Masquerading Introvert

For the past couple of years I’ve always participated in Raleigh’s Caribmask Carnival…as a spectator. If you’ve never heard of Caribmask it’s a beautiful weekend event to go to in August. The streets of downtown Raleigh are filled with vendors, soca music, and beautiful people dancing while dressed in vibrant costumes. It’s a lot of fun and I made the decision I was no longer going to watch on the sidelines.

After doing all the hard work to finding the mas band I was going to join, working out, etc., etc. , it was the big day!

The thought of performing in front of a group of people made me nervous. I did cheerleading and dance but walking around in a bikini just sounded crazy to me lol. You may be thinking, “Why did you do it?” Well I like to challenge myself. I know how it feels to be in fear but what does it feel like to just live in that moment? So I did it.

I felt kind of awkward at first walking to find my group before the parade started…probably because I felt so vulnerable and didn’t see anyone dressed like me at first. I had these big beautiful wings on my back as a part of my costume that I kept forgetting I was wearing until I realized I was slapping people with them as I walked smh.

Once I found my band I felt less awkward. There were women in all shapes and sizes just dancing , getting prepared to walk and I was there taking it all in. Eventually I got out of my feelings and started embracing the environment. It was sooo much fun! It may become a hobby of mine to do every year, that’s how much fun it was.

I hope sharing my introvert experience in the Caribbean festival will encourage you to go out and experience something new as well :-)!

The ‘No-Shows’Event

As an author you envision nothing but success for your audience and business. You’ve put yourself out there completely and at the very least expect a great turnout at your events. What happens when no one shows up?

This actually happened to me before. It was my second book signing event and it made sense for me to have it in my hometown because everyone knew me, knew of me, or knew someone related to me. My first event was successful so somehow I figured I could approach this one the same way. I only shared it to the people on social media and then on the day of I waited…..waited…. and waited. Eventually about 6-8 people came (thanks to family and friends lol) but I was soooooo HAPPY! What an experience! So back to my question: What happens when no one shows up?

It’s nothing more humbling than to have no one come to your event or avoid your vending table. After all the work you did to create your book, set up your table, and to have no one or the number of people you expected to not show up is definitely an experience to have as an author. I believe you appreciate the platform even more as you grow into the author God called you to be.

During my book signing event I only had 6-8 people and in the beginning I was waiting for more to come, smh. Eventually I got over that expectation and focused on the ones that were there. It reminded me of one of the parables in the bible about the faithful servant. ‘His master said to him, ‘well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little, I will put you in charge of many things; share in the joy of your master.’-Matt. 25:21  When no one else showed up it taught me to be faithful over the little and have joy in the moment.

When no one showed up I was able to reflect and honestly had a ‘Come to Jesus’ moment. The location I chose for my event made sense to me because it was in a town I grew up in. I realized if I wanted to grow my business, I needed to get out of the comfort zone. I learned alot of friends and family will not support you just because they know you and that’s great because it helps narrow your target audience. You also wouldn’t want just family supporting your business anyway.

So the next time you have no one to show up at your event, know its a humbling experience to have and there are great takeaways to learn every time!

 

Lesson 2: The Customer is Sometimes Right

“The customer is always right.” I never heard of this until I heard a complaint working at Subway. The person bought a salad and called minutes later not to complain about the taste but the presentation. Their food wasn’t cut small enough and they needed an explanation. As I listened to them complain over the phone, as if I made it I asked one of my coworkers what to say because honestly I wanted to hang up. I said what I was told and the person continued not being satisfied. Even though I had similar experiences since then, I think that Subway moment relates to my first time as a vendor.

The morning of the kids expo I decided to bake sugar cookies. Ideally, fruit would’ve been best to represent the fruit of the spirit in Ella’s Greatest Adventures but that was not in the funds. I wanted cookies to be in the shape of Ella so I used a Mickey Mouse cookie cutter ((lol)) and they came out horrible! Side note: This was my first time doing this so that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!  It kind of worked out because when the Mickey Mouse head wasn’t keeping its shape, I shaped it to look more like Ella. A lot of work for an amateur baker and professional creator!

