Who Controls your life?  I used to struggle with this question all the time because the answer should always be “I am in Control of my own life” but so often that is not the case and for me it was almost never the answer.  When i first moved to New York i got a job within the first week as a personal assistant and nanny.  I was so happy and excited about this job, it was a way of making money and paying the bills.  When i got this job I asked myself is this what i want to do?  I came to the conclusion that NO, its not what i want to do, I was in NY to be in the fashion, beauty, and art industries and not here to be working for a family that was in no way fashion related.  I tried to turn down the job but at this time i was new to the city, needed and had to make money to pay rent and live so I ended up taking the job.  I worked as an assistant, and nanny to the family and became very very involved in every aspect of their lives.  I was working, and making money but not really doing anything i came to NY for.  When you do a job that involves a family it is very hard to get out once you are in.  Reasons being not only is the whole family involved, you have invested so much of yourself with them, and they to have invested in you so it is very hard and near impossible to leave.  While i was doing this job I would ask myself why are you not in school, why are you not meeting industry people daily, why are you in NYC again, what am i doing waisting time, and then i would come to the same conclusion as always….Im Making money, IM LIVING.  But if I am here making money to live, and living to make money then where is the joy in that.  I really had to think who controls my  life? answer,  NOT ME!  My JOB controlled my life and not in a good way. Jobs if you are passionate about them can control your life and make your life better, but this was by no means a good way. I was always thinking breathing and living my job.  I would be at home worried about if gave the kids there medications or filled out their camp forms.  I would think of any and everything parents think about i was letting my work worries into my home life way to much and it was filling me with anxiety.  Finally i got the balls to realize that I have to do what is best for me and what is best for my life.  I had to leave this job even though i knew it would be so hard on this family it was even harder for me.  I had to leave and do what i came to NY for and that was to peruse a career in fashion, beauty, and art.  The worst part about leaving a job besides hurting people is trying to find another job.  New York is a dog eat dog world and everyone and their mom is in the fashion industry so everyone wants you to work for free because if you don’t they will hire an intern to replace you in two seconds.  Interns are everywhere and Internships are readily available but you must have money first to be able to work for free but you really need to be an intern first to really get a good job to have the money to work for free.  So with all that said I wanted to quit but i needed to find a job first.  I remained a PA for so long because i could not find a job in the industry that was going to pay me good enough money.  By this point my PA was just becoming overwhelming and it was bleeding me dry of my passion for NYC.  I was then trying to exhaust all my connections as to what to do,  how to make a change to reagin control of my life.  I spoke with one of my mentors in life Jo Ross from Louisville KY, and she told me of some jobs back in Louisville that I could do.  These jobs sounded amazing and were in the industry i needed so badly to be in.  However i didn’t want to go back to Louisville I wanted to be in NY but then i had to evaluate what was the most important thing, and the answer was my happiness.  I am a person ruled by, happiness, positive energy, and Passion.  I needed to be involved in the fields of fashion, beauty, and art again for my own life to move forward. I then made the executive decision that i had to go back to Louisville as soon as possible to do these jobs.  I did not want to move for good but to leave for a few months to get my life back together and gain control of my life again. I left my PA job and it is still to date one of the hardest things I have ever done and went back to Louisville for a little while.  I sublet my room at my apt and put most of my things in storage with the exception of what my sister wanted to borrow.  All of this took place within 3 weeks.  The decision making, me putting in my two weeks at work, booking my flight, subletting my room, getting a storage unit, and going back to Louisville.  It was so dramatic but so very desperately needed to happen.  I left my job went back to Louisville did some amazing things in the fashion, beauty, and art fields and then returned back to NY 3 months later.  Upon return I did lots of fun jobs like body painting for Peta, Doing makeup for a music video and CD album cover, Modeling in a plus size fashion show, filming my own new TV show for TLC, and being featured in Time out New York’s Style Icon issue as one of the most stylish New yorkers.  So i can now say that sense my return to NYC i have taken a 360 degree turn on who and what controls my life and that is me!!!  Myself and my passions are now in control of my future and I have never been happier!  So i ask you who controls your life and if the answer is not you then how can you make that change and gain back the control of your own life? How can you make sure your future is in your own hands?

xoxo

ALC

Year after year, season after season, I wonder what designers if any at fashion week will show plus size curvy models in their shows.  This fashion week I got an amazing treat when I was at non other than Betsey Johnsons show. As I sat there admiring her FW 2011 collection walking down the runway on Valentines day, I was taken by surprise when I witnessed curvy women walking down Betsey Johnsons runway.  I think I stood up to make sure I was seeing what I thought my eyes were telling my brain.  I also was elated when I saw that she had some boys walking the runway in her dresses too.  Come to find out as I was reading the program these curvy, real women, and boys are non other than her employees.  She had everyone from her knitwear Designers, to her VP of merchandising walking the runway.  This was a great move Betsey, show those real women and their curves, that they too look amazing in your clothing.

