keep a simple record of things that worked well, ideas for the future, and things to never ever do again.  Two themes jumped out at me off the pages of my business journal:

In January I challenged myself to step out from behind my computer and go out and meet people in my industry.  I can be quite outgoing but I guarantee you that stepping into a room full of strangers will set off butterflies in my stomach every single time.  Funny though, when you attend enough networking events, those strangers become friends. I am so grateful for the relationships I'm building and have built this past year.  I don't think life was meant to be lived alone, and that's especially relevant to a small business owner like myself.

I've said many times that I thought starting my own business would be a risk.  What I didn't realize is that deciding to start a business is only the beginning of many many risks.  Daily I have to make major and minor choices, and each decision involves a degree of risk.  I'm excited that some risks paid off (narrowing my target market, staying true to my style, initiating relationships with new vendors).  Others were learning experiences (partnerships that weren't as profitable as I'd hoped,  hoping for the best in ambiguous circumstances instead of clearly communicating expectations, & marketing efforts that failed).  With every risk taken, no matter if it ended in success or failure, my knowledge and experience grew and for that I am very grateful.

Now on the personal side, I feel good about the decisions I made to spend time with family and friends.  No matter how hard I worked hard, I wanted to make sure I made time for lunches, coffees, phone calls, and quality time with those I care about. The problem is that I've never been so great at math :) I divided myself among work, friends, and family and I left little to no time for myself.  Outside of my business, I made too few personal goals and aspirations. I know this will sound weird, but I didn't take enough time to play, have fun, and be creative.  The very things that could feed my soul & bring rest & refreshment, I neglected to do.  This friends, is not so bueno.  The great thing is that I can change this!  While I'm off this week, I'll be brainstorming ways to live a more balanced life in 2012!  All around, I know that good things are to come, and I look forward to all that the new year holds.

A 2011 in review blog post would not be complete without a MAJOR thank you to my clients. The joy I see in your eyes and hear in your voice when you look at your images makes what I do so worth it. Thank you all!