So once my husband and I arrived and set my table up children started coming… especially for the cookies. One mother stopped in front of the table and said, ” Hmm, cookies and dentistry? dentistry and cookies?” I knew what that meant and for a second, ok maybe a minute, I got into my feelings. “She don’t know how I struggled to get here without having books.” “I know this book relates to oral health but it’s so much more!” Yada, yada, yada. Instead I gave a smile and said, “Yes mam, that’s right.” She ate a cookie and walked away.

Just like the Subway person, it was about the presentation. Out of that moment I started getting ideas but I first had to get out of my feelings. Second, I was soo glad I listened. That mom from the expo represented a group of moms I’ll probably meet later down the road and I want to be able to respond in a loving way.

E.G.A Book Launch Behind the Scenes

It’s officially been a month since my first virtual book launch for Ella’s Greatest Adventures: Peace at the Dental Office!
I remembered feeling kind of overwhelmed, nervous, yet excited to finally share my book but before I talk about my feelings, what’s a book launch?

A book launch is an event where the book is presented to the public for the first time , either traditionally at a venue or digitally.

I chose to launch on Facebook live mostly because of timing and less preparation that was needed to set up. So that morning I met my friends outside of my apartment’s clubhouse and immediately after speaking we ended up moving around  furniture to quickly set up.

Minutes before going live as we were eating icees and praying for a successful launch , I began to read over my notes. Clicked ‘live’ and no one was online. I waited..refreshed page..waited..refreshed page and couldn’t see anyone still lol.

At first I was using Ella’s Greatest Adventures Facebook page to go live (a page that did not have much traffic to begin with smh) and that’s when my friends suggested I used my regular account, so yayy for friends! It worked!

Everyone started popping in and I was nervous! You would think because I was sitting behind a screen I would be comfortable but I still visualized being in a physical room with people coming in and out during my presentation. Eventually I was comfortable because I realized the ones that were watching were people that I knew.

This was a big step for me because it’s easier for me to express myself on paper without using my actual voice. Also the fact that I do not like ‘live videos’, ughh!

In spite of my feelings, Ella’s story was told, family & friends rocked, and I faced my fears of doing my first book launch!

** check out Ella’s Site by clicking HERE

Draw Near To God

 

I am excited for what’s happening in the month of June. My first children’s book will be published!! What started as an idea being in a comic-con convention to an actual illustrated book was an adventure and I cannot imagine doing it by myself.

Well, maybe that’s a lie. When I got my first idea for writing a book I thought I could do it myself. I knew the book would be dental related and drawing couldn’t be that hard…so I thought. I figured out quickly I needed an illustrator.

First, my husband went on forums  to find an illustrator for me. A lot of people responded but did not meet the criteria. People responded to my post that did not believe in my book idea so they would back out. There were people that responded with sketches that appeared as if they were rushing, missing important details. It was frustrating trying to find an illustrator.

When I exhausted my obvious options I decided to pray and ask God for my illustrator. I had an idea for how I wanted my characters to look but I needed someone to capture that on paper. I prayed for the illustrator’s personality to sync with mine since I was working with them. I was led to looking for an illustrator in a Facebook group and within a day or two later three people responded.

I asked God to narrow down my list of illustrators and give me the best one for my first book, the rest was history…

There were sooo many lessons I learned from working with an illustrator. Staying humble, being open for critique, patience, etc, etc. The biggest lesson was I couldn’t complete my book without God or my illustrator. As it starts off in Peter 4:8 “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you..” I had to spend time in his presence and then spend time learning the way he wanted the book . Yes, I would’ve drawn the characters myself but at the same time I felt nudges from my heavenly father saying ‘I want yours done a certain way.’ Working with the illustrator taught me a lot and to trust God knows what’s best.

