06/05/2026
Woman appreciation post.
I recently met someone who was already special to me before we had ever talked.
Amber Tilden, a crazy talented and original LA artist, drew me as part of her signature “Varrio Love Is…” for a BG project. The drawing hit me so hard that I immediately knew I had to cast it in solid gold.
Some things deserve permanence. The way she saw me as one of these warm, beautiful women of hers made me see her world for what it might really be: a dope place where romance and lowriders go hand in hand to the beat of old West Coast hip hop and slow paced doo-wop.
The real gift, though, was getting to know her and becoming her friend.
Making friends as an adult is underrated. We don’t get the childhood version of each other; we actually meet after life has already done its thing. After the mistakes, the triumphs, the weird and horrible detours, and the lessons learned the hard way. We meet people fully baked, seasoned by experience, carrying entire worlds inside them.
And then every so often, beneath all that wisdom and mileage, you catch a glimpse of the kid who never left. The one who still laughs too hard, stays curious, gets excited about things, and sees magic where other people see ordinary.
Amber is one of those people.
A complex woman with an old soul, a young laugh, and a rare way of seeing beauty in the world, and in other people.
I’m really glad our paths crossed, and I low-key think it’s so cool that almost no day has gone by without us talking or checking in.
I appreciate you. ♥️
…
