Riza Valentine

How are y’all doing? ⁣ ⁣ I’ve been trying to keep my head up through all of this, but it’s been hard. I’ve been reading too many articles that have already made me think about the worst possible scenarios, and I’ve broken down crying so many times this week because of it. As much as I want to stay informed with the current situation, I also know I need to keep my mental health in check.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ My birthday is coming up on Monday, and I really haven’t thought much about it, because I have been so preoccupied, paranoid, and anxious with everything going on in the world. I’m sad that I won’t be able to celebrate with family and friends, but I am happy and grateful to celebrate with my sweet Aaron. I know social distancing is worth it, so, please, please keep practicing it.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ What are you doing to make your mental health a top priority during this pandemic? If you have a birthday, anniversary, etc. coming up soon, how have you managed?⁣ ⁣ I know it’s hard, but we’ll get through this. Let’s all help each other. 💖⁣ ⁣ 📸 @kathrynspeters

Hey y’all!⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ I’ve been feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and unsure with everything happening since last week with the COVID-19 pandemic. Maybe you are, too.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ I’m also trying to practice social distancing as much as possible, but I am now beginning to realize how lonely it actually is.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ Despite all the chaos we’re going through, I feel it is more important than ever, especially during this time, to have the last value of my brand, which is COMMUNITY. Yes, there is such a thing as community while social distancing.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ I want this to be a place for people to know they are loved and cared about. Sometimes, we don’t always feel that way. I know sometimes I don’t. Let’s all try to help each other rather than cut each other down or be mean. I want this to be a place for someone who doesn’t feel they belong. Plus, I want this to be a place where we can all have fun!⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ How will you implement COMMUNITY, especially during this difficult time?⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ BONUS: Feel free to introduce yourself, and what is one thing you would like to see more of on this account? I want to be a light others during this time, so I want to keep people spirits up. And also, what’s one way you can be a light to others?⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ In the meantime, keep washing your hands, practice social distancing, stay at home as much as possible, support local restaurants, artists, and businesses, and try to stay calm. We’re all here for each other. Stay safe and healthy, y’all. I love y’all so much. ❤️⁣ ⁣ 📸 @inspirewomensretreat

Before I get to the last value of my brand, I wanted to share with y’all these complimentary samples I got to try from my #BeMineVoxBox courtesy of @influenster!⁣ ⁣ First off, I love the @livecleanusa Apple Cider Detox Shampoo & Conditioner! I love anything fruit-scented, and there’s something about the scent of apples that makes me feel at home. And I love how clean it makes my hair feel! 🍎🍏⁣ ⁣ Next, I am a sweet tooth, so I love trying #Toffifay! The caramel one was my favorite! It’s a delicious on the go treat!⁣ ⁣ Lastly, I got to try the @KORRES Probiotic Moisturizer. I love how it makes my face feel smooth and fresh after putting it on!⁣ ⁣ Thanks @influenster!!⁣ Hope to try more from you in the future!

Hey y’all! Happy #InternationalWomensDay!⁣ ⁣ After a little break from the series, I am ready to introduce the next value of my brand which is INDIVIDUALITY!! ⁣ ⁣ As an autistic woman growing up in the South, I felt like I had to play by a lot of rules in order to be “socially acceptable”. Things I should do, things I shouldn’t do, etc. To be honest, some of these rules made me overthink. A lot. Not to mention it made me have terrible self-esteem issues, especially when I was younger.⁣ ⁣ Even though I don’t feel insecure about the things I did when I was younger, I still feel self-conscious and insecure. As an autistic woman, I felt like no one would love me or want to be friends with me simply because I am different-minded. As a woman in Alabama, I feel like I had to live up to certain standards in order to be “socially acceptable” (I referred to this in a previous post).⁣ ⁣ Guess what? I don’t want to be put in any box, and neither should you! I want you to be yourself, and when I say that I mean ALL of yourself. Not what society tells you. There is only one you, so show the world what you got!⁣ ⁣⁣ How will I apply this?⁣⁣ ⁣ By empowering to women to be their true selves and not what society tells them. Still finding ideas to apply this specifically, but like some of the other values I’ve shared, I’ll show y’all at times my quirks and imperfections I have. Maybe even interests you wouldn’t expect me to have.⁣ ⁣ What are some ways you can apply INDIVIDUALITY into your brand?⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Shine on! ☀️💖⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ 📸 @ad3378