This season Betsey did a two part runway show containing two very different Acts.  The first Act was called the “Black Tag” collection, which I feel had a very Glam, Rock , sexy feel it had an amazing darkness to it that fits my persona well.  The second Act was titled the “Pink Patch” collection which was all under $100, and featured a very fun vibrant collection which showcased her employees in a variety of 51 different looks.  I found only one article about these “Real Women” rocking Betsey’s runways and it was titled, “Real women hit the runway dressed as Betsey“.  I am very surprised and taken back that this great addition to Betsey’s show only got one article worthy of popping up on Google when searching for it.  Over all though the show was amazing I felt the Black Tag Collection was amazing and a great direction for Betsey’s line for FW 2011 and her Pink Patch Collection was full of life and  I am sure it will be in house holds around the world come fall.

I do have one question though,  The show showcased “Real Women”  but will Betsey Johnson offer any of the styles showcased in these Collections in plus size?

I feel this show was a great addition to Fashion Week and Hopefully next season I will see more “Real Women” or curvy women walking the runway!

B- Believe

E- Extraordinary

A- Achieve

U- Unconditional

T- Triumphant

Y- Youthful

When you Believe you are Extraordinary you will Achieve success. When you have an Unconditional passion you will be Triumphant and remain Youthful!!!!!!

xxoo

Audrey Lea Curry

I am a FAT girl in a skinny world.  A Fantastic, Amazing, and Talented girl that is.  I am a plus size woman trying to make it in the fashion, beauty, and art world and I am hear to tell you it is Possible.   Being a plus size woman I was always worried that my size would make it impossible for me to succeed in the artistic political world of fashion but it has not. My size has set me apart from the rest of the crowd, and given me a great edge to embrace and take strides.  In the past several months I have been doing many different projects here in New York City and in Sothern IN/ Louisville KY area. Let me take you with me through these amazing project and share with you what they have taught me.

The first really exciting project I got to be a part of was, I won a model search contest for Re/Dress NYC which is a vintage consignment store for sizes 14+ in Boerum Hill Brooklyn.  The model search was a size 18+ competition and I won.    My prize for winning this competition was to have a photo shoot, and fashion spread in Plus Model Magazine, and to be in the first ever add campaigns for Re/Dress NYC.  My photo shoot got to be with Photographer Velvet D’Amour who is a photographer as well as a world renown plus size model.  The shoot was to promote and feature Re/Dress NYC’s Clothing and it was their  first ever add campaign. You can see the shoot in the September Issue of Plus Model Magazine, www.PlusModelMagazine.com.  The theme for this shoot was Pricilla Presley Lives Forever, a very fun theme if you ask me.  This was my first ever fashion photo shoot that was featuring me, and I was so ecstatic.  This shoot really made me know for sure I was were I was supposed to be when I was supposed to be there.

Next I took a little journey to Indiana for a while which is where I am from and I did some fashion shows while I was there.  The first show I worked on was titled “Butterflies and Bling“.  This show was a fundraiser put on by the Louisville KY, Butterfly Society for the Heuser Hearing and Language academy. This show took place in Louisville KY which is right outside of where I live in IN.  I was involved in many aspects of this show.  The most important thing I did was, I painted a 20foot by 24foot butterfly back drop for the fashion show.  What made this so very interesting is buy the time all the materials to create this butterfly arrived, I had three days to sew the muslin together and paint this entire butterfly for the show.  I did somehow pull this off and the butterfly tuned out spectacular.  I did have the amazing help of my mom, step dad, and step sisters who either helped run to get more spray paint, or helped me role the back paint background that I had to cover the muslin with before I could paint the butterfly on it.   This project was such an amazing opportunity and I am so honored I got to do it.  Once again this project really got my love for art and fashion to collaborate into one.   I haven’t had my clothing walk a runway yet but I did get to make the back drop for a runway  that all the clothing got presented in front of, so that is one check off my list.  During this runway show I was also helping back stage getting the models dressed, lined up, and just helping the show run smoothly.  I had to sew a panel into a Christian Siriano dress because the zipper was broken,  the dress was the wrong size, and had only arrived the day before the show.  When the models arrived the day of the show and we tried to fit the dress on the model who had to wear it, things got interesting.  A very specific girl had to wear the gown for the following reasons; she was the most experienced model, she was the tallest and needed the height for the gown, and it was the finally gown.  I ended up having to sew a panel into the dress an hour before the show all by hand, and it worked!  The show went great, the finally looked awesome, and no one noticed a thing was wrong with the gown.

