The harder I work the harder I live. 

But not cheap work. 

I don’t do the work that modern society expects of me. I don’t do replicable, easy to follow, or ordinary work. 

There’s an alternative. 

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I work without a map, I take on big projects with big breakdowns, I lead, I connect, and I make an impact. I make myself irreplaceable. 

Why? Because I want to be thoroughly used up when I die. 

I want to leave this earth knowing I left giving it everything I got and the only way I can do that is by being above and beyond who I see myself to be. 

That’s why my work is worth making, it’s worth talking about. It’s for the world. And, it isn’t safe. I stay away from being safe because safe, is mediocre. Safe is being afraid to take a risk that could possibly shake the world. Safe is being vulnerable, and being vulnerable is scarce. Scarcity is valuable. 

At least once in your life, you’ve been this person. You’ve done the work that matters. You’ve worked harder than normal, and you lived harder than normal. 

You might have been the doctor who spends an extra two minutes with his patients, the teacher who uses the lesson plan as a starting point but not the destination, the boyfriend first to apologize, or the first to quit smoking cigarettes and then getting your community involved. 

The question I ask myself is, 

“How long will it take to be this person again?” 

When I lose sight of this person I know I am, how quickly can I get back on it?

“How soon can I shake the world again?”

And then I begin to fly. 

*Written by James Wong

P.S. Check out Erika Walton’s new Sleepy Hollow line! 

Thank you, Unique LA

This past weekend, the team and I spent our Mother’s Day weekend kicking it with over 300 other hot, awesome brands (such as Jenny and Jimbob Jewelry and KoKo Candles!) overlooking Downtown LA.

WHAT A WEEKEND?!

I love teaming up with Unique LA and representing some of the best this city has to offer.  Being a brand that is ‘local’ brings a proud feeling throughout my company and me, especially during a time when our city has been hit quite hard from our country’s current economic situation.  Knowing Erika Walton Jewelry  is actually making a difference in the city I love fulfills me.

To Unique LA, truly thank you.  Thanks for making a difference in our city, expanding across the country and bringing opportunity to people throughout the U.S. Thanks for sticking with your “MADE IN THE U.S.” motto and for being a stand that we be the ones to bring innovation and production to our country. It’s organizations like you that have us, entrepreneurs win when the world tells us we can’t right now.  Kudos.

Our Unique LA booth

Magical, loving relationships do end.

But they don’t end because of moronic reasons like cheating or losing affection or disappointed expectations. They end for a special reason that only the couples with the most magical, loving relationship know. They end because the two love bugs live into different futures. 

Like if one of us wants to sell all our things, buy around the world tickets, and travel the world, but the other wants to settle down and have kids, we live into different futures.

Like if one of us wants to date other people, but the other wants to be in a committed relationship, we live into different futures.

A couple with a magical, loving relationship would never end for any other reason. Magical love is love that’s stubborn. A couple that has it, knows they can make ANYTHING work, personality, culture, Zodiac signs, whatever differences DON’T MATTER. Magical, loving relationships don’t fall for that bullshit. 

A magical, loving relationship’s future aligns. Meaning, both partners are in agreement and are supportive in each other’s dreams. 

The only reason they would break up is if their dreams don’t align. They are clear if one of them were to sacrifice his or her dreams to be with the other, he or she would eventually resent the other. It would ruin and rot their relationship. This clearing is what creates a magical, loving relationship.  

*Written by James Wong

P.S. Here are some amazing stores that now carry Erika Walton’s magical jewelry line. If you’re in the area, check them out! 

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Brooklyn Stone Boutique                                                                Colfax Market Femme
366 Myrtle Avenue                                                                           611 w 39th street
Brooklyn, NY 11205                                                                         Kansas City, MO 64111
(347) 763.2041                                                                                    http://www.colfaxmarketfemme.com/
http://www.brooklynstoneboutique.com

Kuo’s Art Gallery                                                             Pass the Baton
1F. No 8, Ln. 15, Sec. 1                                                  〒150-0001 Shibuya-ku,
Chongqing N. Rd. Datong Dist                                           Tokyo神宮前4-12-10
Taipei City, 103                                                                http://www.pass-the-baton.com/
Taiwan

Photo by Gauz

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will live its whole life believing it’s stupid.” -Albert Einstein 

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We make people so wrong when they don’t think the way we do. Like there’s one perspective, one best way, one answer, and if she doesn’t agree, she’s weird.

Sometimes we forget everyone is magical in their own way. Judging someone by whether or not they agree with our beliefs is like judging a book by its cover, it makes no sense.

If you want people to love you, get good at loving others.

Here’s a simple method to forgiving someone who doesn’t think the way you do.

