We are pleased to announce T. Nicole Designs, in association with The Artisan Group, will participate in an invitation-only luxury celebrity gift lounge hosted by GBK Productions on September 16-17, 2016 at an exclusive location in Beverly Hills, California in honor television’s best and brightest stars.
Our Fidelis Bracelet Collection, Nautical Dreams Bracelets, Granite Haze, Black Rose and Dragon’s Blood bracelets will be prominently featured on display at The Artisan Group’s exhibit, and all attending celebrities, select press and media, and other VIPs will receive our Fidelis Lion Head bracelet in either Black Onyx or Garnet in their swag bags. This event will also be attended by around forty press and media outlets.
Tanesha N. Graham, T. Nicole Designs’ sole proprietor, is a resident of Houston, TX.
ABOUT THE ARTISAN GROUP
The Artisan Group® (http://www.theartisangroup.org) is a premier entertainment marketing group dedicated to representing small business artisans at the best celebrity gift lounges and press events. The organization provides a collective sampling of handcrafted products to celebrities and members of the press at top luxury gift lounges such as those leading up to The Academy Awards, The Golden Globes, The MTV Movie Awards and The Primetime Emmys.
The Artisan Group also coordinates product placement of its member’s handcrafted products on such hit television shows as Scandal, The Voice, The Vampire Diaries, Days of Our Lives, The Young & The Restless, Modern Family, Jane The Virgin and Law & Order: SVU, among others. Membership in The Artisan Group is juried and by invitation only.
* Neither T. Nicole Designs nor The Artisan Group are officially affiliated with The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (The Emmys or The Primetime Emmys).
2015 brought major changes for me as I worked to discover my voice as a designer and create my brand. I put out the first two collections of my designing career, Eclipse & Safari, which was a very scary experience. It wasn’t frightening in the sense that I was worried about them being commercially successful or not; though profitability is always a part of it. I was more so concerned about staying true to my vision for each line and not bowing to the pressure of trendiness; I concerned about designing and crafting a product that was unique and unlike anything else; I was concerned about making high quality pieces that when I stepped back would give me contentment and personal fulfillment, as each and every piece I make has a little bit of my heart and soul in it.
I found that my fears were valid but misplaced. I think every designer, every entrepreneur, that has a passion for their art, faces these same pressures. There’s the frustration of submitting your work, your unique vision to the masses and getting some really positive feedback but that feedback doesn’t equate to sales. Then there’s the times when there’s no feedback at all, neither positive nor negative and you’re left staring at Instagram waiting for the likes to come in, wondering what you’ve done wrong. You begin to question whether or not you’re putting out a good product and if you should chuck it all in the waste bin and focus on your day job. You’re bleary-eyed, depressed and despondent only wanting to be liked on social media and seriously thinking about acquiescing to social media influences, jump on the trend train and make the same mass produced pieces as the big box stores. (No shade implied or intended)
This was me for part of 2015. I had some commercial success. I had my designs featured in a local small boutique in Houston, I had a few discussions with some stylist out of New York but I didn’t see the type of success I really wanted. I got depressed for a few months, I stopped designing, I stopped even wearing my own work. I was in a place of pity and self-loathing. But lucky for me that I have an AWESOME support system of family and incredibly close friends who are prayer warriors and realist who brought me out of my funk with real talk and encouraging words.
I realized I hadn’t failed as a designer, I hadn’t failed as a business owner, I hadn’t failed at anything simply because I made the effort and put myself out there. I had put my heart and soul into my work and put it out for the world to judge; I remembered 2 Timothy 1:7, “God did not give us spirit of timidity but one of power, of love and of self-discipline”. Once I remembered who I was and to whom I belonged, new opportunities came my way. My pieces can now be found not only on my website, T. Nicole Designs but also on BeLuxLife!
So while 2015 was a year of trial and error, learning and faltering, it was a year that I’m grateful for. I learned quite a bit about solidifying my vision and finding my voice as a designer. I learned to be patient with myself, as the kind of success I’m looking for doesn’t come overnight. It is earned through prayer, faithfulness, diligence and fortitude.
It’s perfectly ok to go against the grain because being different is what sets me apart. So I’ll continue to push forward, creating jewelry and accessories that are inspired and unique. Because while everyone else is singing the harmony I’ll be the one belting out a melody all my own. Here’s to a brand new year filled with unforgettable experiences and opportunities for personal and professional growth.
What do you do when you come to the realization that you have arrived at a place in your career when you have no desire to be in management? We’re told via succession planning and the seen potential in us by others, that we are management material. Management is always conveyed as the ultimate goal of any role, to be in charge of and over others. But the looks of disbelief that come when you tell your supervisor/manager that have no passion or desire to move into management are staggering. They look at you in disbelief, dumbfounded at your words, and as if you have taken temporary leave of your senses; like you are lazy and lacking in ambition, when that couldn’t be further from the truth. Read the rest of this entry »
I have abandoned you in the last few weeks because work has been handing me my ass so much that I have more in the front than I do in back right now!! Life has brought many changes for me in the last couple of weeks, all of which I want go share with you.