My Idea

vs. God’s Idea

“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” – Ryunosuke Satoro

 

In 600 Words or less

For those that may not know I have been working towards completing my first children’s book. I’m happy to confess I’m close to being finished … YAYYYY!!!!!!The journey had a few challenging moments however, when I needed encouragement one of the sources I plugged into was my husband, Marcus. He never leaves home without a notebook and pen, from working behind the scenes of newspapers and featured in comics, to publishing his first book From The Mind of Marcus E.T.: Freaky and Fantastical 500 Words or Less, I wanted to share my inspiration with you all. Enjoy!

Q: At what age did you start writing?

A: I’ve been writing stories since I was 8. I won my first writing contest and spelling bee when I was 9 years old.

Q: Wow, what was the writing contest about?

A: It was a narrative poem about me creating a robot to replace the friends I was angry with, which was inspired by a real-life situation at the time.

Q: *Laughing* Interesting! What were some other stories you created during that time?

A: I wrote my first two books by hand and made the covers out of construction paper. One titled Animania, about a world where everyone in my 3rd grade class being their favorite animal and living in one community together. The other was called Catimorphs, about me and my closer friends being Power Ranger-type heroes who could also change into large cats and use special armor to fight aliens (based on Power Rangers and Animorphs).

Q: I can definitely see how Power Rangers and Animorphs played a role in those stories. Were there any other shows that inspired you growing up?

A: One of the most influential series for me when I was younger was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Q: True! I liked playing their game on Nintendo. So any-hoo I see the pattern of how you gravitate towards sci-fi/ action stories, why is that?

A: I’ve always enjoyed action/adventure stories,sci-fi, fantasy, and horror. I appreciate thought-provoking stories, especially with good twist endings, and stories with a powerful message.

Q: Speaking of stories with good twist endings, you’ve recently published your first book less than a month ago, congrats! Where did the idea come from?

A: My book, Freaky and Fantastical 500 Words or Less, was a 6-month project where I recreated my dreams and nightmares, reinvented some of my favorite tales, and explored the all-important “what-if” question.

Q: Who would you say is your ideal reader for this book?

A: I thought of family, friends and associates who always said they could never find time to read for fun. So I created a flash fiction anthology with time restraints in mind, also challenging myself to limit my word count for each story to a multiple of 100.

Q: You know I’m definitely a fan already! As I work in the lab I mostly listen to podcasts and scroll through my phone so reading this book would entertain my time for sure especially since this book can be read via phone/ computer. I know you’re constantly writing and will be sharing more throughout the remaining of the year. How can people connect with you?

A: My website is Penandswordink.weebly.com . Twitter is @MarcusET3 and you could also check out my author page on Amazon Marcus E.T

Q: Sweet! Any last words of inspiration  you’d like to share?

A: The best thing about being a creator and fiction writer is that you don’t need to be an expert in anything. You only need to know what stories you enjoy reading and writing, and the only limiter is you.

 

Tooth Fairy Pillows

Did you know February is known for being National Children’s Dental Health Month? You may even ask what is National Children’s Dental Health Month? Sponsored by the American Dental Association, they raise awareness related to oral health. What better way to raise awareness then to make tooth fairy pillows!

When I was younger I would place my tooth underneath my pillow to wake up with money while other times  my baby tooth would remain wrapped in a napkin. I wasn’t sure if the tooth fairy forgot about me or maybe I was sleeping too hard and they couldn’t get to my tooth without waking me up lol.

Either way, making tooth fairy pillows is a fun activity during children’s dental health month and who knows this may help all of the tooth fairies out there !