1. Notice yourself judging.

2. Acknowledge him or her for not being the same as you. And then forgive him or her and forgive yourself.

3. Remember that we are all magical with reasons for why we believe what we believe.

4. Smile, lean forward, and listen.

5. Be open-minded. -You never know what you might learn.

When you relate to someone as a magical human being with the same needs and feelings as you, it’s possible to understand why they believe what they believe on a much deeper level.

* Written by James Wong

P.S. We’re going to be at the Unique L.A. Art Show! You’ll get to meet Erika Walton as she shows off her new jewelry lines and more! Come hang out with us, the other 300+ artists, and Caine from LA’s own Caine’s Arcade! (So cute!) on May 12th & 13th @ The California Market Center. More info : Here 

Do you wake up feeling like shi!t sometimes? You got a decent amount of beauty sleep but you still feel like a drag queen? 

I had the same issue. It wasn’t until I did a little research and found out the likely boogieman.

LOW-BLOOD SUGAR, following overnight fasting.

Before getting into your soft, fluffy bed, try eating a small snack to regulate the amount of sugar in your blood.

Here are some yummy snacks I love:

• Brie cheese and an apple!
• A few sticks of celery with almond butter!
• A cutie and handful of almonds!

And abracadabra! You’ll magically feel fabulous and sassy in the morning!

This is living a life that’s magical with Erika Walton.

Big Kisses.

This is a magical list. It’s to show your love but in a way that doesn’t break the bank. Magical love doesn’t need much money, just a lot of fun and imagination. Enjoy!  

1. Recreate the first time you two first kissed.

2. Create a little box with a bunch of your partner’s favorite things inside.

3. Paint each other with flavored body paint. * Don’t use your hands to take it off.  

4. Try some sexy role-playing. Get dressed up, be daring, have fun.

5. Give a little token to your partner to wear, and say it’s to remind him or her all day that you love them.

6. Sing a favorite song to him or her. * Skills don’t matter. 

7. Have dinner on the roof, with some candles. 

8. Hold hands, and walk somewhere with lots of pretty lights. 

9. Say I love you. * But differently and every day.

10. Blindfold your partner. * Use a feather. Slowly.

11. Declare your love, very publicly. * haha that would be so embarrassing but so adorable! 

12. Write a poem. * It doesn’t have to be the best, it just has to be cute. 

13. Cook a romantic dinner. * Tip: Surprise him/her. Oh and add candles! 

14. Give a full-body massage. * Hershey’s chocolate syrup anyone? 

15. Burn a CD with love songs. * You know when to play it. 

16. Snuggle together on a rainy day.  

17. Leave little love notes everywhere. * They will smile every time he finds one. 

18. Take a moonlit walk on the beach. * Secretly bring the champagne. 

19. Snuggle together while watching movies * Horror’s are my favs. 

20. Bring home good coffee or a decadent sweet. * 

21. Make warm chocolate cake for dessert. * And feed her/him. 

22. Make a scrapbook with photos, mementos, and little notes from your lives together. 

23. Kiss in the rain. * Don’t forget to lift your foot! 

24. Ride a ferris wheel. 

25. Sneak away from a party and make out. * But that’ it… Make him/her wait. 

26. Take a nap together in the middle of the day. * After … you know. 

27. Kiss slowly, touching his or her back and neck and nape — slowly.

28. Make a list of everything you love about him/her. * And then, drop it off at his work. 

29. Write a love letter. 

30. Clip or email things that make you think of him or her, every day. 

31. Go to a movie, ignore the movie, and make out like teen-agers.

32. Get all sexy for the boy or gal.. 

33. Take some quiet time and talk about your day. * Tip: Dazzle him/her, share something he doesn’t know about you. 

34. Write little notes, one for each way he drives you crazy. * This makes it fun and something to laugh at. 

35. Feed each other grapes. * Tip: Try playing that CD you burned with all the love songs and don’t talk, just gaze. 

36. Recreate your partner’s favorite romantic movie scene. 

37. Get good wine, watch shooting stars. * Tip: ‘Forget your jacket‘  

38. Take a bath together * Use bubbles!

39. Take a walk down memory lane  * Visit some of the special places from your early days of dating. 

Written by James Wong

Photo by Martin S. Fuentes

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Often I hear people bitch about their lives. They whine and complain about how they don’t have enough money, how nobody loves them, how they’re getting fat… 

It’s like, STFU. 

Why neglect our lives, when we can celebrate it?! 

Celebrating is where the magic of life happens anyway. When we celebrate we’re saying life is fabulous, it’s our playground. We’re saying Hakuna Matata. 

Life is wonderful, but only if we let it.  

