Loosing your passion seems to be a natural cycle in life, especially for creatives and entrepreneurs in the Fashion Industry. We hit unforeseen obstacles, often don't get paid our worth, and therefore don't live up to our own expectations much of the time. These are challenging times, with more competition than ever coming out of the wood work… and everyone deserves a chance to live out their dreams and passions just as you do. So how do you create the distance needed to not feel encroached upon, or get a bad attitude when others are more "inspired by you" for their own projects rather than "$upporting you" for what you created? This is a reality Equillibrium has felt since it was born, and is not easy to handle at times. We want you to know we are a real brand that faces real struggles and has real love and passion for all we do in fashion, lifestyle, and advocacy. Equillibrium is a gift to consumers, especially in today's market. We accept the responsibility to keep our passion alive, and we choose to see "inspiration" from what we do as an affirmation we are doing something right!
We know deep in our CORE, Equillibrium is unique and so is our offering. Though painful at times, when targeted as a threat or not fully embraced/ included in events we know we had to be consciously disregarded from, we consider the source. We must question how it serves us to be associated, and perhaps decide it is time to walk away if actions do not align with words… we have control over what we choose to pay attention to. We will never allow anyone's ego make us feel small, for that is not where we come from, we are LOVE. A constant evaluation and cleansing of what we allow in our world to move toward the bigger picture is the driving force that pushes us on.
Recently, a financial set back we faced had to do with a Copyright protected thumbnail image innocently used in one of our blog posts back in October 2013. We cannot get specific due to the confidentiality agreement we signed in a settlement, but it was an expensive lesson on "free images" from the web. Here is a website that can give you an idea of the litigation we went through in the past month to reach a settlement: Extortion Letter Information. Legalized Extortion and Corporate Bullying is real and can happen to anyone. So beware and don't let it happen to you or your business. A website to check image use online is Tin Eye…. we found the sight a bit confusing, and we now have a policy of only using our own original images to avoid this occurrence from ever happening again.
There are so many challenges in running your own brand and business, allowing others to bully and hold you down is not an option. Burning bridges is not something we advise, as you never know when you need to cross them again. However, some bridges are damaged and not the best route to take. We would like you to know we LOVE you! We could not exist with out the love and support we have from everyone who believes in Equillibrium as a brand and lifestyle! We have so much to offer, and will continue to persevere through the challenges that make us stronger in the end. When you are a bright light, there will always eyes that want it dimmed. Equillibrium will always shine bright, so don't forget your shades. In the battle against darkness, Equillibrium is a force to be reckoned with! We have exciting events coming up in June and July from our CORE SK8 roots we will be filling you in on the next blog! Stay tuned, so much more to come!!