Congratulations to Tina Diggs and Roy Merlino on the opening of their new school of vocal training.
Check out their website at: www.bellavoiceworks.com
All you American Idol hopefuls in the Sacramento area, school is in session now.
Best of luck to Tina and Roy on their new venture!
Check out the latest photos added to her gallery by clicking here.
Thank you Elizabeth for your contributions to the site. ~Cynthia
La Diva Artists Movement
Certainly is a mouthful, huh? LaDAM for short. Say it with a sassy tone and wink of an eye that would make Mae West envious.
In the simplest terms the La Diva Artists Movement is a expanding group of women who have come together to share their passions from the world of artistry, along with championing womens human rights. Empowerment, not entitlement.
These women are not pretentious, in fact they are far from being “diva-ish”. You won’t read long winded diatribes in their biography’s about their love of art, music, film, etc or gibberish about how their art sustains them. Blah, blah, blah, if you have to talk about your about yourself that much, then you should ask yourself “who am I trying to convince?”
These women are everyday, get the job done, take a knock down punch and get back up…REAL women. Not Diva’s, not Goddesses, Not playing at artist, or trying to be anyone but… themselves. Know thyself! Their world does not exist within the internet, their lives are shaped by them being “out there, living life and being a force of change.”
They are mothers, daughters, sisters, wives, partners, and lovers who enjoy sharing their passions, supporting and leaning on one another with the goal of growing their talents. Through the exchange of ideas and creativity, we may or may not enlighten a few minds, open a few hearts, bring a few smiles to light. Either way we will enjoy our passions to the fullest.
If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then we must too realize that art is as well. Calling yourself an artist, doesn’t make your art good, great or even worthy of the refrigerator door.
Art in the simple terms for me is the expressions and impressions one shares that creates emotion and thought in another. If your piece of work whether it’s words, drawings, painting, photography, fabric design, creates emotion in another that’s empowering.
Women shouldn’t be discouraged from sharing their passions, expressing themselves to the world. If painting empowers you to become a stronger person in the sea of humanity navigated daily, then paint your heart out. If writing dirty minded erotic tales, empowers you to take control of your sexuality, then type away. Whatever makes you stronger and empowers you to contribute to the world, leaving it better for having you in it, then go for it!
Start young, encourage your daughters, nieces, students to step outside the box, nurture their inner strengths in hopes that they extol the freedom of expression. The freedom to be whomever they desire, strong, intelligent, humorous, talented, loving, caring creatures filled with emotion and passion. Say it at loud, “I love being a Girl!”
If you like to play artist and have people make phoo-phoo comments about your art, then this isn’t the place for you. Face it, if your artwork is being sold on coffee mugs and t-shirts, you are not Louvre bond; save the attitude.
If you want others to view your work, become inspired to take up the brushes, or hit the keyboard, or find that camera, then Welcome. If you want to be treated as an equal, as a sister, as a member of a global community, then Welcome. If you create because it gives you joy and you want to share what you see in the world with others, then Welcome.
When I wrote the tagline “Release Your Inner Diva”, it meant just that. Let your self expression free, unleash it, cultivate it, “release it”. You can be mom at the PTA meeting, knee deep in diapers, trying to wipe the food stains from your companies monthly report where your husband mistakenly set down a messy dish, navigating your social calender on the train ride home and find time to create, design and share if it’s what you want to do.
Here at La Diva Artists Movement, what’s real is real, what’s hype is on someone else site.
Peace, love and…Never retreat, just Reload, your film, ink cartridges, paint wells, sewing machines, audio tape, Crayola’s…
~Cynthia
Check out The Genesis Project Facebook page for more information on the incredible work they are doing to help save the lives of young women and girls in the Seattle, Washington area.
Rape For Profit Trailer from RapeForProfitFilm on Vimeo.
