Welcome, diamonds, clarity, and a few overdone metaphors...

Welcome to my blog!

In April of 1985 Tammy Beatty, a 17 year old young woman in Tacoma, WA gave birth to her first child, a baby girl she named Tiffanie Ladell Beatty. The surname Beatty is Irish and the name Ladell was created by a slight alteration of the child's father's middle name. The child's first name was given by her maternal grandmother, who was said to have been inspired by a popular soap opera character. The television character Tiffanie, was more than likely spelled "Tiffany" like the diamonds, which also happen to be the April baby's birthstone. As a Taurus, the reference to diamonds also fits with the natural tendency of the sign toward materialism. Despite the influence of the stars on Tiffanie's personality, her name, birth month and zodiac sign were as close to possessing diamonds as she would ever come...that is until Clara T was born.

Clara T, also spelled normally as Clarity, is an alter ego that came on the scene in the summer of 2009. Clara T was created as a way into and through the mysterious and unclear dilemmas in life. She is flawless and pure, but sometimes exposes ugly things. Her primary method of bringing truth to light is poetry and spoken word, but her voice can be heard even in the recital of a poignant rap lyric from a Tupac song and her image can be seen moving authentically to a funky guitar in a blues bar in Chicago.

These days Tiffanie L Beatty is introduced to open mic audiences simply as Tiff or Tiff B. It's what her friends and family call her and it represents her personal connection to her audience. Like any name, there's a deep and personal story behind Tiffanie Ladell Beatty that extends beyond the playful ironies. Flawless diamonds are almost non-existent and many of those that do exist come stained with blood (as we know from Kanye). One step, rhyme, exhale at a time, Clara T exposes a tiny portion of that truth and the beautiful stone that lies beneath.

I am Tiffanie Beatty, also known as Clara T, and this is a blog about my journey through a complex and unclear world. Through poetic exploration and critical analysis, it is my hope that this space can become a place of mining the most beautiful diamonds and sharing the purest of stones. May we stay inspired as we are always on the verge of seeing...