Music, Faith, and Fashion (My interview with musician Tricia Brock.)

   
               God works in the most unique ways.  It was the second day of school ( a few weeks ago) when I was sitting in my web design class. Our teacher instructed us to create a G mail account as part of an assignment. I already had a G mail account so I just went ahead and logged in. Since coming back from my mission trip to Mexico I hadn't checked my email. I got caught up with work and other things and just forgot about it. Well little did I know that when I opened up my account I would find an email that would take my breath away. As I opened my first unread message the first line read "Hi Sofia,

Wanted to check in on Tricia, former Superchick lead singer and artist extraordinaire. Would love to do a Q&A interview with Fashionably Faithful blog that talks about fashion and her music."  In that moment everything stopped. I instantly had a flashback to my 12 year old self  blasting the radio and dancing around my room to One Girl Revolution (a song by Superchick) and my more mature 14 year old self pouring out my heart to The Lord in worship through the song Crawl ( another Superchick song). "This can't be who I think it is," I thought. There is no way that I'm being asked to interview a person who's music has been apart of my life since elementary school. But I was wrong. It was exactly that. I was being asked to interview Tricia Brock. I couldn't believe it. I felt nothing but pure excitement  "How did this even happen," I thought. I thought Fashionably Faithful was just a small blog that my family and friends viewed. But I was wrong, God had something bigger in mind. So now I sit here a few weeks later and with a sheet of paper and recorder in my hand ready to interview. I've never had to interview anyone like this before. I mean yes I'm on the yearbook staff so I interview people all the time, but this is on a different level. I am nervous and giddy. I have no idea how to act or talk, do I make conversation with her first? What do I do! Then my phone rings and I know who awaits me on the other line. I take a deep breath and answer the phone. "Hi Sofia this is Tricia." these were the first words she said to me. It's hard to explain but after I started talking to her I felt a peace and confidence. So enough about me let's talk more about Tricia. For those of you who don't know Tricia Brock is the lead singer of the Grammy nominated group Superchick. On August 13th her (amazing) debut solo pop album Radiate was released and she talked with Fashionably Faithful all about her new music, her faith, and of course Fashion! 

                   Q. Your new album Radiate just came out how would you describe it to    Fashionably Faithful readers?

                   A. "It's a really fun and energetic album, with a bit more pop and dance ballads. Where Superchick was more on the rock side this album is a lot more upbeat and fun."

                   Q. Why did you choose Radiate to be the albums title?

                   A.  "Picking out the title is usually a tough decision  we knew it had to be the name of one of the songs and I thought the word Radiate said a lot.  It's all about not letting bad days get you down. Shinning. Throwing on your rain boots and taking out your umbrella when it rains and not letting things steal your joy. Basically having joy even when things aren't going great. I felt like that's a big message of the album."

                    Q. Your music is fun but at the same time lifting up The Lord. What is it like to know that your music effects the hearts of people everywhere?

                    A.  "I was just at a bible study breakfast with other Christian singers and we were talking about how  it can be a really difficult industry. You have your highs and your lows. But I think that as long as I'm making music that can help people and make them smile when they're having a bad day is really awesome and I'm very grateful for that."

                     

                     Q. Why do you choose to make music that's Christian based and not mainstream?

                     A.  "It's what God has called me to do. As an artist I write my feelings and a lot of my feeling have to do with God, so I think my music just naturally comes out that way because I'm a Christian. I like to be a light in the dark and as a Christian I think it's challenging to write a song without being spiritual. But at the same time I have music that if you're not a Christian you may think it's a love song or something, but really it's a song that's worshiping God."


                      Q. Okay lets talk fashion. How would you describe your style?
       
                      A. "My style has been shaped a lot by touring. In high school I was kind of preppy and conservative and then right after high school I started doing Superchick. I started realizing that on the road I could do crazy things  like with my hair or wear way to much jewelry and do crazy makeup and it was totally acceptable because I was on stage. Through this experience I've really evolved.  Sometimes I feel like wearing a really pretty dress or throwing on my cowboy boots, I love cowboy boots they go with everything.  And I love Rock' n Roll  especially on stage I tend to dress more edgier. I think I'm a mish- mosh of all the different sides of me. Like when I'm home being a mom I put on a little Summer dress. It's fun to keep people guessing like having my friends say "Oh I haven't seen that side of you before."