The next step in my journey was to work some mall fashion shows.  This may sound silly at first but in Louisville KY at Oxmore Mall there is a fashion council.   The fashion council models in all promotions for the mall and all mall fashion shows.  The fashion council meets monthly and learn about all the different aspects of modeling from the one and only, Jo Ross.  These kids can be in fashion council from the age of 7-18, so there is some very experienced models by the age of 18.  Jo Ross whom I have interned for and worked with sense 2007, had some prior engagements so I ended up running two holiday fashion shows for her. These shows were my first ever fashion shows to do solo.  Of course most of the work had already been done by Jo, and her intern but running the shows the day of alone was so very exciting. I got to get the clothing from the stores, organize it for the models, get them ready and lined up for the shows and then manage the shows.  I did have the help of her intern that day who is in the fashion council and it helped immensely.  Jo Ross is so well respected in Louisville I had all the help I could ever need from the kids in the council to the parents there watching.  I was so happy to call Jo when the shows were over and tell her the great news of how the shows went and I was so happy to make her proud.

After being in Indiana for a few months and staying for the holidays, I headed back to New York City to continue my dreams.  In January after New Years I did Nude Body Painting again for PETA as they protested the use of fur in Rock Center while on the ice scatting rink.  This time I painted the girls like a snake, a cow, and a cheetah.  It is so amazing to do body painting  again because it really combines all my passions together, you have the makeup aspect because you are making up her whole body, but you have the art aspect because she is a piece of art when you are finished and it is all in the name of fashion at the end of the day.  Anyone interested in all three of these fields should really try body painting.  My next project was a few weeks later and I was doing Makeup for a music video shoot for Icicle Dust’s  first single “Vanilla“.  This was probably the most fun I have ever had doing makeup for a shoot because we spent two rigorous days doing supper amazing, futuristic, high fashion, beautiful makeup and creating a magnificent music video.  The artist had an amazing vision and were very good at communicating that vision to me as well as to the directors, and hair stylist.   This video is a beautiful piece of art and I am so happy to have been a part of it.

My journey is now coming to the present, and what my latest venture is.  I am hear to tell you I have been presented with an amazing opportunity.  One that hopefully you will all get to be a part of by watching and supporting.  I am on a new reality television show that will be taking place on The Learning Chanel, TLC, and will most likely air in June or July.  This show is about myself as well as four other amazing women who live here in New York City and work in the fashion and beauty industries.  It is a body positive show about plus size women and our lives in NYC.  I can not give you the name of this show yet or any more very specific information but I will be updating you all very soon with more post here on the Beauty Equation Website.  I really feel this show will be an amazing opportunity to spread positive images and feelings about plus size women in the fashion and beauty world.    I really want anyone who is out there and has not read Nigel’s Beauty Equation to pick up a copy and get ready to be inspired, motivated, and over all amazed at the power this book holds.  This book has really made me improve in areas in which I was lacking  confidence, and fine tune ones that I had thought I already had down pat.  This book makes me aware of different elements of beauty and why when the elements are all brought together, they create something so sacred and beautiful.

Please don’t let you size, shape, ethnicity, or anything else stand in your way to success.  Whether it is tall, or short, fat, or skinny, white, or black, none of it matters.  Pursue your dreams and follow your passion, and life will not fail you.  You need to stay motivated, and block out any and all negativity in your life.  If someone is too negative and always bringing you down you must rid yourself of them.   Keep positive people around you and always know that your next success is right around the corner.  You must know you will succeed never question it. For it is not a question it is a statement of fact, of something that has already been accomplished.  Say I am (_______Your name_________) and I am a fashion designer, or I am (______your name________ ) and I and I very successful fine artist.  Make your own statement but you must think as if you have already concord your goals.  Believe it and you can achieve it.  You must always say I am or I have as if you have already done these thing whatever they may be, and you will succeeded.  Believe your future is your Now and it will become your Present.

I am Audrey Lea Curry and I am a very successful, a Makeup Artist, Model, Designer, and Fine Artist!!!

Make yourself a small daily affirmation that you will say every morning like the one I have just made above and see how it works fro you, but remember you must believe it to achieve it truly feel it as you have accomplished it as you say you affirmation and it will manifest itself to be true.

XXOO

Audrey Lea Curry