Respect My Vote

I’ve been a little inspired of late. I unexpectedly launched an Etsy Shop as a side hustle to sell some T-Shirt designs and other items that I have come up with along with my boys. It’s been a nice creative outlet and I am no graphic designer, but if you have an idea, there are programs out there to help you get your words out…literally, which is why I’m writing this post.

Respect My Vote Unisex Jersey Tee with blue lettering and red check mark vote design

Respect My Vote. It sounds like an easy enough concept, right? I’ve never really though of my right to vote being “disrespected,” but sadly, in today’s current political and social climates, I do feel like my vote is a bit threatened. So, I put it on a shirt.

First, I do believe in the power of voting and having your voice heard. Both of my parents were immigrants to the U.S. and they took voting seriously, I recall election days as a young girl, waiting in long lines in my neighborhood so that they could vote. I always thought it was an interesting process to go into someone’s house in my neighborhood (polling place), where there would be a steady stream of people patiently waiting their turn to submit their ballot. All that to say, the act of voting was a big deal for my parents and the house I grew up in, so I take advantage of my right to vote.

Second, all this talk about mail in ballots and voter fraud, totally rubs me the wrong way! I have been voting absentee, which essentially is a form of mail-in voting and until this year, I have never questioned if my ballot was going to get hijacked on the way to being counted at an Election’s Office. I use the right ink for the bubbles, I seal it, sign it and put the right amount of postage or drop in the ballot box near me. I have great faith in the U.S. Postal Service and their ability to get my mail and packages delivered on time and in one piece. Is the the Postal Service perfect? No, but I tend to prefer the USPS over UPS or Fed-Ex…just saying! I respect the hard work the mail carriers and sorters put in, and I trust them to deliver my vote, if additional funding, mail sorting machines and blue post office boxes are taken away, and I have seen photos that suggest this…I find that disrespectful. Never in my life would I have ever thought that would be a thing.

Thirdly, tensions are high, we all know that. People are on polar extremes fighting and arguing for beliefs along party lines. Life is completely uncertain in a pandemic and unemployment, mental health issues creeping up on all of us and here in California, my world is literally on fire. The upcoming Election Day should be the one thing in our control. We have the opportunity to vote, we can choose who we want to vote for, and we should be able to vote using whatever method we feel safe doing so…and the way I choose to submit my vote, needs to be RESPECTED! I’m not going to tell you who to vote for or what to believe in, but I can tell you registering to vote is the right thing to do, it’s part of your civic duty and it’s one ( meaningful) way to enact real change in your community.

Respect My Vote T-Shirt Design

This is why, I was inspired and motivated to create the “Respect My Vote” T-Shirt. I plan to wear mine as we count down to November 3, 2020, and if you want to support me and order an election day shirt of your own, head over to my Shop 53 Weeks Etsy Shop! To see all my shirt designs click here. Also, you can use promo code SHOP20 until the end of August to save 20%. BTW, shirts are available Unisex or a Women’s Jersey Tee, if you prefer something more fitted. There are also two subtle design differences, one has the lettering in all blue with a red vote box check mark, and the other has blue and red lettering with the red vote check mark. But if you do anything, make sure you’re registered to vote.

Respect My Vote Ladies Tee with blue + red lettering and red check mark design

Boards for Change

My favorite interview this past week was with the sports reporter at my station, Lina Washington. I feel very fortunate to be in a position where I not only get to tell stories and give people and organizations a platform to tell them, but also have the space to use my own curiosity and inclinations to push forward and shed a light on important issues and causes.

In Lina’s case, she is one of 3 women who spearheaded a project called “Boards for Change.” The effort was spawned as a response to the recent calls for justice and change in our communities. Many businesses felt a need to board up their storefront because of opportunists and other non-peaceful indiviuals who were using the situation as a chance to vandalize and destroy property. So, Boards for Change paired artists with business owners to add some beauty and color to the wooden window shields, which also served as another outlet to spread messages about social justice.

It was awesome to talk to Lina about it on my show because she is very passionate and outspoken. I think a lot of times as people who work in media or on TV, we feel like we can’t be too visible when supporting certain social causes or events. But, in this case, Lina’s project has garnered so much well-deserved attention and really took on a life of it’s own. Boards for Change has also partnered with the MLS Sacramento Republic FC. The artwork is being displayed in the (empty) stands at the field and an auction is being held to raise money for the under-served youth in the community and all the funds collected will stay local.

All this to say, I’m super proud of my ABC10 colleague and when I get to do interviews like this, it certainly puts a smile on my face.

Start a Side Hustle

Right now may be the best time for you to start up a side hustle. Maybe you’ve had an idea for a brand or merch, but aren’t sure where to start, or just needed an extra push to get going…well, there’ no time like the present. Many of us are being faced with job loss, lost income or feeling the need to supplement our funds, so why keep putting it off when you can make something happen right now, from the comfort of your home!?!?