                    Q. Where do you get your fashion inspiration from? 
   
                    A.  "All around me. I'm a people watcher, so a lot of my inspiration comes from people. I'll see girls trying things and then I'll just take it and make it my own. I'll on and off look at fashion magazines and pick out ideas from it that I like. I have a few fashion icons. I think Gwen Stefani is awesome. She totally has her own style, there's nothing to sexy about what she wears she's just really cool. I just love to see what people like her are wearing and take elements of it and make it my own."

                      Q. Do you have any fashion or beauty  tips for our readers?

                      A.  "I think the main thing is to be confident. I think what it comes down to is to stop caring about what other people think.  Learn your body type/shape and then learn to dress flattering with that. Even if you're great at putting cool outfits together, if it's not going to flatter you then it's not going to  make you feel confident. So dress for your body type and be creative. Style with confidence, if you walk around in something you feel insecure in you're going to look awkward to other people. So whatever you do you gotta rock it. Let your personality reflect what you wear, be unique."


                       Q.  Your song "Mirror Mirror" talks about loving the image we see in the mirror. Where do you think true beauty comes from?


                       A. "I struggled through high school I had really bad skin and I was insecure about it. We all have that thing that when we walk by the mirror we're like "ugh I have another zit today", or some girls struggle with weight issues or something else. We're all insecure about something. Some things will never change, you are who you are. We can't really change our faces or certain body parts. I think the biggest thing is learning to accept it. Learning to go "I am loved, and beautiful and unique to God, the one who created me." Be confident in who you are. Spending time with other people and reaching out to others really helped me forget about my insecurities. My zits didn't seem like such a big deal compared to the girl who was suicidal. It's important to do this because when we focus so much on our insecurities we kind of become self-absorbed which leads to selfishness. There's so much more to life than that insecurity. We are so much more than our image. What's important is who you are inside. How you treat others. That's what people remember. That's what beauty is."

                      Q. You've toured the country, sold millions of albums, and inspired people through your music. What lesson of faith have you taken from this whole experience?

                       A. "You can have different degrees of success. You can feel you've done something worthy of the accomplishments you have,  but relationships are what really matter. How we treat people, how we love people. With Superchick we were really able to connect with our fans. We built relationships with them. We got to talk and pray with them and really show them who we are. I feel like no matter what I do from hear on out, how much longer I get to do music and all that stuff, how I treat people day in and day out is the most important thing. Having a family, God wants knowing how we need to treat people to be our priority. I'm raising a life now so showing my daughter who I am to her and who I reflect God to be to her is really important. Day in and day out we don't have to be perfect, we just have to walk through the doors that God opens and do our best to become more like Him. Ultimately we are gonna mess up, we are going to hurt people and people are going to hurt us but no matter where you are how you treat people will affect you more than anything else. I look back to the last 15 years on the road and feel so honored to do this and to be in this industry. To be able to make music that can change people's day. I just thank God, He can use each one of us, no matter where we are or what job we have, we just have to let Him."


Well there you have it. My very first interview with any musician or person of famous caliber.I have to completely thank God for this. He opened up the door for me to have this opportunity and has blessed me with it. Tricia gave me a lot of good advice from fashion to having faith in God and what is truly important in life.  Thank you Tricia for your wisdom and amazing music that has been making a difference for me over the past five years. I hope you all enjoy this interview just as much as I enjoyed writing it and giving it!

Here's her music video for a song off her album Radiate

                              For more info about Tricia visit her website here.   
              http://triciabrockmusic.com/                                 

Dreaming of Grace

Hi guys! So a friend of mine had to write a paper for one of their classes in school about what it would be like to meet God after leaving out of class. I though it was amazing and worth sharing so here it is.

