January 2010: From Me to You

From Me To You...
I’ve always been a believer of dreaming big. I still dream big and I’ll never stop.  But there’s a point where you have to step back and check in with reality.  Think of what you are TRULY capable of doing, what skills you can improve, and what you are best at.  Then turn your dream into a reality. 
So, I think it's obvious huh?  This month is all about dreams.  Your biggest ones or ones you might not even be aware of.  I didn’t even think about modeling until one of my friends told me “You look like a model”.  So no.  Modeling wasn't my DREAM but after I got "discovered" I researched and decided this is what I wanted to do.  I studied my butt off.  Fashion designers, photographers, models, I devoured books and magazines about fashion so that I could know as much as I could.  A few years later, Paris was my destination. My dream?  Not yet but hey, I thought, why not?  Let's give it a try.   I got on a plane and was on my way to France!  Don’t get me wrong, I was scared out of my damn mind but I pushed through the fear and went to as many go-sees as I possibly could. You may have heard me say this on Top Model.  I sometimes went on 15 go-sees a day.  Many of the other models would get tired after 7 go-sees, but I kept going.  Designer one, denied.  Designer two, barely even looked me over and denied me.  This went on and on and on.  And during this difficult time, my curiosity became a DREAM.  Something about the difficulty made my passion thrive. And in the end, I booked 25 fashion shows that season.  My FIRST season in Paris.  I've been told that that was the first and last time a girl did that.  And no, I didn't book that many shows cuz I was so amazing.  Yeah, I had the right walk and look of the moment but there were other girls that were stronger looking than me.  I think I booked so much because of the studying I did before hand.  I knew how to walk the exact way each designer wanted me to cuz I studied their shows before I got to Paris.  So I backed up the dream with some research and dedication.  Before I left for Paris, a modeling agency receptionist saw me excited as I was getting ready to leave for France and she said, "Girl, you better learn to type cuz that's as far as you'll get at a modeling agency.  You'll just be a receptionist, like me."  Now there is nothing wrong with a receptionist's job.  They control entire offices.  What WAS wrong was that she was trying to kill my DREAM.  And that hit me hard, but made me try even harder to prevail.  And for the record, I can type REALLY fast.  Just with two fingers though! 
So she thought she was giving me a reality check but really she was just hating.  How can we know the difference?  I once had a dream of being a singer. Yeah, y'all, I wanted to be a pop star!  Ya’ll remember “Shake Ya Body”? If you don’t, check it out above.  I loved doing that video SO much.  I shot it during Top Model cycle 2 and even had some of my model girls in the video with me.  What many people don't know is that I was singing behind the scenes for 6 years.  Working with the biggest producers in the world.  I had access to them because of my past success as a model, not because I could sing well.  When I would go into the studio, I would be so nervous.  I just wanted to do music videos and perform.  I didn't wanna have to actually record music!!!  Crazy huh?  I woke up one day and realized that singing is my fantasy dream, not my reality dream.  I called my team and told them that I am giving up singing, that I didn't even wanna pursue a record deal. They were really upset because the Top Model episode that I debuted the Shake Ya Body music video on was (and still is) the highest rated in the history of Top Model.  But I know that millions of people were just curious, not EXCITED to see me sing. 
We rarely can be every single little itty bitty thing we dream. Especially if it is not our true calling or gift. But we can get darn close. We just need to wave our magic wand of FANTASY - That's our crazy dream. And then check ourselves and wave our magic wands of REALNESS - That's our attainable dream. My fantasy dream was a cross between WHITNEY HOUSTON, MARIAH CAREY and CHRISTINA AGUILERA. My REALITY DREAM is a cup of ME, a dash of Ty Ty and a teaspoon of Bankable.
What are YOUR dreams? Your fantasy one and your real ones? Tell me here.My dreams have only just begun. My next big dream is to expand the definition of beauty throughout the world. For every woman to make a pledge to the Global B.I.O. Campaign – that’s Beauty Inside & Out – to accept and embrace their unique beauty and spread it throughout the world. Also, for media outlets (film, TV, magazines and the fashion industry) to showcase these a-typical women to show the masses that everyone is beautiful. Make a pledge here.
Fierce & Love,
TyTy
P.S. And why is it that when we stop wanting desperately to do something, we become better at it. I can sing so much better now. But when I was dying to do it, I sounded just OK.