Hey my loves,

As the last day of Black History Month has hit, I hope  black history created something in you that made you want to know more about our history on a 365 level. I know you’re wondering why I picked a picture of light bulbs for this particular blog and the reason behind it is Lewis Howard Latimer. He patented a method for making carbon filaments, allowing light bulbs to burn for hours instead of minutes.

Notice there’s only one lit up…it made me think of the “spark” a creative gets…you know the “aha” moment where you figured out the perfect product or invention for your line of work. That’s when you use grit and grind to go through the process of completing this big goal you want to share with the world…art in many forms. Each of us go about our day living life and creating ideas in our head while people passing us by are probably doing the exact same thing. The beauty if it is no idea is the same. Sure we might have two women thinking of starting a cosmetic line in their heads…but the concept will be different. The angle will be different. The audience might intertwine, but it will not be exactly the same. Maya Angelou once said, “If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities.“

That the reality. You are reality. Your stories (even the ones we don’t tell)  and how we represent ourselves is our personal reality. The late night and early mornings are all worth it, but you have to learn how to stay motivated even when you’re not feeling inspired as a creative. Even though it’s cool being a creative, there will be times where you don’t feel creative. There will be times where you have to get up earlier than usual, and use time management to get all your duties done for that day because 24hrs just doesn’t seem like enough time! Being a black creative comes with a responsibility. And that responsibility is expressing our art and culture through art in many forms. Art comes in all shapes and forms. I came across this saying I love which says, ” I like art, and by art, I mean music, poetry, sex, paintings, the human body, literature…all of this is art to me.”

As a creative, you will have moments of diversity, moments where you feel like giving up in the beginning when you don’t see the results you want to see, and moments where you feel like your ideas won’t stand out in a saturated industry. Step out of fear and do the goals, even if you have to do them scared…do them. It’s sad to know some creatives will die with so many ideas inside of them because they didn’t start them or didn’t quite get the push they needed. Then we have the creatives who got the push, but fears one lifetime is not enough to spread what’s inside of them…which one are you?

“The most heaviest weight in life is carrying a bag around full of decaying goals.

-Mel B.

You’ve reached the rough point. You’re reached the point where you keep investing and putting in work and sacrifices and you still don’t see results. The plot twist: God sees it and he also sees the other creatives in the same boat as you right now. I want you to repeat the following phrase 4 times and truly believe it in your heart:

Everything attached to me wins. 

Everything attached to me wins.

Everything attached to me wins.

Everything attached to me wins.

You might have to put some grit with that grace during times of adversity, but always remember why you started. The love of being a creative… having a space that expresses your individuality and knowing that the universe will provide everything you need if you just believe in yourself.

A black creative means you know passion…and sometimes it’s tough showing that passion at first.

It’s tough being a creative. It’s a tough love when God anoints you. It’s a responsibility when God uses you. Through all of this, you show the beautiful and the ugly parts to everyone, the parts that are healing and evolving. It’s tough being a person who people look up to, when parts of you don’t feel like a role model. It’s tough. But it’s worth it. Through pain and love, it brings purpose. Your journey is a blessing to someone else, a part of you is changing someone right now. Ideas manifest in you repeatedly and you wonder why. You’re the spark in making a difference. For you and others. That’s why.

 

Until next time,

Zip.

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