                                     "I awoke to a bang, everything was dark. Last I knew I had been in my first class dozed off during the lecture. I opened my eyes wide to make sure I was awake, yet everything remained pitch black. I called out the word hello and received no response. I reached to grab my phone from my back pocket, but nothing was there; not even me. It seemed that I was a type of ghost, and I was petrified. It did not feel as if I was standing on ground or in the middle of a building, the only thing I could feel was a stinging could feel was a stinging chill that would come and go. Before me an image of a lighter and razor blade appeared, which triggered painful memories of my past. The image changed to flaming wings chained to the ground. Blood oozed over the chains and they were broken, releasing the wings. The wings were no longer on fire and ascended until I could view them no longer. All of a sudden, light gradually began to surround me. I could look up, down, or to the sides but there was only light to be found; no sky, no ground, buildings, or people. Even though I was seemingly alone, I felt warmth and comfort; the piercing cold vanished. A formidable voice declared among the space, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. Be strong and courageous." With that, the light faded until the classroom was visible once again where I found myself seated as I had remembered, only now I was ready to proclaim the galvanizing words of encouragement I had received from The Lord."

 Wow. This just makes me want to praise The Lord. His grace is so abundant. I'm so thankful that this was written, it shows a glimpse of what God has to offer. The breaking of chains! Chains that bind us in grief, depression, sin, pain, or whatever it might be. By the blood of Jesus these chains can and will be broken....."If His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking."

Hey guys! Happy Friday, I hope everyone has been dong great. It's been a while since I've posted a fashion post and it's driving me crazy! I just went shopping this past weekend and got some really cute things so I thought now is the perfect time to share. My favorite purchase is this gorgeous pencil skirt. I got it for $15 at Forever 21 and I love it. The cobalt blue color of the print is one of my favorite colors and it is such a comfortable skirt. I felt so classy wearing it and it even gave me a boost of confidence (I love it when clothes do that). I paired it with nude flats (pay less) a white tank top (Forever 21) and the most amazing earrings( Forever 21). I hope you guys enjoy today's outfit post as much as I do!

                                                   Love,
                                                        Sofia
   

                          

Mission Trip Experience!

                     Gloria A Ti. Glory to You. This is a phrase that I learned on a life changing journey. My mission trip to Mexico. All the Glory goes to God for this Mission trip. He made it happen. He made it work out. He made it change my heart. This mission trip was absolutely incredible. I learned about myself, who I am and what God has created me to do. I also learned more about God and how truly amazing He is. My plans for this trip were to go and change someones life; to do something really great for someone. Not that I didn't do these things but I think these things were done more for me than the people I met. The joy that I encountered through this trip is more than words can explain.I can not wait to go back to Oaxaca! It has become a part of my life now and I will never be the same.
 So much happened I could write a book about it so I'll explain my trip through pictures and captions (so I don't write a novel).

The orange building is the dormitory we stayed at, the gray one is the second dormitory that's being built. The name of the program is Armonia. It is for indigenous Mexican student who live to far away to go to a school so they choose to live here at Armonia about 8 hours from home in order to get an education and to hear the gospel.  The students here are all teenagers and they taught me so much about true joy . The kind that can only come from God. 

Another pic of the dormitory.

Day one of work! We moved a ton of wooden blocks and organized them all by size . It felt really good to do something for someone other than myself.

My bed for 9 days!

Piles of wood we moved. Doing this was actually really fun. We all started bonding and I made my first friend. Ernesto! The minute he said he knew who Selena y Los Dinos was I knew this guy was awesome. 

Ernesto! He cracked me up. Again even though we had a small language barrier

that didn't stop us from becoming friends!

My amazing youth leader and I at the pyramids. God used this wonderful  lady to help make this trip possible. I am so thankful for her. Love you Rae!

Yamii! A beautiful little girl with a  beautiful spirit. She was amazing. She taught me tons of Spanish and how to conserve water. She's only six! I miss her so much. I never thought God would use a 6 year old to teach me about Him.

Some of the shoes we brought for the students at Armonia and the people in the village! We had over 100 pairs. God is awesome for providing this for them!

This is Bendelisa, Yamii's older sister. She was just as precious and taught me just as much. She took my camera to take a picture of herself and there I am being awkward in the background while holding balloons.

jugamos cuerda! That's what all of the kids would run up to us saying all day. It means play  rope. They all loved jump rope. The had so much laughter and joy while playing it. It was so fun to just watch them play. I also never thought God would use watching little kids play jump rope to change my heart but He did. Again He amazes me. 