Hello! Hope everyone’s had a good week so far!⁣ ⁣ Still continuing my “Behind the Brand” series (almost done!), and today I am going to feature KINDNESS!⁣ ⁣ I do believe kindness goes a long way. In fact, part of my personal philosophy is that kindness is an important factor in success, and if you can’t be kind, you won’t go far at all. Yes, there are sometimes I feel I could improve at being kind (but we all need to improve at something, right?). Sometimes, I feel so broken and blinded by my own faults, insecurities, and past experiences (see previous post), that I don’t feel I am as kind as I should be. Nevertheless, I always value kindness. It is something that people do remember. And it’s something I am trying to work on because I want to have a positive impact on others. And I want this to be a place where we can be kind to each other, bc trust me, we need more kindness in this world.⁣ ⁣ How will I apply this?⁣ ⁣ Still thinking of ideas to effectively apply kindness (and feel free to submit some, too, bc I’m open to ideas!), but for now, I want to ask questions that will help me get to know my audience a little better, but that might be also for a value I plan to talk about later. I may even ask questions on how we can all be kinder people and even check-in with my audience. Maybe something like a Follow Five Friday, if anyone would be interested! Also, I would love to find some ways I could give back to the community somehow.⁣ ⁣ What are some ways you can apply KINDNESS into your brand?⁣ ⁣ Shine on! ☀️💖⁣ ⁣ 📸 @inspirewomensretreat

This dual value Of my brand I am about talk about could be considered my Friday introduction. Those values are AUTHENTICITY and VULNERABILITY. ⁣ ⁣⁣ Authenticity and Vulnerability balance out Joy and Fun, because life is about balance, of course.⁣ ⁣ With Authenticity, when I am on here, I want to be who I am. I don’t want to be a fake persona of any kind. In fact, I have never been a fan of fake people. I want to be me with my own quirky, nerdy interests and such. And I want you to feel you can be beautiful in your own way, and that you don’t have to be beautiful in just one certain way. Just be yourself!⁣ ⁣ On social media, there can be a lot of pressure to have a perfect image. With Vulnerability, I want people to know that I am not a perfect person, and I’m not happy all the time. There are days I feel discouraged with myself and feel like I’m a failure. There are things I struggle with in my life. And I even have insecurities about myself. Sometimes, they stem from past experiences that have left me feeling hurt in some way. I will sometimes share those to let you know that it’s okay not to feel okay sometimes.⁣ ⁣ Also, Vulnerability does not mean being a Debbie Downer and complaining all the time. It means baring a part of your soul and being honest with the world about your struggles. Someone else could even be feeling the same way. ⁣ ⁣⁣ How will I apply this?⁣ ⁣ By giving encouragement. By showing you that it’s okay to be different and encouraging you to be yourself and that you don’t have to be like everyone else and that you are beautiful in your own way. And that no one is perfect. And I will talk about issues in my life, such as being autistic, adulting, etc. and asking question to encourage discussion.⁣ ⁣ How do you implement AUTHENTICITY and VULNERABILITY into your brand?⁣ ⁣⁣ I hope y’all have a great weekend. Love y’all! 💖⁣ ⁣ 📸 @kathrynpetersphotography

The next value I am going to talk about today is FUN!⁣ 🥳⁣ ⁣ I would consider myself to have a fun, vivacious personality (though I can, at first come off as shy). I also have a rather young-at-heart personality as well. I don’t like being serious all the time (though there are times for it), and super formal situations can be rather intimidating for me. I love just being chill and having fun! I love to dress up in fun outfits (bonus if they’re comfortable) and bright colors (link &turquoise are my brand colors) and wear cute, unique accessories. I feel it brings out who I am as a person! Also, this could go along with the JOY value I talked about earlier.⁣ ⁣ I also love to share things I love, such as my music, cute outfits, dogs (especially corgis and goldens), places I love around Bham and beyond, any products or services I genuinely love (especially if local bc Bham has some cool stuff), music (currently loving K-Pop, but I also love pop, hip-hop, R&B, soul, and Latin), traveling, my boyfriend Aaron (of course), and much more!⁣ ⁣ How will I implement that?⁣ ⁣ With fun photos in cute outfits and just me being me! Also, be sure to check out my stories to see all the fun places I go! And sometimes, I may even post memes on there.⁣ ⁣ How will you implement FUN on your feed? Stay tuned for the other values of my brand that I will talk about!⁣ ⁣ Shine on! ☀️💖⁣ ⁣ P.S. I meant to post this yesterday, but I was feeling super tired, so my apologies for the wait!⁣ ⁣ 📸 @jenndavisimagery (Props to her for these super cute photos from @theredmont Galentine’s party! 💕)

