I have been wanting to do this for sometime. I'm going to try and make it as stream of consciousness writing as possible. I believe deep seated in our soul is where god is, thus where our creativity pool resides. When I started sewing 11 years ago I could have never imagined.... actually that is not true. I have always been a dreamer, and not just little dreams... big ass dreams. What is true is that the absolute whirlwind success that came with these dreams, I knew there was something bigger happening. A more soulful reason than just another designer that made cool clothes. When I stepped out of rehab for addiction 4 years ago I was stripped to my very core, raw. It was terrifying, and beautiful at the same time. I was finally living. Feeling everything.....ok so thats a whole other post...I was going on a tangent. Let me reign it in....oh right what I wanted to say is that I became very open about where I had been and what was going on with me. mostly for safety. I found peace and a feeling wholeness within truth and honesty. In addiction there resides so much shame, you create lie after lie to yourself and others to hide who you are, feeling that the shame is not only a feeling but a "beingness". (WARNING... I frequently make up words). It is said that all you need to get sober is honesty, and willingness....to shift, change....everything!!! haha! So here I was 60 days sober yelling on the mountain to everyone that I was an alcoholic, and what I found was that me sharing my story was a gift to whomever I was speaking, my honesty of self allowed them to feel safe enough to share who they were, I helped remove shame from them, Remove the masks. I knew that addiction affects more people and families then we know, but I was astounded by the fact that every single person had it in their life. Sisters, husbands, daughters, fathers, or themselves. What was beautiful was even though we were sharing most often painful things there was such beauty in the humanity, the connection of understanding. And thats when I knew, this is why. My gift of design, and success of our brand brings me to people so I can share who I am, all of me. One by one, day by day we reduce the shame of addiction, mental illness, abuse.... lord just being a human! Ripping away the "should" and "suppose to's". Women come into our store daily, shopping and it is amazing how the different conversations begin but there is an level of vulnerability to trying on clothes, oh wait! Maybe the clothes are part of the mask!! And that's why people love mine!! because I make them so you feel effortlessly beautiful in them! Not that the clothes or "mask' itself is beautiful!! HA! Yeah that's it, that's what this blog is about. Those thoughts and ideas, the internet, of which I have a hard time wrapping my mind around I think because i'm so tactile can be more than sales and promoting masks, beautiful images, likes, followers (there is another thing I'd like to write about) I can share my soul, I can connect. So in a very very long explanation of what this blog is going to be about, is our connections, our shenanigans, new ideas, and where all these thing originate, the inspirations of different collections, how we come up with patterns... new ventures etc. Umm wait can y'all write back? Ill check into that after I post.... if so please let me know if there is anything you want to talk about... I kinda think this isn't how this works... but maybe you can email me????? here is my email nicole@nicolepaloma.com
till next time....going to try and do this often, as the ideas and life roll in!
xxoo,
Nicole
