"My Passions"

  a woman's perspective

Male readers will appreciate this next statement. It's a bitch discovering how not to define oneself by one's career. American males notoriously define their existence by work. Almost invariably, every man will ask another "what do you do for a living?"' within two minutes of each new encounter. I was a card-carrying member of that cliché for decades. However, now - as a woman? I'm most interested in knowing what somebody enjoys doing: what are their passions?

I've got lots of interests but only a handful of passions. Know what I'm talking about? Two of my passions are encased within a sense of higher purpose - my gender web site & my soon-to-be published art web site. I embrace these projects as never-ending, life long commitments.

My other two passions? Pure pleasure, sweetie. Nothing wrong with that, is there? *Smile* One's my home  - and the other? Fashion...with a passion.

Following is a summary of these interests & their role in my evolving life.

reneereyes.com...and my role in the gender community

I'm dedicated to making reneereyes.com one of the best free places to begin a tranz-journey for anyone of three key participants in the transgender community - crossdressers, admirers, and tranz-women just starting transition.

I never imagined my web site would become this large. More importantly, I didn't expect so many people to find value from what I shared. Thus, I consider my work in this regard to be the most worthy effort in my life. Additionally, since I always identified as a  bit of an outsider - I'm forever inclined to embrace beginners & making them feel extra welcome. I'm likewise dedicated to being a constant reminder that we're all in this together - and that every member of the gender community has much more in common than not.

Unfortunately, beyond this web presence - I'm no longer very active in the tranz-community. I did my stint & paid dues long before being tranz was anything but cool. I embrace I'll forever be classified a tranz-female. However, I'm enjoying a drama-free life as a normal woman.

I'm hopeful my new business enterprise will sometimes position me to characterize our interests amongst unique markets. I remain dedicated to putting a positive face on transgenderism throughout my life.

artcollecting.info

Having lost control of my life for almost a decade, I embraced a new mantra in 2006...I'm no longer behind on any project. Rather, everything's fresh as part of my new existence. Still, I recognize I'll relish a special joy when I finally upload my art web site. I'm expecting the first version to be ready in 2007.

As with my gender site, this project's a labor of love. The amount of hours invested is staggering: countless nights & weekends writing and organizing plus years of passionate art collecting.

My collection and its related web site are designed to teach beginners how to use on-line resources to affordable acquire world-class art. In today's world of on-line auctions, web galleries & immediate world-wide access - a person no longer has to live in New York City to assemble a first-class collection of art on a budget. You can even reside in the sort of town I grew up in - Owensboro, KY...and amass a breathtaking array of works.

Every piece in the collection teaches at least one unique lesson about collecting from the internet. Most pieces demonstrate two or three such insights.

There's a little bit of everything included. On a really tight budget? Got that covered. Dream of chasing after an undiscovered masterpiece? This site shows you how. It also reveals many of the pitfalls relating to on-line collecting - fakes, forgeries, scam artists - even nightmares with shipping...and how to avoid these hazards.

I made certain to include a wide variety of styles in hopes each readers might find at least one piece that moves their soul.

Here's an assortment of a few favorites from the collection:

Sample artworks from the ArtCollecting.info collection

There's two status components to this passion. The first is drafting and constructing the web site. Guess what? It's even larger than this web site. Can you believe it? The second element is acquiring needed fillers for obvious holes in my lesson plan. Unfortunately, my post-transition financial resources are limited. Thus, I'm doing the best I can. I remain hopeful some future success will afford me an opportunity to complete the collection as first envisioned.

How's it coming? It's getting there...but it's a huge project. I've drafted about 500 pages of original content and I estimate the final site will be well over 1,000 documents. Ouch!

This is more than just a project to me. I'm in that mode where I'm increasingly concerned about what I'm leaving behind after my 'fave pumps are buried beneath six feet of topsoil. I'm hopeful that as I build this unique tool to educate new collectors - the combination of the web site and associated art collection will be of interest to a small-town museum intrigued by a taking a leading role in supporting on-line art collecting efforts for neophytes. Hey, at least I'm trying...*Laugh*

In the mean time? My art adorns the walls and speaks volumes to me in ways I can't explain. A passion I relish - that beautifies my home and results in real dollar value - combined with a dream for the future. 

That's special...

home sweet home 

I made some bad decisions during my transition journey. The absolute worst was storing most my fine contents & art during these trials. I grossly miscalculated the time my transition would require. Additionally, I underestimated the impact of depression on my productivity and the sense of homelessness associated with these changes.

Bottom line? I screwed up.

I'm very much a homebody. Outside of when I'm working a crowd & being on...I'm not even very outgoing. You have to know me pretty well to appreciate this side of my persona. Home is more than just a place - it's my sanctuary.

I'm patiently developing my new business platform before committing to my next domicile. I hope to acquire a new place ideally suited to my decorating interests, business needs & the suitable presentation of my art collection. Notably, my contents and decorating themes are designed to fulfill very unique themes within each main room or area.

For instance?

My master bedroom will be ultra-modern and the ideal basis for abstracts, pop-art & post-modern pieces. My den will be a little on the butch side with early American fixtures plus masculine accoutrements. The dining room? Pure French, baby - those are my favorite furnishings. Fortunately, I began acquiring all sorts of antique furniture & sides many years ago at estate sales...when they were less expensive. My particular fetish was always period French pieces. I'm pretty much convinced I was some sort of low-rent French prostitute in a past life as I'm forever drawn to these furnishings and we all know I'm anything but nobility. *Laugh*

I set a drop-dead date on my calendar for when my new home comes together: ready-or-not. Even patience has to have a limit, 'ya know?.

a passion for fashion

My final but perhaps most relished passion is fashion. In it's purest form, fashion - is body art. I wear mine like armor. Being transgendered - I think it's important to always present myself a tad bit better than people might expect. I learned that important insight from a black male mentor who found a way to succeed amidst the extreme racial prejudice of the 1960's & 70's.

Clothes don't make the person. However, they do make up about 90% of what people see of us. Since lots of people are initially challenged getting past my transsexualism in the world of business, it's beneficial to divert their attention to classy ensembles.

A running joke amongst my female friends is I'd be worth marrying just for unlimited access to my closets. *Laugh* Took years to assemble my wardrobe. Any tranz-gal knows...with our size issues? Developing first-class ensembles is a pretty tough proposition. Naturally, I bought 99% of it off eBay. I could never afford to acquire this array at anywhere near retail.

Belts remain my biggest fetish. I notoriously break into a sweat around a Judith Leiber that's caught my eye. 

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