adorned at the base
of her throat, 
the lipstick jungle.
 
 
Hey Write Queen Readers!

I have a new Write Discovery that will make especially poets and fashionistas very happy. I’ll even push it and say that typographers will love it too. I have discovered....POETRY ON CLOTHES!

Now before someone comes and tells me that is not new, I’ll tell you that I know. I’ve seen famous poems on t-shirts on Zazzle or on miscellaneous poetry sites. But this is original poetry here guys! And it has a purpose: to inspire!

I was wasting time on Etsy one night, looking and bookmarking all the things I would love to buy one day, when I came across Dawning Soul. Seeing words on anything other than a book always excites me because if I can wear words and look like a writing goddess, I will. And Dawning Soul is the perfect fit for a writing goddess. Here take a look:
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Photo Courtesy of Dawning Soul via Facebook
Dawning Soul is t-shirts. It's earrings, necklaces, bracelets and journals. It's inspirational poetry done with eye popping typography. It's fashion, love, and all the great things a dream should be.

I felt good just reading what was on her products. After looking through her Etsy page, I took a look at the Dawning Soul website (www.dawningsoul.com) and I knew that I had to reach out. I had to find out how this wonderful idea came about.

So I sort out Ms. Jennifer Gabiola. After a few e-mails back and forth and settling on a date, I called her up on a Friday afternoon. We had a great conversation! I haven’t spoken with someone who has such a positive vibe to them in a while.

But before we get into that, another picture!
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On the left, the creator of Dawning Soul, Jennifer Gabiola. Photo Courtesy of Dawning Soul via Facebook
Now let’s break down Dawning Soul:

Who: Jennifer Dawn Gabiola (Dawning Soul comes from her middle name, Dawn among other things).

Where: Houston, Texas...and the internet of course.

What: Poetic Goods! So far she has an assortment of shirts, a hoodie, journals, earrings, bracelets, necklace chokers, tote bags, and a book of poetry.
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Photo Courtesy of Dawning Soul via Facebook
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Photo Courtesy of Dawning Soul via Facebook
How did it begin: Ms. Gabiola took a negative and made it into a positive. About a year and a half ago, she was working as a graphic designer. After 12 years of hard work, going with the trend of the past couple of years, her company laid her off. She took some time to refocus and figure out what to do next. She thought about the things she loved which are writing poetry, design, fashion, and empowerment. At some point, she wrote this:

I AM

I am flourishing
I am thriving
I am expanding
I am advancing
I AM

I am here nor there
I am everywhere
Pervading
Sustaining
My thoughts formulating
Into an infinite state
Of my own creating

Which is the center of this beautiful collection. She took baby steps and designed what I personally think can be an amazing new trend.

How is it done: Screenprinting! At least for the shirts (I forgot to ask about the jewelry). She does a few at a time. After she has the design printed on the material, she cuts up the shirt and just makes it look COOL!
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Photo Courtesy of Dawning Soul via Facebook
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Photo Courtesy of Dawning Soul via Facebook
Exciting Moments so far: An eco-friendly shop in Houston called One Green Street has displayed the “I AM Universal Collection” which is her “I AM” shirts translated into Spanish, Japanese and French. Her line was also shown at Houston’s first Fashion Week this last fall!

         Fun fact: To make her show stand out from the rest, she recorded her poetry so it can be played while the models walked out. Talk about art on top of art.
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Jennifer with her 'I AM Universal' collection at One Green Street. Photo Courtesy of Dawning Soul via Facebook
The Future: Ms. Gabiola has a lot of plans that she would love to carry out in the future for Dawning Soul. Right now for Valentine’s Day, she’s looking to have some cards made. She would love to put her work on more products where you don’t see poetry everyday like scarves and mousepads. She wants to do motivational speaking and hold workshops. She wants to showcase the stories of other Dawning Souls on her site to help inspire others. And she definitely wants to break some language barriers. She’s looking to have more of her items being translated into different languages.

Where to find: You can find Dawning Soul at the following links:

Website: http://www.dawningsoul.com

Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/dawningsoul

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dawningsoul

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/DawningSoul

I hope that if you see something you like at Dawning Soul that you will support this lovely artist. As said on the Dawning Soul site, “Live your poetry.”

Personally, I would love to see poetry become something more than something you see on paper. And the ‘I AM’ poem makes me feel good inside. Ever since I have encountered it, I often take a look at Dawning Soul, daydream about the stuff I will buy when I get a job, and I read the I AM poem. Positive reinforcement shouldn’t be something you read just in books or online. It should be carried with you, you should wear it proudly through your journey. Jennifer Gabiola has found a way we can do that.

You should definitely check her out! And you should check out a special message she has for you guys that I agree with 150%!

Jennifer Dawn Gabiola: “If you really love something, if you have a true passion for something, then it's absolutely necessary that you pursue that to some degree in your life. Tapping into that somehow, maybe starting as a hobby, then seeing where it goes. Whatever it is you love, that's what your gift is. Once you start sharing it, there's going to be people who are going to appreciate it.”

It’s why I’m here folks. I love to write and love the internet, so I write this blog. She loves poetry, design, and fashion so she makes fantastic poetic goods. If you love something, don’t just say you love it. Do it. Don’t worry about people not paying attention. Someone will. You’ll never know where it goes. If we didn’t take chances, we wouldn’t have stuff like Dawning Soul.

So what will you do today?