When I was about 13, I met the coolest, chicest young woman I had ever seen. She was a neighbor of mine who became a fashion designer and had a small design studio. She taught me so many things about style and fashion. I had always loved making things, so when she told me about her career in fashion, I knew I had found my path.

When you're young and have the opportunity, it's crucial to learn as much as possible about your profession from every possible angle.

I owe my career to Latina women. I was surrounded by the amazing group: my mother, my aunts, my extended family. They didn't necessarily have access to high fashion, but they had great style and looked stunning naturally at every age.

I was always fascinated by graphic art and typography and architecture. And so I was constantly cutting things and making blocks and making buildings out of shoeboxes.

It has been religious people, often within the organized church, who have been the most critical of and even hostile to my relationship with God.

I write about messy relationships - between friends, rivals, married couples, siblings. I'm not really interested in boy/girl romances.

Never change the person that you are just to fit in. You'll find your true friends that like you for you, and if you are happy with doing things that you genuinely enjoy, it shouldn't matter what other people think.

Basically, I feel like people have always taken photos of themselves. When I was in college, I had these Polaroid cameras my friends and I would have so much fun with. Today, we'd be taking those pictures on our phones. I think it's just part of culture today... Why not have fun with it?