I see churches, none in particular or that I will name specifically in an effort protect the guilty, that serve up this superficial, “it is all ok” Christianity. They impress that once you become a Christian, give you life to God, all will be perfect. Nothing bad will ever happen to you again, God will give you the big house, the fancy car and the ideal mate. Everyone will adore you, you will walk about in gardens of flowers and fruit trees, reminiscent of the Garden of Eden and lounge about all day without a care; and life will be smooth sailing until we all get to Heaven. I don’t know what kind of dog and pony show these people are running but they are fooling people and this is how believers become despondent, disillusioned and disgusted with the church and with God. The latter entity is not to blame; it is man who has perpetrated this fraud! God never promised you that once you gave your life to Him that nothing bad would ever happen to you ever again, that life would be a completely positive experience from here until eternity! Paul followed the teachings of Christ but was persecuted and wrote of the thorn in his side. He asked God to remove it and He said “No”. The thorn is the one thing that sticks with you that doesn’t let your forget that God is God.
The unpleasant, irritating and obnoxious things that happen to us are not all caused by nor the fault of the enemy; it is not always the devil out to get you. Some of the bad things that happen in our lives are pre-destined by God Himself… no, don’t look at me like that! God has what is in your best interest at heart and no, He doesn’t want to see you suffer. However, He does allow certain things to happen in order to prepare you, to build your trust in Him and so that you know, recognize and accept that it is only He that keeps you. Other negative things that happen to us are of our own design, construction and implementation; we are the perpetrators of our fates. Our entire repertoire of bad decision-making comes from the free will that God granted us upon our creation. God made us a spirit confined to a fleshy prison. There is always a war raging within us, the Holy Spirit doing battle against our worldly desires. There is an old Native American parable that states that within each man are two dogs fighting for dominance, one good and one evil. When asked which one wins, the person answered, “The one I feed the most”.
This is where we get to superficial Christianity. The Word says, that as we mature as Christians we cannot be only milk-fed like children but must become meat eaters.Thus, you must take the easy to digest with the more difficult to digest. The easily digested part of Christianity is that God loves us, He loves us so much that He sent His only begotten son, Jesus, to be a sin offering for us. The only thing thatHe asks in return is that we obey/keep His Commandments. The harder to digest part of the Faith is submitting to God’s will for our lives, killing our flesh daily, accepting that even if we believe we are doing everything right, we sill always fall short of the glory of God.So when you only give the masses superficial “Christian” teachings, you are stunting their growth. If you feed a child only formula and never move them to solid foods, you are inhibiting their natural progression into adulthood; they will begin to waste away. The same holds true for us as intelligent human beings, we crave knowledge and understanding. It is only when you take the easy with the difficult that you are cultivated, groomed and moved to be all that God call you to be… Personally I prefer steak over hotdogs any day.
Praise should not be hindered by the bad and saddening things in our lives. We are to and should praise God always. We would not know how gracious, loving and merciful our Father is if we only had good times, joy, happiness and peace. It is when we emerge from the storm, when the land has dried, the flowers have sprung and the sun shines that we learn to appreciate and love God for who He is. How can you appreciate the blessings of God if you don’t know what it is to go through? When you look back at the storms that you have been through, the dry and acrid plains of life where nothing flourishes, you will see that even in that desert place, God kept you. Read the rest of this entry »
When does the status quo become a bore to you? When does the same routine day in and day out become monotonous and you finally say that enough is enough? It has been said that the only constant thing in life is change. I couldn’t tell you who said it, why they said it or when, but it definitely rings true. Life is a series of hills and valleys, ups and downs, periods of joy and sadness. Have you ever watched the Olympics Track and Field competition? I don’t mean the 100 m or 400 m, hurdles or high jump; there is an event called the Steeplechase. It is a 3000 meter race where each lap has four barriers and one water jump at the back-end of it. Each runner has to complete 7 laps, meaning they have to clear 28 barriers and seven water jumps. The barriers do not fall over if the runner hits them and they are able to get over the barrier by any means; stepping on top of them, jumping over them, however they cannot negotiate them by going around them.
The athletes have to focus on what is ahead and be aware of the other runners in relation to where they are. Life is just like the steeplechase; we are all running the race together and face some of the same obstacles and barriers in life, but each of us approach them differently. In knowing where you are in relation to others, you may be inspired by the way that someone else prevailed and choose to try your own variation of their method as an alternative to yours. However, you cannot pay too much attention to the other runners. You cast sideways glances at them and know that each of us runs our race at a pace. We focus too much on the circumstances and situations in our lives, when we should be more concerned with how to surmount them and move forward in life. How can you effectively run this race if you are so busy worrying about the person in the lane next to you or 3 lanes over? How will you see the turn ahead if you are telling the ref how to do their job?
