My Photo Work

                                                                                 © 2015 Ivana Simone

     Here is a little bit of my photo work I have been extremely busy with hope you guys like it.
                                                                           Be good. Be easy. Be inspired.
                                                                                               -Ivana Simone

Knowing When To Let Go

      Energy suckers can be detrimental to your success. If not handled quickly and accordingly they can bring your goals to a complete halt. For the past couple of months I myself have been dealing with energy suckers. I felt it appropriate to come and share with you my experience and my decisions in such a case. The very first thing that I will say is to pay very close attention to how someone consumes your time, and what they try to direct it to.
     I advise this because anytime you are trying to reach a goal there is always someone or something that comes up as an obstacle. In my situation I noticed that the individual at hand would always try to disturb me when I was working on my photography, or my music, writing, etc. Once you see things like this happening you must demand that your time be respected, because you have a goal you are trying to reach.  Do not fold or bend. You have to stay driven at all cost or else you'll end up laying your goals down by the wayside.
     Furthermore if you realize that someone in your circle does not have a head on their shoulders such as yourself, it is best to end the relationship before it goes to far.  This is a recipe for disaster having friends who have no ambition or drive. You are both on different roads. When two people on different paths come together the draining begins. Someone is going to end up changing, this situation becomes the battle of the strengths.
     Ultimately I am trying to tell you that on your journey to success and prospering there are some things and people you have to drop. Keep your eye on your goals. If you don't have a list of goals to accomplish make one. Lastly, do your best to meet those goals and keep yourself in a place to get career excelling opportunities. I hope you've all been well and striving for your dreams, and please remember no dream is to big.

                                                 Be good. Be easy. Be inspired.
                                                                        -Ivana Simone

Success is not FINAL, FAILURE is not fatal. - Winston Churchill

     Today I was reading a fiction story and in the story a young woman was going for her  dream as a model. She did a photo shoot and built a portfolio, went on interviews with two agencies, and was simply ecstatic about the possibility of her dreams coming true.  She later received a call from one of the agencies saying that she was not accepted as one of their models and she was simply crushed. You could sense that for her the world had just ended and their was no hope of revival.  I honestly understood how she felt, I'm sure we can all relate in some form or fashion.

     But what I absolutely loved is what her husband told her after he found out that she did not get accepted to that agency. He said " You'll never succeed unless you fail. You have to keep trying.  Nobody can stop you but yourself.  If you really want it, you'll make it happen no matter what it takes."  Once I read that I found myself shouting yes out loud because it inspired me so and uplifted me in such a way.

     That line made something come alive in me in a way that I can't explain.  I myself have been doing a lot of things and felt like this isn't amounting to much. I too have been in the same position as that character down and ready to quit. But we all have to remember is that in order to get something you never had you gotta do something that you never done. So you may have to get a few doors closed in your face, you may have to go through the feeling of wanting to give up, you may have to be told by someone you don't have what they are looking for.

     All of those things happening simply make for a better story of triumph when you get to where you are going. Keep working at it even when you feel it's pointless. Keep pushing even when you're tired. Keep your head up especially when you wanna hold it down.  Ride the journey out until you get to the end, and once you do look back and be proud of the hard work it took to arrive to the finish line.

                                                                         Be cool. Be easy. Be inspired.
                                                                                         - Ivana Simone

Hope you've had a great day

                   
             Sending you guys some encouragement hope you all have had a wonderful day.
                                                            Be good. Be easy. Be inspired.
                                                                            -Ivana Simone

Forgiveness of Self

  
    I wanted to come and talk to you guys today about forgiveness of self.  A lot of times we are super hard on ourselves for mistakes we've made, things we've done, as well as things we didn't do. I know I have dealt with this before heavily. Now let me first state this is not going in a religious direction so don't get me misunderstood.  However forgiveness is not just a religious concept, it is a concept of self love, worth, and the drawing of positive things to you.

    When we don't forgive ourselves we hold ourselves back thus becoming our own worst enemy aside from anyone else on the planet.  In my opinion the concept of forgiveness has been taken out of context, and due to that people don't do it or even desire to.  Here is an example. Someone you trust breaks that trust and robs your home, and you discover that it was them.  You decide to forgive them and continue to let them into your home, come around and pretend it never happened.

     That is not at all how that should go.  Forgiving someone doesn't mean you forget about what they did because that's humanly impossible. However it does mean you don't hold on to the hurt from the action. Now how you handle the person is a matter of choice.  When dealing with ones self it is very similar to that stated above.