This documentary illuminates and explores the reality of sex trafficking and its root causes by following the stories of the victims, those who victimize and the ones trying to combat it. Set in Seattle, the #3 city for this activity in the country, the viewer gets a front row seat to the action as it is happening on the streets. Touching on controversial themes such as prostitution, lust and power, ‘Rape For Profit’ brings a new perspective to this modern day slavery.
Published: May 30, 2012
MAHACHAI, THAILAND — When word got out that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese democracy campaigner who is a heroine to many here, would visit this gritty town on the Gulf of Thailand, the mood became electric in the massive fish and shrimp processing plants.
Amazing woman, who proves you can move mountains or face down criminals when it comes to the love of their child.
A decade ago, Susana Trimarco’s 23-year-old daughter left her house in Tucuman, Argentina for a doctor’s appointment and said: “I’ll be back soon.”
She was never to be seen again.
Her daughter, María de los Angeles Verón, is believed to have been kidnapped and forced into prostitution, becoming one of the millions of human trafficking victims in the world.
That began Trimarco’s remarkable and dangerous mission to find her daughter: Chasing down leads in brothels, confronting pimps and standing up to politicians she says were complicit in her daughter’s disappearance.
Following a tip that her daughter was in a brothel in a northwestern province of Argentina called La Rioja, she posed as a prostitute and visited a series of dark and dangerous brothels looking for her daughter. She wanted to see how the networks operate, first hand and up close.
“I have no fear of this mafia, and I hope that Justice will make justice,” she said in court recently.
Her efforts, which have brought her international recognition –and kudos from the U.S. White House to Canada – have uncovered a network of human sex slave traffickers that reached as far away as Spain. A foundation Trimarco created in her daughter’s name has helped to rescue 150 victims of human trafficking around the world.
Her her daughter is not one of them. But Trimarco has never given up hope.
This month, 10 years after her Verón’s disappearance, seven men and six women accused of having been part of the network that kidnapped and forced her daughter into prostitution are finally being brought to trial
The prosecution’s case is based on testimony of dozens of women rescued from the sex rings through Trimarco’s efforts.
The trial, which began in March in Tucuman, where the kidnapping took place, is expected to last till July and could bring a life sentence for the 13 suspects. Though Trimarco’s daughter has never been found, prosecutors have brought to the witness stand women who saw her and were imprisoned with her.
“As I don’t have peace, they won’t either, because I will destroy their business and they will have to go out and get real jobs,” Trimarco said about the suspects, calling them “lazy and good for nothing people.”
She said her mission to find her daughter has sometimes been downright cruel – numerous times she’s chased down false clues about her daughter’s whereabouts, and she has even been the target of numerous death threats.
In 2007, the Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice awarded her with the International Women of Courage Award and trumpeted her courage, leadership and advocacy efforts.
In Argentina, her foundation has helped educate judges, prosecutors and police officers on how to deal with women trafficking. During its opening ceremony, the U.S. ambassador to Argentina at that time, Earl Anthony Wayne, cut the ribbon.
She’s also been instrumental in helping pass numerous anti-trafficking laws in Argentina, including the first national law against human trafficking in 2008.
The daughter’s case also opened the discussion in Argentina, where exploitation of women became a growing problem but was rarely spoken about.
Sex trafficking rings operate with a slew of helpers, with neighbors, street vendors, taking part in the scheme and taxi drivers operating as “look-outs”. The criminal enterprises operate mostly in poor regions where women have little recourse and are sometimes enticed by false promises of good income.
For Trimarco, trying to improve the problem has become her personal mission.
“I have no projects of life. I live for this, to find her,” she said. “I live a miserable life.”
Teresa Sofía Buscaglia is a freelance writer based in Buenos Aires.
Tina Diggs
Best wishes Tina on your latest venture. Looking forward to your continued success. Tina will focus mostly on everyday life, fitness, healthy eating and even some vocal coaching on her YouTube show: Tina Diggs Talk
Happy, Happy Birthday Cyndi from all your fellow artists and friends at La diva Artists!!!
