Well, well, well…. I know, I KNOW. It has been a hot lil minute since I’ve been in here sharing any pieces or musings- hell ANYTHING. What happened?! In short, life happened.

I went through heartbreak. I went through stress, functional depression and health issues. I went through burnout. I almost became a full time hermit. I traveled. I went through healing. I smiled when sometimes that wasn’t what I was feeling. I cried. I moved through frustration. I released. I lived and I grew. And I went through the one of the biggest things that writers cringe at and fear the most during all of this, WRITER’S BLOCK. I can’t tell you how many times over the last year and a half, “write something” was a task on my to-do list and was left unchecked weeks and weeks in a row, that turned into months in a row. I have pieces I started two years ago and never finished. My mojo was burrowed in some obscure place.

When I went to Morocco this past March and experienced all the beautiful art, culture and architecture there, my sacral chakra exploded open. There wasn’t a grand event or defining moment that this happened; at some point it opened and began spinning fiercely. A day before my flight back and on my whole ride home, I was assaulted with ideas, passion projects and the burning desire to get back to writing.

I’ve been plotting, scheming, mapping and creating since my return. The shakes ensue if I’m not engaging in something creative. It could be cooking a meal, a dance class, a craft or a short writing piece; I’ve got to be creating. Expression must be happening. I even dusted off my neglected sewing machine; the desire to sew again smoldering high inside of me. I used it to make fabric flower clips I helped fashion for my sorority’s fundrasing brunch over Mother’s Day weekend and I repaired a pair of my favorite jeans. I doodled on a pair hi-top Chucks and they came out BAWSE. And here I am writing this post.

The sacral chakra houses our creativity. Mine is currently lit up like a decorated Christmas tree. I’m reinspired when it comes to fashion and personal style. The openness I have to experiencing art and inspiration anywhere is boundless right now. I’m so awake.

Currently, I’m loving Anderson.Paak’s new album, Flying Lotus’ new album and the TNT series, Claws. Random, right? Welcome to my world.

I have respected and enjoyed Flying Lotus’s work for years but this new LP of his, Flamagra, just really feels extra groovy to me. He is a masterful musician and artist and I’m here for it. My current favorites are ‘Spontaneous’ which features Little Dragon and ‘More’ featuring Anderson .Paak. And speaking of Anderson .Paak, his new album, Ventura, is straight fire. Some of my favorites on his album is ‘Reachin’ 2 Much’ featuring Lalah Hathaway (love her!), ‘Winners Circle’ and ‘King James’.

Over the past weekend, I had minimal plans, found myself on Hulu and fell into binging (because that’s what millennials do, right?) on all 2 seasons of TNT show, Claws. In regards to the storyline and plot, it’s cheesy. As. Hell. But you know what? It’s fun to watch; the gaudy outfits and nail designs alone make it visually interesting and the protagonist is a black woman who is a business owner and loves her (high functioning autistic) brother and her friends.

Could an Afro-feminist rip this series to shreds for its objectification of the black woman and the oversimplification and even glamorization of crime and gang/mafia activity? Abso-friggin-lutely. However, I still like it. I’m grown and know it’s entertainment and not truth. I do think the show humanizes criminals. Most people, inherently, aren’t bad, they end up doing a lot of bad things because we are taught a lot of fucked up stuff about life, wealth and self worth.

My only critique is that they show more nail art and designs!