Blog

  Meet Toni Ann Johnson I met Toni Ann several years ago through Antioch University, Los Angeles's MFA program.  Her talent as a writer, her striking beauty, her sense of humor, her infectious laugh,and her willingness to reach out and connect to others are all things I admire about her.  She was one of the first people to jump on board in support of Compliment, and I am so grateful for that.  Though we haven't seen each other face-to-face in a few years, Toni Ann's friendship is very special and I'm so happy to introduce her to you as the...

I was asked recently in an interview about what inspires me. The first thing that popped into my head was WORDS! Words, you say?  Not something cooler like nature or old Hollywood? Eh, nope. Words. Mmhmm...That’s right.  I’m a nerd for words. (see how that rhymed?) Ooh baby...talk WORDY to me. Lemme break it on down: In the first grade, I said I wanted to be an author when I grew up. My fascination with fonts and various text arrangements goes deep.  I know lots of my friends feel me here.  Especially Amy and Nikki. When dreaming up Compliment, it...

Several days ago, I reached out to someone I thought was my friend with sensitive information that made me feel pretty vulnerable.  I didn't hear back.(Talk about leaving someone hanging...)And then I did.The feedback I received was not at all what I expected.  Although I was nervous to share the information originally, I fully expected this friend to understand where I was coming from and act accordingly with compassion.  That didn't happen.  Essentially, she broke off our friendship.asdkjasweoprilkzdmzkaoioialkdnasdlfosdfaf SAY WHAT?! ( <---- That's how it felt at first.)Ouch. ouchouchouchouchouch (<----- that's how it felt a second later.) That feeling of...

I am so blessed to have a handful of incredibly loyal, fun, honest, kind girlfriends from the different stages of my life--some even from elementary school.  But now that we are grown-ups and have lives and responsibilities, some which have led us to different cities, most of my besties live in my computer.  As in, the most frequent way we keep in touch is via the computer. Do some of your best friends live in your computer, too? Don’t get me wrong.  I’m grateful for inventions like Facebook, Instagram, Skype, e-mail, and even texting so that I can send a...