Reality Television

What is reality television? Let's start out with a very good definition.


Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted melodramatic or "humorous" situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors. (Wikipedia 1)


I'm not afraid to admit that I am unbelievable obsessed and addicted to reality television. There is just something about watching a group of people fighting, arguing, crying, laughing, etc that is extremely entertaining. I can almost relate reality television to the time where the Romans would assemble at the Colosseum to watch gladiators fight to their death. Although one is fatal and one is not, they are very much fulfilling the same emotions and sensations to it's viewers. People like to view other people as spectacles. People enjoy seeing others experience emotions, and ultimately enjoy experiencing how they act on their emotions. What makes other human beings SO entertaining? I don't know that answer, but I do know that human's enjoy being let into other people's overly dramatic, absurd, emotional and heroic lives. I love learning about different life styles, and the easiest way for my to accomplish this is through reality television. Not only do I enjoy these TV shows for pure entertainment, but there is a tremendous amount of information that you could actually learn from these shows. Just from reality television alone I have learned how I do NOT want to act or come across to fellow human beings, different diseases people suffer from (ex. hoarding), and a variety of careers that I never knew existed (ex. Dirty Jobs). I have also witnessed very shameful behavior from these television shows. I feel like some TV shows condone poor behavior, and this can influence the younger generations in a negative way. Children repeat what they see, and if a child grows up watching trashy, inappropriate television this could influence the way they act. Nonetheless, reality television will always be one of my weaknesses because I enjoy witnessing the crazy things that happen in other people's lives.

Cut Up Tees

To me, there's nothing more exciting and fun in regards to fashion than cutting up and making your own clothes. One of my favorite things to do is take some of my old clothes that have either gone out of style, don't fit, or are just plain ugly and quite embarrassing, and transforming them into something that is sexy and fun. This is a great way to recycle old clothes and make it something you would want to wear again. It's also really fun to go to a store like Target or Michael's with friends to buy plain t-shirts and have a cutting party! It's an extremely satisfying feeling to cut up and design a plain t-shirt into something interesting and cool because no one else owns it. It's something I could call my own, and I love that. I'm always looking for different ways to switch up my look, and creating my own clothes and jewelry allows me to do just that. Like I just mentioned, I also love creating my own jewelry. I'm that type of person that always wants to over the top with the things that I wear, so I love wearing large earrings and necklaces. If you're looking to branch out in the fashion world, create your own clothes! Here's some pictures of clothes/jewelry that I've made to give you some ideas!

Don't take life for granted

As we know from the Colorado Theatre shootings, life is fragile. In fact, life is so fragile that it could be taken from us any second. When disasters like this happen it really makes you wonder and put things into perspective. It's important to live life not only to the fullest, but to rethink that fight with your mother that you had last week or that horrible gossip that you were just talking about with your friends the other night. Although I will continue to make mistakes and have moments that I'm not proud of, I am really going to to try my hardest to either rethink my actions to avoid hurting someone I love, or to even rethink actions that could hurt myself in the long run. I am a lover of God, and I need to to thank him every day for the opportunities and experiences that I have been blessed with, and especially thank him for blessing me with the best gift of all, life. Another important aspect of life I take very seriously is forgiveness. I encourage you all to find the forgiveness in your hearts to mend relationships that have been ruined by past betrayals, wrongdoings, and angst because like I said before, life is fragile and I would imagine that you wouldn't want the heaviness of holding grudges to way you down. Be thankful for the life you have, and tell your loved ones how much you love them. Don't take life for granted.

The artist who changed my life

For those of you who know me even the slightest bit know that I am HUGE fan of elctro-rock artist LIGHTS. She is someone who deserve every bit of my adoration.. and I'll tell you why.

Lets start from the very beginning. It was the summer going into my Senior year of high school when I traveled to Philly to do a summer Music Business program at Drexel University. It was an amazing experience, and I met amazing people, some of which I still keep in contact with! I met a girl the first day I was there and instantly connected with her. We did have a lot in common, but we were still different in every sense of the word. Weird I know... but that's just how it was and I loved it. She had such a unique style and awesome stories that it really inspired me to dig deeper and to be more creative.. and to ultimately just BE MYSELF. (She also has no idea how much of a break through she was for me in my life..she may think it's creepy or a compliment. I would hope a compliment haha) Anyway, at that point in my life there was so many things that I wanted to try regarding my looks, style, and my music, but was too nervous about what people would think to even go there. I always had a fascination with the artists that went outside of the box and ultimately were just...weird, but never thought that I could ever experiment the way they have.

