On the brink of love and life!

People I Admire: Tiffany Bolton

Posted by: Ayrton on: December 22, 2009

In: Fashion| People I Admire
Leave a Comment

Tiffany Bolton in a cowboy hat

MEET TIFFANY BOLTON, MODEL AND ACTRESS

She is a real head turner – someone you cannot ignore. First its the look, then its her attitude. By her own admission, she has a fiery spirit. She is full of dreams, energy and creative spark. I am happy to present Tiffany.

Connect with Tiffany:

Website: http://www.tiffanybolton.info
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/tiffanybolton11
Twitter: http://twitter.com/tiffanybolton

Q&A WITH TIFFANY BOLTON

Can you tell us something about you. Personal, professional.
Thats always a daunting question…
I do my best to live my life with grace, gratitude & love. Im not always perfect at it and certainly not always graceful, but thats what I strive for everyday in both my personal & professional lives. I’m a free- spirit and can admit to being a bit ‘high maintenance’. My girlfriends are the most amazing women on the planet…they are the sisters I chose! I’ve learned to keep the faith and banish the fear…it definitely gets you much farther:-) I realized from an early age that I wanted to be involved in anything creative…acting, painting, writing, fashion, etc.

You’ve worked in various channels – VH1, FX, Comedy Central, NBC, Showtime and in reality shows. What’s your favorite kind of work.
I really love it all, but if I have to say a fav…comedic acting and comedy sketch. Its easy for me to be self-deprecating and silly. A director once called my facial expressions, “cheeky”. I’m still not exactly sure what that means.

Tiffany Bolton

You’ve been described as a tomboy – are you one now? Whats your definition of it.
My definition of a tomboy is being daring enough to try whatever the boys are doing! I loved playing with the neighborhood boys on my street when I was little. This was especially fun growing up in Texas. The boys were always doing the fun, dirty stuff like going ‘muddin’ in the ditches. My mom had me wearing bluejeans when I was barely walking and that has stuck. I love jeans! I have outgrown the tomboy attitude a bit in regard to playing sports and getting dirty (don’t like to break a nail) , but I still love hangin with the guys!

Being raised in a multicultural setting – Japanese, Czech, Native American, English – how did it impact you?
It has impacted me in a huge way! I was so fortunate to be exposed to different cultures. We would go to one grandma’s house and have crazy foods like bologna & cheese sushi rolls…yes, you heard me right! My Japanese grandma would roll up bologna, cheese and white rice in seaweed for us. Then I would got to my other grandma’s house and have traditional foods. Although the only negative aspect I can recall was seeing how overly submissive my Japanese grandmother was to her American husband. As a little girl, I remember wanting her to stand up for herself more and go do things she really enjoyed. It also saddened me to see her lonely for her family in Japan. She was only able to go back and see them one time in about 45 years. I remember thinking I will never move to another country and leave my family. I am two tribes of Native American, Cherokee and Chikosaw. I love the Native American culture and definitely have their firey spirit. I was fortunate to go to reservation in New Mexico and see a real modern day medicine woman who only spoke the Native tongue. Being raised multicultural setting really allows me NOT to see color and just see the person!

Tiffany Bolton

What are your dreams?
I am a dreamer and as I have seen many of my dreams come to fruition…more dreams are born every year! I would love to have a daughter…do charity work with the aids orphans in Uganda…have a successful long-running sitcom or talk show…take care of my parents financially so they have no worries…write a book…write & illustrate a childrens book.

You are on the staff of Dimensions Weekly – what do you enjoy more – modeling, acting or writing?
I am new to the editor position so this could change…but I would say I enjoy acting and being in front of the camera the most! Its such an amazing form of artistic expression. But, I went to college on an art scholarship with the dream of moving to NYC and being a graphic artist & editor for a fashion magazine. Just goes to show that dreams do not have expiration dates! Now Im working with a magazine.

You’ve done a fair bit of work in community service. Can you talk about that.
My mentality is that helping others is the best natural anti-depressant ever! When we get in our heads and think me, me ,me constantly…that makes us miserable, but the minute you forget about yourself and go help someone else…it changes everything. I went through a few traumatic things as a teen and young woman and have overcome them. So I believe that when you are HURT…then HEALED…you are ready to go out there and HELP! My focus is on teen girls. If we can change their way of thinking at that age and teach them to look inside themselves for validation instead of seeking outward validation from men or their career, etc…then we can ensure their future will be bright. They are the mothers of our future! I also lead a spiritual empowerment group of industry women (actresses, makeup artist, models) who are seeking to have a more deep spiritual foundation and interests in staying healthy & balanced…which in LA can be a challenge!

What’s the big and exciting next thing?
Well, 2010 is kicking off with a big bang! I just landed a role in a TV pilot, shot a cameo role in a film called Slightly Single in LA, developing an edgy talk/variety tv show with an actress friend of mine from the reality show Sunset Tan and Im in the running for the Doritos Superbowl commercial competition and maybe it will be the year that I become a mother:-)

Tags: Actor, actress, Fashion, modeling, Tiffany Bolton

When your girlfriend is the CEO.