Balloon animals with the neighborhood kids. I forgot how to say yellow in Spanish and the little girl helped me out. 

The founder of Armomia, Saul!  God used Him to create something amazing!

This picture is worth 1,000 words. This moment right here changed my life. This is from the village when we went and visited one of the student's family. As soon as we walked up to their little house they immediately had us sit down. They then introduced themselves and started telling us about their lives. Then they offered us fruit. They have so little. They live in a house made out of clay and wood. And they offered us their food. Are you serious? I was in such awe. Then we gave them shoes and the little kids toys. They were so grateful I can't even explain it. The Dad hugged me. I started crying that's how powerful it was.  Then we all stood in a circle holding hands and I prayed. I prayed over a village where people barley  speak Spanish. I prayed over people that have so little but yet are the richest people I have ever met in my life. God gave me that opportunity and it was life changing. When we walked away from the house I started crying and I cry as I write this. Not tears of sadness but tears of joy. I can't believe God used me. I can't believe He did this in my life. God revealed himself to me so much in that moment. I have never felt so much love and grace. 

Us and some of the Armonia students after the church service. It was amazing. The fact that everyone was worshiping God in Spanish was beautiful. It showed me same God different language. It was so awesome to sing along to praise and worship songs in Spanish. Everyone was jumping up and down and praising the Lord and it was awesome. We took communion and even sang a song in front of the Church. It was an awesome experience. 

These are jut more random picture from the trip.Like Savannah and Mikinzi dancing to entertain everyone, the pyramids, all my new friends from Armonia and so on. I think I'll close it out with this. "At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need." 2 Corinthians 8:14 That describes this trip. I was supplied with so much from people who can't speak English and don't even hot water to shower in. But they have something a million times better than that. The joy that comes form God, the love of Christ in their hearts. Like I said I can't wait to go back. But I also can't wait to start doing things that God has called me to do because of this trip. Like minoring in Spanish in college. I want to be fluent I love the Spanish culture and God didn't give me that love for nothing.  And supporting Armonia. Sending money to them, pictures, love and anything else they need. Once more Gloria A Ti. Thank you Lord for the experience of a life time. I love you so much. But you Love me even more.

 Love,
Sofia. 

Mission Trip Excitement!

Hey guys! So I have some big news, I'm leaving for my very first Mission trip tomorrow! I am so beyond excited. This whole journey started for me back in December. Out of nowhere I started looking up different mission trip programs online and watching testimonies and things like that. I suddenly got the desire to go on a mission trip. I began to want to so badly that I started praying about it. I told God that I would love the opportunity to do something so amazing like go on a mission trip and that if it was His will that He would give me the chance to go on one. I continually prayed about it, and my answer came a little sooner than expected. In January I got a text from my youth leader saying that our youth group has the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Mexico. I couldn't believe it! I remember being so excited and overwhelmed with happiness. Is this really happening?, I thought. Now six months later I sit here preparing myself to go out of the country for the first time in less than 24 hours. I truly feel a overwhelming since of peace and love from God about this whole journey that my youth group and I are getting ready to embark on. I can not wait to share the love of Christ with others, to pull away from all the distractions of the World and focus on hearing God's voice. I can't wait to be selfless and offer all I have to help others and not myself. My biggest prayer for this trip is that God uses it to not only change my life but to change others, and that the people there see more of Christ and less of us. I know that this will be a challenging journey so I like to remember this verse "If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Christ Jesus." 1 Peter 4:11
                                         
I've realized that serving people can be difficult, going out of the Country without my family will be difficult, and giving up electronics, my bed, my normal food and clothes , and all that good stuff will also be a challenge. But God doesn't expect me to do it on my own. I can't. So I will seek Him and His strength. So not only during this trip will I have strength from a amazing God, but He will also be glorified through it because I know that this strength can not come from myself. I'm so ready for this trip and can't wait to share this experience with my dearest friends and most precious, glorious God.