Welcome to my ‘Behind the Brand’ post series! Each day, I will explain one core value that is part of my brand!⁣ ⁣ The first one I am going to start with is JOY!⁣ ⁣ I believe in spreading joy to others, whether is be through my music, or a film role (I prefer comedic roles over dramatic roles), or just being silly (I have a spontaneous, nonsensical sense of humor; and yes, I even do silly voices, especially when around animals)! I want people to smile when they see my content, and I prefer to be happy and joyful rather than sad or angry, and I want others to feel that way as well. Yes, there will be times in which there will be more serious content posted (I will get to that with another value later on), but for the most part, I prefer things to be light-hearted and happy! Joy is a revolutionary force!⁣ ⁣ How will I implement this value?⁣ ⁣ I want to implement this value by being spontaneously silly (I am still coming out of my shell on here so that’s been hard rn 😂). Also, I want to do more song bites (feel free to send requests!). In the future, if I have the right resources/good enough ideas, I want to do things like mini-sketches and studio performances. And of course, I’ll keep y’all updated on any projects in music, film, etc. I have forthcoming!⁣ ⁣ Stay tuned for tomorrow! But in the meantime, what are some ways you can implement joy? ⁣ Shine on! ☀️💖⁣ ⁣ 📸 @ad3378

Brands are not just for businesses or organizations or even your favorite cereal...they’re for individuals as well!⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ So you’re probably looking through my feed and wondering, “What exactly is your brand, Riza?”⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Well, guess what? You’re in luck! This week, I am going to feature different core values that make up my brand and give a little background info on each!⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Who knows? Maybe it will inspire you to come up with your own personal brand! 💖⁣ ⁣ 📸 @inspirewomensretreat

I always love finding reasons to celebrate and have fun! That’s why I love @goodiegirlcookies gluten-free Birthday Cake cookies! Birthday cake is one of my favorite flavors, and I love the colored sprinkles in the cream!⁣ ⁣ Birthday cake-flavored cookies? Now that’s a reason to celebrate! 🎂🍪🌈⁣ ⁣ Find #GoodieGirlCookies in a store near you! #RebelAgainstRegular⁣ ⁣ 📸 @ad3378

How do I love @ad3378? Let me count the ways...⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I love how he is a kind soul.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I love how he is patient with me.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I love how understanding he is.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I love that we can find new things to experience together, whether it be a new restaurant or something else.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I love how he can quote movies and shows on a whim.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I love how he adores the corgi photos and other cute photos I send him randomly.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I love how he cheers me up when I am down and remind me of the good qualities I have, even when I don’t see them myself.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I love how supportive he is of my goals and dreams as I am of his.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I love how we see each other as equal.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I love how I can be myself around him.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I love how he love and accepts me for who I am.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I love how I feel calm and at ease when I am with him.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I love just being with him.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I love him very much. ⁣⁣ Happy Valentine’s to my best friend! I love you more than you will ever know! Can’t wait to celebrate tonight, sweetie. 😘❤️⁣ ⁣ 📸 @laurelklunce

Feeling divalicious! 👠😎🎀⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Had a fantabulous time at #GalentinesDay!! If only Galentine’s Day was all year round!⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Thank you so so much @amdbirmingham and @theredmont for hosting!! Y’all knocked this outta the park! ❤️💕💜⁣ ⁣ 📸 @socialresults @shakeitbirminghamal

Wow! I can’t believe I started writing this song two years ago today. Plus, today’s weather seems appropriate to share this. ☔️💔⁣ ⁣ I am so glad that two years ago, I finally decided to not let fear hold me back and make my dream a reality and have “February Rain” recorded. ⁣ ⁣ Despite some setbacks, I absolutely refuse to give up on my dream of recording more music. I am tired of asking myself “what if” constantly or being afraid of failure. Singing and writing songs is a passion of mine that I truly love and have loved since I was young, and I want to share the songs I have written with the world because who knows, maybe someone will like the beat or relate to the lyrics. ⁣ ⁣ Music is truly a powerful force, y’all. Thanks to those who have supported and continue to support me along the way. This is only the beginning, and I appreciate y’all staying on the journey with me. ❤️🎶