Posted by: Ayrton on: December 20, 2009

In: Inspiration| Love
Leave a Comment

I met Sally sometime back on this blog as you might know. Its a low key friendship that grew over email. Nothing sensational. Just “I-am-there-for-you-even-if-its-email” kind of thing. She said she understands because I am a writer. Its good to say I am a writer because it is better than saying, “I want to be a writer”. Real writers write, wannabe writers want to write. Sally has been very supportive. She wants to be of help anyway she can to get my jumbled thoughts into words.

I don’t know exactly when and how it happened but I asked her if we ever had a “blog company” and she could be the CEO. Like two people who have never managed a business, we quickly believed the scenario and started playing out its implications, laughing all the way about it. We even thought this could be as cool as Penelope Trunk talking about her farmer boyfriend! Sally says CEOs can be low tech, kind of like the farmer. Because they only have to tell others what to do. And then point out mistakes with what has been done. Also, like kick ass if its not done on time. Nothing to do with technology. As a matter of fact, no special skills are needed at all. They just need to have that magical quality that makes other talented people work like there is no tomorrow. Sally says she has that magical quality.

Then of course, one thing leads to another and here I am thinking about “What happens when your girlfriend is the CEO?”. The main thing is she makes me feel good doing whatever I am … which is kind of big deal because otherwise I feel like I am never upto any good.

And here are the secondary benefits, of having a girlfriend as the CEO:

She knows what makes you tick and presses the right buttons. Often enough.
She understands what you really like. When you get annoyed or stressed. Or what you want to do more of. And she presses those buttons again and again. Like tells you what you want to hear. It helps you to keep going, regardless.

She breathes down your neck and you don’t feel the heat.
You tell her it will take you couple of hours to get something done. Fifteen minutes into the task, she is already asking for updates. Not that she is annoyed you are slow. She just wants to know. Maybe she wants to hang around in your email inbox. Or its a reassurance thing. Whatever, the good thing is it won’t happen you won’t meet the timeline and have to ask for more time. I didn’t mean it won’t happen I am late – its known that I am always late. Just that she would know it all along and handle it well.

She gives you large allowances.
Yes, she can be very generous. You take more time to do your stuff. You get abundant praise. She sees your talents and abilities. You feel appreciated and valued. For all the right reasons. And you know, almost certainly, you can get away with it! Who knows she may give you a performance bonus even. Or a pay raise. Isn’t that neat in this economy?

She calls for unscheduled meetings.
Oh, those meetings! They eat all your time. You wonder if you will you ever get anything done at all. And she likes to surprise you. There is no notice – no invite, no warning, no calendar. “I am low tech” is all that she will ever say “I want to see you now”.

She wants you for keeps.
Doesn’t that make you feel special? CEOs say it all the time how important people are to their company’s success and then let you go at the slightest provocation and excuse like a bad economy. As if they can get through the economy without people. This leaves serious doubts among staff if they are being manipulated. Or when you see the CEO’s bonus, it makes people feel plain stupid or confused – “wait a minute who is more valuable here?” Anyway, I am not an expert in these matters. I happen to know Sally has a few guilt pleasures. I just like my daily mollification from my girlfriend, the CEO!

Tags: CEO, encouragement, girlfriend, insipration, Motivation, Penelope Trunk, when your girlfriend is the Boss, when your girlfriend is the CEO

Meeting Bitchogram: Isn’t it nice to bitch?

Posted by: Ayrton on: December 20, 2009

In: Relationships
Leave a Comment

Amber, Founder, Bitchogram

I found the Bitchogram idea first on a friend’s blog. It looks intriguing though somewhat shocking, at first. Until you understand “bitch” is a verb to say “vent”. But who is going to call their business “vent-o-gram”. Its too vanilla!

So here is the innovative concept – the Bitchogram website allows you to send anonymous emails or messages to anyone – could be your tormenting boss, unforgiving partner, difficult neighbor, unbearable ex .. or well, who cares, just about anyone!

Now that I have that off my chest, you can read more in this interview with Amber (@bitchogram), the founder of the cool idea:

How did you come upon the Bitchogram idea?
All of us have moments in our life where someone has upset or hurt us and we would like to respond. We were talking about this once at a restaurant and mentioned how it would be great to tell your feelings but many times you can’t for fear of retaliation. We talked about work and how past and present bosses have treated us or fellow workers and how you can’t be truly honest on your employee satisfaction surveys for fear of being recognized. All this spurred up wanting to send a tell-a-gram to bitch about these people and that clued into the name Bitchogram. Just take a look at what is going on in the news lately… from Tiger Woods to Kanye West to Bernie Maddoff- these are some of the many reasons we created Bitchogram.com. It is also great for celebrities who have something to say and don’t want it written all over the tabloids.

Define a “bitch” according to you?
A female dog (hehehe). Actually, we use “Bitch” to represent a complaint or comment made about someone or something. It’s just a way to express yourself.