Here’s a 6-step process to turning a complaint into a celebration:

1. Notice the next time you’re bitching or whining or complaining. 

2. Allow yourself to be with the situation a little longer and then ask yourself where you can take responsibility for the situation. 

3. Forgive yourself.

4. Wonder what’s missing and then wonder if it’s really missing.  

5. Celebrate that whatever is missing can be found. 

6. Lastly, celebrate the miracles in your life. 

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Every time I go through this process, I find my celebration makes whatever I needed magically show up. Like when I go from complaining about love to celebrating love, more love shows up. 

Celebration, I’ve noticed, attracts the warm, cuddly goodness of life. 

That’s why I celebrate life. 

This is living a life that’s magical with Erika Walton. 

Big Kisses.

P.S. We donated fabulous jewelry to the GLAAD Awards because we celebrate equality and all the hard work they have done for the LGBT community!

1. KISS = Keep it Simple, Sugar

2. Be Curious, Not Judgmental -Walt Whitman

3. If you want something you’ve never had, then you’ve got to do something you’ve never done.

4. Nobody’s perfect, but you’re perfect for me.

5. Read fiction.

6. Action inspires inspiration, not the other way around.

7. Leave your ego at the door.

8. Don’t interrupt the flow.

9. It’s okay to take a step back and BREATH.

10. You can’t start the next chapter in your life if you keep re-reading your last.

11. Getting lost isn’t always a waste of time.

12. You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body. -C.S. Lewis.

13. Get used to feeling stupid. It’s a sign of growth.

14. The universe doesn’t make mistakes, everything is happening just as it should.

15. Love that lasts win.

16. Killing for peace is like f*cking for virginity.

17. Less < Just enough.

18. Join a movement. Take a stand.

19. If you’re not going to do your best, why even bother.

20. Sleep is the best meditation.

21. A good walk cures most problems. -Leo Babauta

22. Your job doesn’t love you, people do.

23. If you’re not living life on the edge, you’re taking up too much space. 

Written by James Wong.

The 90’s Edge Scene, Hocus Pocus, and Rihanna : An interview with Erika Walton on her new jewelry line, Sleepy Hollow

Hi Guys!

I did a short interview with our new blogger, James Wong, on where I got my inspiration for my newest jewelry line, Sleepy Hollow, my designing process, and who I think would love the collection.

Hope you love it!

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James: Before we get into your newest line, I’d like to ask, what’s inspiration to you?

Erika: Inspiration is life. It’s the life in nature. When I go on hikes and get to see the wild, I’m uplifted and feel at peace. Nature invigorates me.

I also get my inspiration from the life of people. When people are funny, silly, odd, and weird or when they’re shy or when they’re bold and have pink or blue hair, I find myself feeling happy and that I belong. Like nothing is in the way of being different.

I noticed when I embrace the magic of life, I design distinctive, rare, and I’d say fabulous jewelry that doesn’t look like any traditional jewelry.

James: Wow, so how were you inspired to design your newest line, Sleepy Hollow?

Erika: Like most design processes, I began working on my newest line months before it came out. My assistant Bailey and I started creating in November. I studied the 90’s edge scene and their fashion. I watched 90’s witch flicks like The Craft, Hocus Pocus, Practical Magic, and Sleepy Hollow over and over again till I felt like I was one of the spooky, sexy witches myself.

It was an exhilarating design experience.

James: What was the first piece you designed? And What is your favorite bracelet and necklace?

Erika: I designed the Bewitched bracelet first and continued with other bracelets. And then we went into the necklace collection. I used different stones that all had their own meaning. Like Pyrite, a traditional symbol for money and luck. Hematite used to improve relationships and increase intuition. And, Amethyst, a gemstone often worn by healers symbolizing humility, sincerity, and spiritual wisdom.

My favorite bracelets are Bewitched and Potion. My favorite necklaces are The Severed Head Necklace and The Legend.

James: Very cool! Lastly, who would you say the Sleepy Hollow line is for?

Erika: The line that I created are for girls who are looking to be bold and edgy. But also, fashion forward and sexy. Someone who I think would love this line is Rihanna. She is so loud and proud of who she is. She’s not afraid to be Rated R.

This line is noticeable. In a rock out, drunk on love, life is fast and fun type of way.

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This is an interview with Erika Walton.

You can check out the Sleepy Hollow line now!

Big kisses.

Living a Life that’s Magical?

Magical has two best friends, young and fun. Magical makes life a wondrous, precious place and brings in warmth and cuddles but not annoying or boring.

Magical is artistic, elegant, but sassy and cute.  And magical certainly has our dreams come true.

Rainbows are magical. Mermaids and unicorns too.