     You will never forget those things you did to wrong yourself.. What you can do is face the fact that you did it and let go of the pain you feel from it.  I will not say this is an easy task because I myself have struggled with it.  One thing I have done that has worked for me is I take that thing that I couldn't forgive myself for, and I let it drive me to be better and do better.  Life did not come with a handbook, and it didn't come with a mind that has all the answers.

     As we walk through life we are always presented with two paths, which represents choices.  There is no how to make the right choice guideline. In life you make the choice you feel is best for you at the time.  Sometimes that choice is the wrong one.  I encourage you to let go of the pain of wrong choices made and time wasted.

     Focus on the fact that you have today and you have the now. Right now you can get up and do something to make a difference. Right now you have the ability to get up and make things happen for yourself.  Right now is what you are living not yesterday.  Take yesterday and use it as a reminder of what not to do, and do not let the lack of forgiveness of self stop you from becoming the you you truly want to be.

     Here is a song that I listen to when I need to forgive myself and it really helps me put things in perspective. When you listen to it think about the entire song in terms of yourself. As if it's you talking to yourself.

                                                            Be good. Be easy. Be inspired.
                                                                                -Ivana Simone

    

Been gone. But I'M BACK!!!

Hey all :-) I am sorry I have been gone and not posting anything but I have been super busy moving into a new place. However between moving and getting settled in I have been perfecting my photography skills, which is something I not long ago got into.  I got into photography because I wanted to turn a play I wrote and directed into a short film. I was told by a friend of mine who is a photographer that the best way to perfect videography is to first start as a photographer.  I must admit I absolutely LOVE IT!!! I have some pictures from some shoots I am editing and I will post them on my flickr and post a link for you guys.  I have another cover song to post I just have to edit the video and get it up for you all. I hope that you've been inspired and went out and started on that which you desire to do. You make your dreams happen remember that. If anyone ever wants me to do a cover or sing a song for them leave it in the comments and I'll definitely get that done. Hope you're all happy. Hope you're living. Hope you're inspired daily.

                                              Be good. Be easy. Be inspired.
                                                                     -Ivana Simone

FourFiveSeconds Cover

                                         Hope you guys enjoy this I sung it live so all the vocals are unedited

                                     Be good. Be easy. Be inspired. :-) ♥♥♥ -Ivana Simone

About Me

          Here is a video  just telling you guys a little bit about myself, my 
            thoughts, things to expect from me in the near future, and my love for the 
            arts.

Blackstreet No Diggity Cover

This one of my favorite songs so I decided to do a slight remake of it it was fun and I enjoyed doing it too. Hope you guys enjoy! ♥♥♥

I Bet Ciara Cover

 I hope you enjoy ♥♥♥

Exhaust Every Possibility

     In this life there will always be someone who says you can't do something and just because they said it, you don't. But just as the picture above says "A lion doesn't concern himself with opinions of sheep."  The truth of the matter is that that person said that to you because once at some point in their life someone said that to them. Misery loves company. Always Exhaust every possibility so at the end of the day you can at least say you tried.
     I myself am just realizing anything I want to happen can happen if I give my all, lose lots of sleep (smile) and believe in what I'm doing.  So who cares if someone says I can't do something, just because I'm going for it I have already made it.  That's my new found attitude that I am super proud of and glad I discovered her again lol.  I'm going to always be like a lion  or an eagle. A lion walks with pride, integrity, and his head up- the eagle soars straight towards the sun never looking back.

                                                                          Be like a lion or an eagle.
                                                                                          -Ivana Simone

Pushing The Limit

     Yesterday I wrote a song that to me was outstanding however when I let some of my closest friends hear it they said, "You can do better and make this song pop." This took me aback because to me this song was perfection, however when I went at it again it came out twenty times better than when I wrote it the first time. This time as I recorded it I was dancing, and really feeling the song because I made it come alive. Don't become complacent always push your work to the highest limits that you can. Even when you think you can't get any better know that there is always room for improvement, and it will come if you work at it.
     When I came at that song again and saw how nicely it came out, all I could do was smile the biggest smile. I was so proud of myself. I felt super accomplished. I told myself at first I can't do what they are asking of me, and almost shied away from it out of fear. But something in me was like "NO WE ARE DOING THIS!" Once I did it I danced to the song for at least an hour because I was so proud of myself. Never ever limit yourself because you don't know what you can do until go for a crack at it.
       As my late grandfather always said "If you try the first time and you don't succeed try try again."
                                                                                    Be encouraged.