My new friend and I talked about a lot of different things, but mainly talked about music. We were just hanging out at the hotel we were staying in while she showed me all of the cool artists and musicians that she loved and listened to, one being Lights. Once she put her music on I automatically became intrigued by her subtle voice and AWESOME synths. I took note of the name, and continued hanging out with the new friends that I had met at the program. When I got home I immediately bought Light's EP off of I-tunes and listened to those same 5 or 6 songs over and over again. At that time Lights wasn't a very popular artist (at least not in the US), but did have a really great fan following and was making youtube videos and touring. I increasingly became anxious for more music and found as many videos and songs made by her as I possibly could.

Everyone has that specific artist or band that literally just speaks to their soul, and Lights is that for me. I followed her every step of the way and believed in her simply for the reason that she had shown me music that was NEVER made before and was uniquely her own. I also love her style, and doesn't feel the need to change her hair and clothes a million times to transform into a different person. She is very simple, and I absolutely love that about her. She's not the best singer I've ever heard and she's not the best song writer that I've ever come across, and even a musical God wouldn't be able to do what she has done. She has passion, she has drive, and she's a damn hard worker. She signed a publishing deal at just 16 years old and started out by writing songs for other artists. She did everything possible to get to where she is today.. and you know what the best part about her? Although her music has evolved, grown, and developed in a tremendous way she is still that same HUMBLE human being that she was when she first started. She is the one of the most humble, appreciative artists that I have ever seen or experienced, and you can tell that the fame and fortune that she has received throughout the years hasn't gotten to her head. I actually saw her at a restaurant in Nashville the day I was going to see her concert and couldn't pass up the opportunity to talk to her. She welcomed me with open arms as I rudely ( well I did it in a polite manner) interrupted her lunch with her friend. She shook my hand and actually wanted to hear what I had to say.(Oh did I mention that she is much more beautiful in person?! I know what you're thinking... impossible) That night I went to her concert (which was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had in my whole entire life...brought me to tears) and recognized the friend that she was eating with at PM behind the merch table. Luckily she remembered me as well so it wasn't as creepy haha. Ahh I can't remember her name because this was months ago, but she too was so sweet and allowed me to ask questions. We actually had about a half hour conversation, and I found out so much about her and Lights' life. Definitely a moment that I'll never forget.

Honestly I could go on and on about my love for Lights' music, but there's one important point that I want to make. Her music helped me survive the difficult times in my life, her music has been blasted in my car while me and my friends dance around and act like fools, her music INSPIRES me and helped me develop myself as an artist. She helped me figure out what kind of musical career I aspire to have, and that is to keep writing music that I believe in and to stay humble and eternally grateful for everything that I have experienced in life. So, Lights.. if you ever see this (or if I happen to become a successful artist and we collaborate on something) I just want to say THANK YOU for being YOU and ultimately changing my life.

Rain, Rain, don't go away

It's pouring rain outside right now, and it is uniquely beautiful. This observation sparked an idea in my mind that I would reflect on how beautiful the imperfections of this world could be. Of course I think a beaming sun on an island with palm trees and colorful flowers is beautiful, but I enjoy digging deeper and finding the beauty in objects and situations that people don't typically view as being admirable. Like rain for instance. Normally, people complain about the weather being cloudy and rainy, but I find much joy in it. Rain represents nourishment in my mind, and that is exactly what it is doing. It is nourishing the Earths soil, all of the plant's roots, every dried up tree, and quenching our thirst for nature's waters. One of my favorite songs is a song called "Every Time it Rains" by Charlotte Martin, and she says it best. She sings "Every time it rains, I know it's good to be alive." I love this quote because instead of relating rain to sadness and depressive thoughts, she is relating it to living life and putting a hopeful spin on it. She is utilizing the beauty of rain, and this is what I deem most important.

In relation to humans, I always try and find the beauty in everyone and every situation I encounter. Whether someone gave me a difficult time or if someone broke my heart, there is always a lesson to be learned that will serve a purpose and be beneficial to my future. It is because of these imperfect situations that something beautiful blossoms and blooms, and I am witness to this being true.

Point being... look at things, people, and situations in a different light to see the beauty and purpose of it. Even if you don't see if right away..... it's there.

Live, breathe, eat, dance

I was thinking today... I REALLY miss dance. Dance has been such a huge part of my life ever since I was two years old. It completes me, and it gives me the opportunity to express myself in such a unique and empowering way. Dance not only is an amazing work out (for all of you who don't consider it to be a sport IT IS...trust me), but it helps me cope with every day struggles, such as stress. It helps me through the bad times and creates that light at the end of the tunnel to reach towards. It helps me simply have fun when I need to release some energy and have a good time. It helps me put every bit of emotion into each vein in my body, from every finger tip to each and every toe nail. All in all it helps me feel... well, normal.

