This campus celebrity is a budding socialite in Atlanta. She knows everyone on campus, hosts empowering events with her brand, and even hosts dinner parties. She is the founder of TEA and talked to us about how it started.
Name: Sienna Brown
Classification: Junior
Major: Telecommunications
Hometown: “I move so much I don’t really consider anywhere home. Home is where I am.”
Instagram/Twitter: @TalkEatArt
Website: TEA
What is TEA?
“The way it all started is, I’m Jamaican. My parents are from Jamaica, so I’m a first generation american. I’ve been drinking tea forever. My parents have always gve me tea; when I was sick, or not sick, I just drink tea all the time. Last summer, I was working in New Jersey at a gym and I was really pooped one night. I came home, had some tea, went to bed, and when I woke up I had a dream… it was a vision almost. I saw a lot of people with cups in their hands. It wasn’t a party because they weren’t red cup, they were styrofoam, so it had to be tea. So, I’m like okay, I’m going to do this event with tea.”
What does TEA mean?
“Tea means Talk. Eat. Art.”
How did the first event go?
“I was looking for a place, so I came to Auburn. I saw this shop, Just Add Honey, and it [the building] said “Tea.” It didn’t even say Just Add Honey, so I’m just like, “Is this a sign, God?” I went in and talked to Brandy, my awesome boss, and I asked if she lets people do events here. She was kind of hesitant to let me do it but she did. So on October 17th, we had our first event. Our speaker was Angie Luvara, she’s a sociology professor at Georgia State, and she spoke about being radically yourself. Our art was from Chrissy Brimmage, I love her work and I can’t wait to get tatted. (Just kidding Dad, if you’re reading.) We had a local artist, Alexus Glenn, and it was incredible. We completely maxed out the building. It was shocking.”
How do you think you fit into the Atlanta social scene?
“I went to a free screening where James Franco spoke, and he said something during his Q&A that really inspired me. It really vibes with how I live my own life. He said he didn’t need any help from the higher ups, he doesn’t want anyone to pick him and say “you’re special, come with me”. He uses the people around him and creates with them, and i think that’s what’s happening in Atlanta right now. I don’t feel like I’m in a competition with anyone, I’m just building with other people.”
What can we expect from the next TEA event?
“Fun, duh! If you come and you don’t have fun, you can have a refund…. I’m just playing.”
What do you want TEA to be as an end product?
“When we first started we wanted to do it seasonally, but people have really resonated with it. We have grown so much since the beginning, and I just want to continue to grow. We did our first two events here in Atlanta, and for spring break we went to Los Angeles. We did it there and it did really well. People have been looking at us to bring it to different cities. We’re looking at possibly taking it to Detroit this summer. We’ll see what else we have in store, just taking it day by day.”
What style of networking works for you?
“I actually don’t even have a business card yet, so networking for me is really being myself. Being authentic in everything I do. Who I am here is who I am on Twitter, and who I am on Twitter is who I am on Snapchat, and everywhere else. When you see me out it’s all the same. I’m not always happy and glitter. I have bad days and I think sharing some of those emotions with other humans is what makes networking work further. Have fun and don’t be stuck up.”
What advice do you have for those who have ideas but don’t know where to start?
“My advice is to jump. Be brave. Be courageous. I was watching “How I Met Your Mother” with my roommate and someone said, “20 seconds of courage is all it takes to do something that could change your life.” Just jump and go for it. You never know what lies down the road. Use the people around you. Vibe off of them because they will tell if what you’re doing is lame or great.”
What else do you enjoy doing?
“I love to cook. My parents used to own a restaurant and I would watch them like ‘I think I can do that’. My favorite thing to do is mac and cheese and I also make bread pudding. I love to listen to music. I’m not really into tv that much but I do watch ‘Scandal’ and ‘Empire.’ Sometimes I do little dinner parties with friends. We throw down.”
What are you looking forward to seeing in Atlanta this summer?
“I definitely want to see people out at these positive events genuinely meeting people. Sometimes, people say they felt fake vibes but I just want people to have fun.”