                                                                                                         -Ivana Simone

Inspiration

     Inspiration is a very big part of pushing forward in anything you truly desire to do. It is always good to follows those who inspire you on social media. My reason for this is because reading things they post will keep you driven and pushing for greatness.  Last year I was on Facebook and I saw a video one of my friends posted that was a interview of Spike Lee.  In his interview Pharrell asked him about the filming of Malcolm X, and his reply was so inspirational I nearly jumped out of my chair ready to go to work. He began to talk about all the hard work Denzel put into the role and how he studied Malcolm X's work.
     He explained to the listeners that Denzel became Malcolm X and followed every practice he did in order to really capture the role. Denzel had captured the role so much so that he ended up adding words to Malcolm's speech in the movie not remembering a word when he was finished. Spike Lee went on to say that anything you do you have to put your all in it, and you have to give it everything you got in order for it to be great. He went on to say " Whatever it is you do whether it be art, music, writing, acting anything you do that you don't give 100% will become a fad but the stuff with real dedication in it is timeless." That excited me so I could almost jump up and down and shout YES!
     He was absolutely right! Denzel is another one who is very inspirational and is continuously encouraging young actors to go for their dream. But not to just go for it  but to go for it with everything you got, and also by maintaining a high level of spirituality.  These are two people who truly inspire me, so I follow them on any social media they may have and anytime they do interviews that I see anywhere I watch them. This helps to keep me driven, and alive, as well as excited about what I am going for.
     I hope that this helps you in one way or another and if you don't do anything else after reading this please do this one thing.  Find out who in your craft inspires you. After doing that find some of their work and pay attention to it, watch how they go beyond the limit with it. Then if they are on social media follow them. Lastly if they have any interviews on Youtube watch them, it's during interviews I have seen my inspirations say the most inspiring things.

  Hope this video gives you some inspiration.

                                - Ivana Simone

Belief & Success(Poetry)

Belief & Success

A dream… A dream, I had a dream.

In my dream I reached the highest heights of spirituality,

And came to the reality that we all have the ability to achieve success.

For our success is not trodden down for the lack of our abilities but the lack of our belief.

The power of belief is unfathomable to the mind of man because it speaks to the spirit in which it was created to co-exist.

The power which man possesses knows he not because if he did people wouldn’t be martyred trying to get to the top.

The mis-education about the top is that it was only created for one... What a mis-education that is.

The apex was not forged for fellow beings to become competitive nor was it for the current arrivals to inhibit and deem it only fit for themselves.

See the top was made to show you how you got here is what you do to stay here. Hard work, dedication, sacrifice, and determination are the keys to this domain.

As this realization hit me I became engulfed with the understanding that success and belief were more than yin and yang, more than the moon and the sun, more than the day and the night, they were mated at the hip for one cannot exist without the other.

What an adventure to allow the mind to travel and oh what a thought to let it absorb.

                                                                                      Copyright © 2015

Belief & Success

 

     Many of us in this world believe that our dreams are too outrageous to reach, and because we believe this we never even attempt to go for them. The truth of the matter is no goal is to big to achieve, it's all a matter of how much work you intend to do.  Many have a tendency to talk about all the things they want to do, and even go so far as saying this is going to happen with no action taken toward the desired goal.  The truth of the matter is that anything we want to do in this life is not going to just drop down in our laps. If no work is put into anything then the end result is absolutely nothing happens except the passing of time. 

     I myself have fallen victim to this train of thought for many years and I felt all hope was lost and that was all folks. However, I unlike others had a few select people who became very active in my life and pushed me to the limit. I DO MEAN PUSHED TO THE LIMIT TOO! Every time I said I can't they called me a liar and said you can, when all I had to say was negative things about life they hit me with reality, when I said I quit they said "Okay well then you like your current situation."  This was the tough love I faced on a daily basis no surrender and no retreat. 

     Ultimately this was my daily treatment and I hated every bit of it I felt misunderstood and beaten on. I now realize the reason they were so hard on me is because they really did understand me and didn't want to see me continue to wither and die.  But there are those out there who have nothing and no one to breath life into them positively at all. It is my hope that that which I post here inspires and encourages many, and gives that little breath of life needed to carry on positively.  Rememer this about FEAR

FINDING

EXCUSES

AND

REASONS.

                                                                                      - Ivana Simone