NIK ADAMS & EBONI MERRIMANNEW YORK CITY LIFESTYLE BLOGGERS, A TALE OF TWO BIDDIES
Describe a day in the life of Nik and Eboni of A Tale of Two Biddies.
Both of our days typically start really early. We try and get in some stretching or sun salutations and really reflect on what we're trying to accomplish. Words of encouragement to ourselves in the mirror or writing out our gratitude mantras are super important to us. It's a form of self-care to really prepare us to face this jungle of a city. During our commutes, we're clutching coffee, looking over emails and exchanging ideas to one another via text, really mapping out A Tale of Two Biddies for the day. After work, we have school! Both in degree programs, Nik has a class twice a week and Eboni is taking courses online so we give attention to that and then it's Biddie time. If we have an event, we refresh and head to that but if not we'll work on what's next for the blog and brand. Eboni's job allows for her to work on ATOTB things during the day while Nik is the night owl and tackles a lot, burning the midnight oil, with a pot of green tea by her side.
How did you get started with A Tale of Two Biddies? How does your lifestyle publication and brand reflect your personal aesthetic?
We started the blog as a platform for "the unknown"; we wanted to shed light on the talented people we came into contact with. The small businesses we support (Small Business Spotlight) and more personally, to have a space that is ours to publish with no restrictions – to be our own boss. Since then it's grown into so much more but the site and brand really reflect what we love or what we are into at any given time. It's a big hub for any creative person to find new things to try and places to go. Even the blog layout reflects our personal aesthetic; we're lovers of anything black and gold and that's engrained in our logo and site design.
Define "biddie".
"Biddie" is a slang word used mostly in the 90s. It describes a very feminine woman - sometimes sexual, often intoxicated. And like many slang words, we wanted to take back this word and use it for something positive.
YES, WE ARE VERY FEMININE. Yes, we've taken hold of our sexuality. Yes, sometimes, we're intoxicated. But, a "biddie" is much more than this.
We have tangible dreams and goals. We're all about pulling up our fellow (wo)man to help them achieve their goals as well. We love hard and we care about the world around us and its issues.
Cultural trends constantly change. What do you do to stay relevant, connected, and ahead of the curve?
Cultural trends change so often that we think it's important to do your own thing. When you find the thing that you love, own it and don't stray just because society is moving a certain way. However, because of the blog we have, we know it's important to stay abreast of everything that's happening. We do that by being active users of our social media outlets, staying current with various blogs and being Tumblr enthusiasts.
How do you balance your personal and business goals and stay creative at the same time (even when you are exhausted)?
We feel like balance is super important to stay on track. We both keep daily to-do lists and utilize the notes and calendar app on our phones.
Nik uses her time at night before bed to meditate and reflect on her goals.
Eboni uses her early morning time to work on gratitude and putting goals into the Universe.
How important are mentors? Who are your mentors?
Mentors are essential to everyone! Find one if you don't have one.
Nik's mentors are her aunts. They taught her self-love, work ethic, pride, and the importance of education. Also Jodie Samson is a friend of hers, she was one of the first people who truly believed in her dreams and motivated her to work for them.
Eboni’s mentor is her mother. She's always been a businesswoman and so wise about life, being creative and pushing until you reach your goals. She was one of the first people that told her she didn't have to go the conventional route to be successful.
What is your advice for women entering creative fields or starting their own business?
Don't ever be afraid to take a chance. Your dreams should always scare you! Always remember that. You have to really just take that initial leap of faith and put fear in the backseat because the fear doesn't go away, you have to find a way to push past it and believe in what you're adding to the world. Don't let people put you in a box either. Go for yours.
Place that inspires us the most:
Nik is inspired by Williamsburg, Brooklyn. There's something about North 5th St Pier that reminds her that she has a major purpose to fulfill in life and never to let anything or anyone get in the way of that.
Eboni is inspired by the bookstore. It's one place where she can take her laptop, spend the whole day, and get more work done than she would anywhere else.
We feel most powerful when:
We feel most powerful when we click publish and another article is published in A Tale of Two Biddies. We know that with each article, we're supporting someone else's dreams in some way, expanding our reach, introducing people to new things, making folks think, and changing the status quo. It's a thrill.
We love what we do because:
We inspire people more than we think. Our drive, our consistency, professionalism, and our enthusiasm about what we do are uplifting to folks that rarely see two African-American girls in their 20's doing. Plus, we're breaking chains! We're letting young girls and women anywhere know that it is okay to love and BE themselves.
Define your idea of success:Our idea of success is happiness, peace, doing something you love, but also being able to give back to your community. Traveling, being free to be as creative as possible and bringing our friends along for the ride are also high on our list.
Best advice we have ever received:
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever" - Mahatma Gandhi
A Tale of Two Biddies is a lifestyle publication and brand started by two young women on a quest for creative freedom and independence. We cover a variety of subjects such as art, culture, events, trends, food, music and much more. We aim to enrich our community by highlighting creatives within our reach, contributing to organizations dedicated to uplifting our environment and spotlighting all types of small businesses. We hope to spread positivity and a message that women can be multidimensional and the only thing stopping you from breaking from society's box is that initial leap of faith. We hope you come away with from Biddie experience with a new way of thinking, new connections and unlimited inspiration.