Untitled, Unfiltered: 001

They said blog and you will get more traffic. They said use smart keywords to attract your audience. Words like clothing, t-shirts, fashion, style, etc. I assume. But why? Am I really going to get discovered that way? Is it really going to be me playing this game of keywords that gets me to the next level? I don't even know what I would search for if I was looking for my own brand. I guess that should be the first thing I tackle. What do I represent? Who am I? I know that I want people to feel. KEYWORD: Feelings. I want you to see someone wearing my clothes and say "WOAH, THAT'S DOPE WHERE DID YOU GET THAT FROM? I'VE NEVER SEEN THAT BEFORE!"

How do I do that? Be different. How can you actually be different? Stop paying attention to everything that is going on around you and just do you. Focus on yourself. Do what you feel. I can't replicate the brands I admire. I can't mimic their rise or styles for that matter. I'm not Wasted Paris. I'm not Shadow Hill USA. I'm not Cherry LA. I'm not Chinatown Market. I'm not Pleasures. I'm Ten Stacks and I should start acting like it. 

I want to be more than my heart logo and I will be. But words don't create results, actions do. The heart logo was always supposed to evolve and take on different forms. I need to be more confident in my name and what it represents, rather than continue on this path of fear, uncertainty and to an extent admiration to replication. 

I've always been creative, but I always struggled in believing in my own power. When I started this brand around May of this year it wasn't really what I wanted. I had great friends who saw something in me and literally pushed the first collection out of me. Through the process, my confidence grew and I learned new things. That's growth. 

During the second collection which dropped early September I was dealing with major changes in my life and at times I feel like those issues got in the way of making this a bigger success. That's fine. Life happens. I know what I have to do to correct my wrongs now. Tackle the issues head on and correct them. I want to be able to share my unfiltered thoughts on this blog hoping that just maybe it will help somebody, anybody.

I will. I am a leader, but unfortunately there is a pattern I'm noticing in myself that stops me from having meaningful relationships, having fun, staying in the moment and following my dreams amongst other things. First things first, no more self-loathing. Second, there is no need to be hard on myself. Third, I can't be afraid to reach out and ask for help. Fourth, focus on myself. The list goes on, but that's a healthy start.

I am sure about something and then someone or something appears that makes me feel differently about it. On a larger scale, this single issue seeps into everything in my life like a toxin effecting my happiness and relationships; not only my choices. It's a snowball effect you see. You want to do something. You are on track. You are confident. Brave. Courageous. Than someone comes along that you respect, it could be your mom, dad, brother, best friend, uncle, grandmother, aunt, friend whoever and they completely shut down your idea or in my case, my dreams and desires. They shut me down, so now I am creating from a place of lack. Your not strongly embedded in your being if you are letting people control you. You are a people pleaser and this can cause colossal problems.  Now you are miserable and your miserableness seeps into everything else in your life. Hell, today I showed some friends a new design. Answers ranged from: "I don't like it" to "magnificent job" to "maybe you can change this." See we're all different. We got different things that make us tick, but what is important is what do I think? This is my brand. My vision. Not theirs, so I need to start acting like it. Everybody isn't going to like my designs and that's something I need to get used to. I can't please everybody, but I can most definitely please myself!

I'm a broken record sometimes that needs some fine tuning, but I am aware. Awareness is key. Next is action. Nobody cares to hear what you say your going to do. They want you to show them with your actions and thats another challenge amongst itself in a world filled with so many distractions. Words are deceiving, yet actions can truly change the world around you.  

I don't know how this blog post turned from a ploy to use keywords to get more traffic to a letter about me and my struggles. Actually I do, Ten Stacks is me. This is my journey and I am going to try my best to share all my trials and tribulations with you, my day to days and my rise. Stay tuned because were just getting started. 

What's next for me? I am going to create a business plan, write down my short term and long term goals and create a vision board that will remind me everyday the things I want to accomplish. Your thoughts create your reality, so I'm going to fill my mind with happy ones and positivity. I'm going to focus on myself and that is precisely how I will succeed.

xx,

Payam