How does Bitchogram work .. give some examples – good, bad, ugly?
If you have an individual’s email address, cell phone number or mailing address then you can go to www.bitchogram.com and click on “Send a Bitchogram”. From there you can type your own message, pick a background, choose to blog the message and
have the option to receive a delivery receipt. Next you pick what type of delivery method you want (email, phone text, postcard). Then make your payment and your bitchogram is sent. You can see from our Blog page that some messages that were blogged say how sexy someone is, or telling others to grow up and be respectful, or teasing someone. Messages can be about anything. Love notes, warnings, complaints to the boss or coworker, a joke on a friend or family member, Birthday message, Christmas message, Halloween prank, the uses are only limited by one’s imagination.

Bitchogram

I have to say a bitch (and its male version) sounds fun and even liberating! But does everyone get it?
Well we hope everyone sees that this website is for anyone who wants to bitch or complain/comment about anything. We don’t consider a person as a bitch. We believe that everyone needs to bitch at sometime in their life and this website helps them do that openly and honestly without worry. Some do get it and have used it. I think once the word spreads that we are here to help you vent, more will use the service.

How is the response .. how is the business?
Business is growing. More and more people are being introduced to our website through social media like twitter, facebook and myspace and through other media like internet radio station interviews and online blogs.
Since we are translated into eight different languages we can be used globally and have received a large response from people all over the world telling us how they love our site and that it is a great idea. We have also recently launched a mobile version of our site so that people on the go, away from their computers can send a bitchogram.

Are you getting into the holiday spirit? What’s a bitch to do on Christmas and New Year?
Absolutely! We are continuously adding backgrounds for many occasions like Chanukah, Christmas, New Years, Valentine’s Day, etc. Bitchogram.com allows you to send an anonymous message to anyone. So you can type up a Christmas or Birthday message, a love note, or an April Fool’s Day joke and send it to anyone.

Your Twitter bio says you are a model, shopaholic .. talk about that a bit? Do you have a past life .. as a model?
I attended modeling school and love to shop for shoes, jewelry, clothes, cars, jewelry (Oh did I already say that?). I did attend college and studied business. I’m now focusing my attention on bitchogram.com spreading the word and working to improve the site everyday.

What are your plans for the future? What’s next.
We are currently working on enhancing the website to allow for multi-message discounts. We have recently expanded our website by adding a mobile version that is accessible to mobile phones. Allowing users to send anonymous messages on the go. We continue to add backgrounds to the website and our blog page changes with new blogs and blogged messages. Who know what the future will bring…TV interviews…cameo appearances in movies…books…the possibilities are ENDLESS!

Tags: anonymous messaging, bitch, bitchogram, complain, realtionships, tell it like it is, vent

Presenting Young Talent: Sarah Love Park, Fashion Designer and Artist

Posted by: Ayrton on: December 19, 2009

In: Fashion| Young Talent
1 Comment

Sarah at Lake Michigan

Sarah Love Park is a young fashion designer from South Korea based in New York and Miami. I first came to contact her when I was freelance writing for her fashion line Confident Couture (www.confidentcouture.com). Confident, artistic, talented and sometimes quirky, Sarah is a fun person.

Her clothing line and beautiful handbags have been well-received for their beauty, design and craftsmanship.

Sarah is not only a designer but a gifted artist. See her lovely paintings collection below.

Connect with Sarah:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/sarahlovepark

Website: www.sarahlovepark.com

Clothes line: www.confidentcouture.com

Q&A WITH SARAH LOVE PARK

Q: Tell us about your childhood in South Korea. How was it like? What do you remember?
A: I grew up in the suburban area that was surrounded by cherry blossom trees so every spring came with perfumed flower flakes. I used to be in a very happy poetic mood. And I think that is why I became an award-winning poet as a teenager.

Q: You say you are from a royal family – what does it mean? Can you talk about that a bit?
A: It’s based on my birthday and my last name which inspired me into writing poetry about it. And yes Park is the royal family name in South Korea.

Q: When did you know you want to be an artist?
A: The talent I have in art was noticed by others ever since I was a kid and I was groomed with private lessons and contests, and yes I’ve won numerous awards. It grew into my biggest passion and today I am unable to stop painting.

Q: What is your main inspiration as an artist?
A: Especially the night sky filled with thousands of shining stars and my journey to Europe in my early 20’s.

Q: What do you enjoy more – being an artist or designer?
A: I must say I enjoy both but I am more into art.

Q: Describe your fashion design philosophy.
A: When I design, I think of sexyness, comfort and confidence. My designs have the motto: “Wear Your Confidence!“.

Q: What’s your dream for the future?
A: I would like to be an active designer and artist that creates a world of inspiration to others.

Q: Can you describe yourself in a few lines?
A: Very attractive, highly intelligent, artistic genius!

Q: What do you look for in a guy?
A: Discipline. Someone who can make me feel free by giving me enough supportive attention.

Q: Has it been easy or difficult to adapt to Western culture coming from South Korea?
A: Somewhat difficult yes, but at the same time I was able to enjoy learning new culture so it has been fun for the most part.