Enter Printful. I spoke to Ilza Folkmane from Printful and she broke it down, on just how easy it is to get started with their platform, and the best part…it’s free to sign up! You can create designs with their interface and and determine which products you want to hustle on the side. The y handle the production and ship it out for you, so it;s not like you have to stockpile a bunch of stuff at your house either.

What really intrigued me about Printful is the ease of use, no cost to begin and all the tools they offer for people to start putting their passion to print. I mean, you never know, you could start it on the side as a part time gig, and if it may just end up being a full time hustle!

Pen2Paper Project

If you’ve ever considered journaling, but didn’t know how to get started, the Pen2Paper Project is offering tips, ideas and advice on how to begin putting your thoughts and intentions on paper. I’ve kept a journal on and off myself, but never have been super consistent about it. I will say, that especially now as we deal with a unique, high stress time, I can see how keep a journal can help us stay focused and balanced.

In the interview, Jayne Portnoy talk about how keeping a journal can eliminate stress, help to re-gain awareness, make better decisions and overall, be more productive. A few of her key tips are not to overthink it, set aside a simple 7 minutes to write and keep it with you. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, post its, cards or whatever you have handy will work. It’s all about speaking your mind and releasing your thoughts!

Live Larger

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Today I discovered that I have apparently been gracing Muni bus shelters and other like advertising spaces around the city of San Francisco! The poster ads are for Parkmerced, a luxury apartment community in the city, and the concept was to depict the cramped living conditions synonymous with SF living. So, in my shot we were in a super tight kitchen space and we were having to contort our bodies to get around each other!

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It was a fun shoot,very creative, and really didn’t tak etoo long, they knew exactly what they wanted. And could you have guessed, there was actually no furniture/cabinetry in the shot. We had to pretend that was there, and then they edited it into the photo later….pretty cool, huh?

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That’s a behind the scenes picture in the space where we shot the photos….

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And a collage of the other photos created for this “Live Larger” campaign!

 

Women Sports Film Festival

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This past week I was lucky enough to host the inaugural Women Sports Film Festival in Oakland at The New Parkway theater. It was an incredibly fun vibe and I had the pleasure of introducing and moderating the post-screening Q&A sessions for 2 of the films.

The festival’s mission is this:

Using the power of documentary film we celebrate female athletes and the filmmakers who bring their stories to the screen.

Kudos to the women who put this event together and I can only see much more success in their future, now that they’ve tapped into a genre and market that’s shine is long overdue.

The opening night documentary was “TRex: Her Fight for Gold,” the story of Flint, Michigan’s Claressa Shields and her journey to an Olympic Gold medal in London 2012. She is now seeking to defend her gold in Rio. It will premiere on PBS, Tuesday, August 2, 2016 s part of the Independent Lens series by ITVS.

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The other documentary screening I hosted was “Althea,” about tennis champion Althea Gibson. She was the first African-American to play at Wimbledon and Forest Hills. Both of these documentaries are well worth the watch!

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Now, I can’t wait to do it all again next year!

A Day on Set at the Beringer Winery

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Late last year I was booked as a model for a lifestyle photo shoot at the Beringer Winery in St. Helena, California. I didn’t have to think very hard about accepting the gig…I knew it’d be a beautiful backdrop and I’d be surrounded by wine! And — I’d be “working”!! Recently I was lucky enough to have several of the final images shared with me and so in turn, I wanted to share some of my favorites on here.

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There were 5 other models selected and these images will be used in print ads and/or other mailers and visuals for the winery. Yes, I had a wine glass in my hand for virtually every shot, but no, I was not drinking on set!

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The set ups were gorgeous, table settings to envy… don’t you love my arm and bracelet above!?! Hint: Blue blazer and gold bracelet.

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The grounds of the winery and so beautiful and very relaxing for a day in wine country.

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I just love the way my hair looks in this one.

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Very picturesque!

Client shoot for Beringer Vineyards | Photos by Trinette+Chris | Talent by Blackwell Files

 

Wedding Bells in Sin City

I just spent an extended weekend in Las Vegas for my younger sister Adrienne’s neon-themed wedding – she the older of my 2 younger sisters! We weren’t on the strip, but in DTLV (downtown Las Vegas) and it was filled with fun festivities, true to the style of the couple we were there to celebrate. We stayed at the Downtown Grand Hotel which is a block off from Fremont Street, recently remodeled and very comfortable (and reasonably priced). We did head over to “the strip” for one night of table and bottle service partying, but everything else was within walking distance to the hotel, which was really nice. From the Container Park to Gold Spike, The Neon Museum and her post-ceremony venues of Le Thai and Commonwealth, it was the perfect wedding weekend. Many congratulations to my sister and new brother in law, may their marriage be blessed and filled with endless love.

Check out some of my favorite photos from our Sin City festivities…

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