Dance has always been such a normal part of my schedule. My high school career looked like this... wake up, go to school, go to play practice, straight to dance, and homework late at night if I didn't pass out before it was finished. Somewhere in between that schedule I managed to fit in songwriting, singing, piano, clarinet, church, school clubs, work, and hanging out with friends to help me feel sane. I actually didn't have the time that I wished to spend with my friends because I was so busy. This I feel now was definitely a blessing and a curse, but I also had a family at the Spring Lake Theatre (where I danced). Spending hours on end with the same people in a fun yet structured environment allows you to connect on all sorts of levels, and we did! We laughed, we cried, and we fought, but most importantly we all loved each other and helped each other get through life. This is something that I wouldn't trade for the world, and I loved all the girls that I grew up dancing with.

Dance also helped me come out of my comfort zone. Each year I exuded more confidence than the year before, and became more and more comfortable on stage performing in front of people. There is always a challenge to overcome, and always something new to learn. I've always had problems with insecurities like most people do, but dancing helped me overcome these insecurities. I became more precise, expressed more emotions, gave attitude, and as my friends like to joke around about more seductive (in better words more comfortable with my sexuality) haha. Every year since sixth grade I traveled to NYC to dance at the Broadway Dance Center. When my dance teacher came up to me when I was 11 years old presenting this opportunity to me I'm not going to lie... I was SCARED as hell, but I was all for it. I wanted to do it so badly that I rushed home to my mother and begged her to do it. After a lot of thinking she finally agreed, and I was off to the big apple! That week I experienced the hardest, most intense week of my life, but I was addicted I just HAD to do it again. So I did! Just by going to NYC to dance every year helped me realize that I am capable of succeeding in high stress, uncomfortable situations, which helps me with every situation in my life. When I come across a situation that it is difficult for me to deal with I just tell myself "You went to NYC by yourself.. without your mom.. when you were 11 years old.. and danced with some of the most famous and intense teachers in the world... you can do this."

In the end, I learned so much about myself through dance. I was able to engage myself in another creative outlet, which only made all of my other creative outlets stronger. I learned how to choreograph, properly exercise, stay healthy, and most importantly learned how to devote myself to discipline and hard work. Dance is one of my passions and it always will be, and I can't wait to continue to take classes and choreograph for my Belmont shows and functions. I want to end this blog with one of my favorite dances to one of my favorite songs.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRrBdU-ztO8&NR=1&feature=fvwrel

Country song lyrics that I wrote

"Country Girl"

Verse 1: 

Sitting on my white picket fence looking out to the horizon

The smell of hay and gasoline invades all my sinuses

I got  my horse all saddled up waitin' for me to ride again

I feel like I'm the luckiest girl and what more could I ask for, what more could I ask for

Chorus:

I'm just a girl living in a country world 

driving in my red, hot cadillac listenen' to some old school country tracks

I'm just a girl living in a country world

With a shotgun on my should and my momma this is what I told her

I'm just a country girl

Verse 2:

I got my shorts and flannel on making heads turn when I pass the guys

They may think I'm nice and sweet with my bright blue enticing eyes

They got one thing coming for them 

They don't know how I could see through their lies

I'm just lookin' for a cowboy to have a good time, have a good time

Chorus:

I'm just a girl living in a country world 

driving in my red, hot cadillac listenen' to some old school country tracks

I'm just a girl living in a country world

With a shotgun on my should and my momma this is what I told her

I'm just a country girl

Bridge:

And I'll never leave the south

Cause I love it here and I'm proud

I'm just a country girl

Country Music

This past week I've taken on the challenge of writing a country song... and it actually turned out extremely well! I talked to friends of mine who write country music to find out their opinions on what makes a good country song. They were all really adamant on the fact that it's the lyrics that prevail in country music, and that it's extremely common and an important aspect to have honest lyrics. They also described country music to have catchy yet simple melodies. I'm originally from New Jersey with Irish and Italian background, so my family almost never listened to country music. This was a genre so foreign to me due to the fact that I wasn't raised living and breathing this type of music. Eventually I picked up my whole entire life and basically dropped it all in Nashville Tennessee, which means I had no other choice than to get a taste of the Nashville Country Music scene. It has taken me a while to actually listen to some of the artists referred to me by my friends who are country music fans, but now that I'm interning at a Country Music label I've been surrounded by it everyday, and quite frankly it's growing on me! We represent and work with some amazing Country artists such as Hudson Moore and Lady A, and I've had the privilege to not only listen and observe their music, but to be a part of the business side of their music careers. Country music has such great American pride, and it's that one genre that is solely an American born genre. Country music is also home to a variety of unique instruments such as the banjo, mandolin, and pedal steel guitar. Some of the topics that Country artists mainly write about are Country pride, love, broken hearts, trucks, and of course drinking (instead of tonic in a club it's whiskey at a bar). It's a very interesting genre that I increasingly like more and more everyday, and I must say those cowboys are VERY attractive.