What you’ll need::

Felt fabric

Thread

Sewing needle

Scissors

Black Marker

Fabric Glue

Start with a piece of white felt and use a black marker to trace out your tooth. Second, cut a rectangle from a colorful piece of felt and fold together to form a pocket shape. Third, sew the sides of the ‘pocket’ using your thread and needle. Last, glue your tooth on top of the pocket and there’s your tooth fairy pillow!

Acceptance

What is acceptance? It’s the action of consenting to receive or undertake something offered.

Who would’ve thought that this word would be so powerful? Accepted into college, accepted a job offer, accepted into your spouse’s family, just accepted for who you are. It’s a wonderful feeling knowing what you have to offer someone is willing to accept just that. However, acceptance doesn’t come right away at least for me it didn’t.

It took a while to accept myself when I was younger. Rejection questioned everything about myself including the way I looked. I wore colored contacts because I thought I could stand out. I didn’t feel accepted so I started an account with Yahoo! To join their chat rooms. It didn’t solve anything but created bigger issues than before. The issue was within myself. Some time later before knowing my husband , I had a big renovation in my thought process.

I am beautiful inside and out. I started saying affirmations to myself out loud and I began to see myself differently.

Accepting the way things are. I realized I was trying to get everyone’s attention and it doesn’t work that way. If someone didn’t like me the way I wanted them to that was ok and I learned to accept that.

God doesn’t make any mistakes. Rejection built parts of my character and I learned that even though I was hurt in the process he had to keep me hidden for his timing. I learned he accepted me before I was born . I was and still am everything in his eyes.

If you’re in a place of wanting to be “accepted” know that you are and you don’t have to change anything beautiful!

Finding My Voice

I was about two months into my job when I heard God say “You’re going to find your voice.” Find my voice? I didn’t have a clue on what that meant but I had a STRONG idea it would involve me being uncomfortable. Finding your voice is finding a way to connect by expressing your ideas or discovering courage as you walk in your greatness. I thought I heard God wrong because with the role I had at my job , I didn’t see where I could use my voice. As things started to shift, opportunities came for me to speak up . Still to this day , I’m adjusting to vocalizing my opinions at work and am now faced with a new challenge.. Periscope.

Never would I ever THINK of being on Periscope in all the days of my life until I had the idea for a children’s book series called, Ella’s Greatest Adventures. A good friend mentioned the benefits of creating live content a few times but I kept shrugging it off. Eventually, I couldn’t shrug it off because I was surrounded with the idea at business workshops, books, and podcasts. I finally got the nerve to make a video and it was HARD! I looked at it as if I’m giving a presentation in an empty room and as people join it becomes overwhelming. I’m still working on getting better because its not about me.

Finding my voice was never about me, it’s all about God. Of all the things he could’ve gave me as a talent, expressing himself verbally and through writing, are some of the ways he sees best through  me. Everything we say or think he values and I think during this season he wanted to let me know that as well.

 

Write now not later

When I was a young girl I would write in my diary almost everyday. I wrote poems, short stories, but my favorite was journaling. I had friends and my mom to share things with but it was something about opening up to a blank sheet of paper. As an introvert I was considered the ‘listener’ so writing was my turn to vent. Overtime I wrote less and less because some of my experiences I didn’t want to remember the details of them if I ever were to reflect .

Time eventually revealed my love for dentistry. I was fascinated with it all and as I was planning to take the test for dental school my boyfriend (now husband) inspired me with the idea to share my story with others. I didn’t like the idea at first because blogging to me was like giving others access to your thoughts and I was scared. The name , IntrovertedFillings, came to me so clear I knew it was meant to be.

Last year, I went to a comic-con with my husband to be a supporter and we attended a children’s book workshop. I don’t remember a word they said but I left feeling inspired to do something. I played with the thought of writing a children’s book related to dentistry for a few days then asked myself,” why not?” The lord answered that question into a book series called, Ella’s Greatest Adventures.

Never would I have guessed that writing consistently as a young girl would lead into something bigger. So if you’re feeling prompted to do something , know that ‘write’ now is your best time!