Stay in your lane, run the race that God has placed you in. The race is different for all of us; we have different barriers to navigate and various difficulties to overcome. At each turn a hurdle presents itself and if we stop at the issue, the problem, the situation, we will be left behind in life. We will be unable to get to the end goal, the finish line, where God waits with our laurels, our crowns and the words, “Well done my good and faithful servant”. The same blockade may present itself more than once, but look at it as maybe you didn’t handle it right the first time. Instead of trying to go around it, face it head on. You may have to climb instead of jump; Step on and over, using it as a platform to catapult yourself forward, rather than vaulting over it. I stay in my lane and use God’s Word to face my fears and to bring me through. Maybe someone will cast a sideways glance during their race and see that my plan for overcoming, prayer and devotion to God, may help them.
Athletes compete in the Women’s 3000m Steeplechase Heats at the National Stadium Stu Forster / Getty Images
Life has a way of wearing down your soul and spirit, taking a little bit of your humanity every day like so many grains of sand swept away by waves crashing in the beach. Life can erode away at you, taking with it a piece of you everytime it comes by and you begin to wonder if there is anything of you left to give, for life to take from you. So how do you keep life from stealing from you what you believe makes you you? Read the rest of this entry »
I am so late posting this week. Somehow I let life get the best of me and I pushed those things I love to the wayside. There is so much going on in my head. Countless thoughts, inspirations and ideas that need to be given life and purpose, but I don’t know where to find the time to do it all. There is a second business to get off the ground, two books to work on, a non-profit to create on paper then establish, added to that is my regular life, ( marriage, family, work, church, health, and somewhere in there I have to find time for me).
Please don’t take this as me complaining, as I take great joy in my work and feel fulfilled when I can cross one more thing off of my life’s to-do list. I have been blessed with the gift of writing and am certain that in doing what I am passionate about, I am not only honing my craft but also actually ministering to and nourishing my soul. So my Lovelies keep your open as great things are on the horizon!
Something was dropped in my spirit late last night and I couldn’t rest until I put it on paper.
I come across people going in and out of bad relationships, carrying baggage around with them until you can’t see them for the issues that they have. The most common is of course the old adage, “You caused me to have low self-esteem!” This is where my sympathetic ear turns jaded and I have to lay some things on the table and be real. This may hurt someone’s feelings, this may cause you to say that I am wrong and how could I even think that way, but know that the truth is the truth, rather you choose to believe it or not.
With every relationship, whether it be a friendship, familial bonds or romantic in nature (this includes “friends with benefits”- The most asinine of them all) emotions are always involved. This whole notion of being able to be in a relationship with someone without any attachments is people deluding themselves. Human beings are emotional creatures; we thrive on interaction, love and fulfillment of purpose. We have emotional tidal waves at the hint of weddings, births, deaths, commencements and the reaching of milestones. We anxiously await the day, the hour, the minute that our partner says those three words, “What time’s dinner?”… I jest; the words are “I love you”. It makes us feel complete and adored and emotionally vested in the relationship. But when good goes to bad and you begin to be mistreated (this goes for guys and ladies alike) the first words out of your mouth are, “He/she treats me so bad. But I know that he/she loves me and I him/her…” Then you start to make excuses for the aforementioned bad behavior. Here’s the truth I was talking about earlier: You DO NOT make excuses for someone’s mistreatment of you, you DO NOT tolerate being treated less than; doing so makes you an enabler. For the most part mistreatment of someone generally stems from one of two places, insecurity on their part and/or control issues, both of which show a lack of self-worth. Otherwise why would it make you feel good to mistreat and/or control someone? If I’m talking about you say “Ouch”.
Then the “You ruined my self-esteem” comment rears its ugly head and you are laying the fault for your lack of self-worth at someone else’s feet. No, pick that up and place the blame exactly where it belongs, back on you. Self-esteem is just that… the admiration and regard you feel for yourself. How you feel about you should not be predicated on someone’s feelings or lack thereof for or about you, nor should it be centered on those things in life that are fleeting ( situations, circumstances, people, places, things). The respect you have for yourself comes from a place of joy and contentment in your accomplishments, in how you view yourself in relation to what you want from life. Don’t get me wrong, life is full of heartache and disappointments and I’m the first to admit that being a little depressed when things don’t go the way you would have hoped, is completely ok. But don’t let that keep you in a place of despair and affect the way you see yourself. When you are stuck in a place where you know that you are not being treated right, in a place where you don’t feel comforted and secure and you say that you love the other person… take a second to think, who do you love more, them or you? This helped me once upon a time and I hope that you will take the lyrics to heart and do a little introspection.
T. Nicole's Graham Cracker Crumbs 
An Exercise In Introspection
Hey my Lovelies!!
I have abandoned you in the last few weeks because work has been handing me my ass so much that I have more in the front than I do in back right now!! Life has brought many changes for me in the last couple of weeks, all of which I want go share with you.
Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by grahamcrackercrumbs09 on October 6, 2012 in Inspiration, Random Thoughts and Humor, Social Commentary, Work Life
Tags: Baking, Family, HR, inspiration, Introspection, Jewelry, Joy, Life, Passion, Puppy, Tanesha Graham, work life