A RENAISSANCE NEW YEAR
For this issue, we discuss the renaissance mindset of OF NOT GIVING A -, the best lip care for the bitter cold season, a new SEO on the horizon, and the power of the creative community!
Welcome to Create (Pop), a bi-weekly newsletter that provides fun, insightful, and useful tips to help you excel in your creative journey.
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Creative Mindset Shift: Unlocking Your Best Creative Self By Not Giving A -
Happy New Year’s Eve to you all!
I can’t believe we’re this close to the end of 2023! While everyone is posting their 2023 recaps and 2024 ambitions I feel like I’m trying to steady the current that was 2023.
This year held a lot of highs and quite some sweeping lows for me but I’m choosing to focus on the lessons I’ve learned from the bad experiences this year.
From upping my gratitude and being as rested as possible in the New Year - PLUS - shedding toxic mindsets I picked up in the monotonous routine of work culture and splitting my identity in different environments.
I struggled with putting this into words until time and stillness forced me to confront those uncomfortable parts of myself. However, after seeing Renaissance A Film by Beyonce I realized that allowing myself the space to understand these parts of myself could be liberating. And if you are thinking '“Great, another long-winded rant about how Beyonce can do no wrong” - No. That’s for another newsletter.
Having the opportunity to see Renaissance did indeed change me for the better.
Beneath the staggering lights, towering chrome stag horse, and the greatest choreographed acts in history I was gifted simple clarity by the vulnerable moments Beyonce shared. How by releasing the weight of people's expectations and of who everyone needs her to be allowed her the freedom to go full throttle on her art.
I have suffered from this tremendously, especially post-high school. Trying to navigate the peer spaces of college, then the corporate spaces of 9-5, to the in-between shifts of understanding adulthood, shouldering responsibilities all of it. I thought I had this art of not caring about what others think yet how wrong I’ve been.
Now, that I am turning a new corner in my life I understand I cannot take people with me. I can’t take their projections, their expectations, their ill wishes, or their false blessings.
What I realized was that the mindset of Not Giving A - isn’t some selfish ego trip in which I’m the center of the universe and matters. The mind-shift into Not Giving A - allows ME to MATTER in spite of people’s peopling. This means my wants, my messy parts, my arts, gifts, thoughts, ideas, and beliefs - the things I value most have validity and acceptance that does not have come from others.
By wholly loving and embracing yourself you are not a detriment to anybody.
By loving ourselves we come from a full place that allows us to set boundaries and can extend empathy, care, and grace to others.
By fully being ourselves around others, despite their judgments/doubts, they gain an asset. It is diversity that makes the world go around, that builds and nurtures ecosystems, our bodies, our communities, etcetera.
As an artist, this notion can be a balancing act. We are constantly putting versions of ourselves through our work to be criticized, picked apart, examined, and then some. Let’s change the narrative.
We are choosing to share our creations, our work, thoughts, and exhibits to be appreciated by others. It is a gift that is validated and worthy (by us).
That is what Beyonce modeled in Renaissance. She found a way to extend, share, and build a space where there was no judgment, suppressing, or withholding of oneself. Instead, everyone embraced the art of not caring about judgment, condemnation, not being as advanced, and comparing to others.
Instead, shifting the focus to relaxing, allowing ourselves to have fun, be forthcoming, vulnerable, emotional, and everything in between fuels our art and creativity.
We are capable of loving ourselves in our full form and extending grace to others no matter their response, and that’s the art and MY POWER of Not Giving of A !
While I am adopting a new mindset, I am reaching back to an oldie-but-goodie I discovered last year to brave my lips for the winter season, and I’m ready to share it with you all!
Why the House of Laneige Lip Care Is Perfect for The Winter Season
The LANEIGE Berry Lip Combo is like a mini spa treatment for my lips!
Last year I was walking with my Aunt through the light bright isles of Sephora cosmetics and the lip isle was packed. As we searched through the remaining lip care items on the shelf my Aunt pointed out a duo lip package that was on sale. I was a little hesitant at first. I’m a huge believer that Vaseline heals all ails.
However, the packaging was sleek, the colors popped, and it screamed luscious lip care. And, it was for a great deal! The LANEIGE Lip Mask and LANEIGE Lip Glowy Balm vary between $18 to $27 individually. This Divine Duo Lip Set is $22.
The Duo Lip set gave me everything I needed in one - the products combined are essentially spa treatments for my lips! But I also want to highlight why I love the Lip Mask and the Lip Glowly balm individually.
LANEIGE LIP SLEEPING MASKS
The Lip Sleeping Masks are packed with 2 rich butters - Murmurmu and Shea-and essential oils to hydrate and coat the lips with slight variations in flavor.
As soon as I put on the Lip Berry Mask it felt like a salve on my lips. The Berry in the mask smells like a delicious fruit compote working together with the Mururumu and Shea butter to nourish my lips while I sleep.
When I wake up in the morning I wipe off the remaining gloss and my lips are left feeling smooth and rejuvenated. Sometimes I don’t feel the need to use the Glowy balm because my lips feel so smooth. BUT! If I am in the mood and need of a pop of color, LANEIGE’s Lip Glowy Balm is also a divine addition.
The LANEIGE Lip Glowy Balm eliminates the oil but keeps the rich butter, giving my lips a lightweight feel and protection from the bitter cold. It’s also tinted so it completes my makeup routine flawlessly if I’m going for a minimal look.
If you want sleek, luscious, and hydrating fashionable lips to SLAY this winter then look no further than the LANEIGE lip set, either the lip mask or glowy balm, you won’t be sorry.
Now that my lips are protected but not sealed. There’s a new version of SEO on the horizon and boy am I excited!
HOW GOOGLE SGE CAN BRING VIEWS TO ARTISTS
As A.I. continues to develop every industry is doing its best to keep up with the rolling changes, and we’re all trying to figure out how to transition from the old world to the new. While SEO is still a new learning curve for me I understand SEO practices such as pillars, tagging, etc. can only enhance my success as a creative, content creator, and writer.
So imagine my surprise when a new article suggestion popped up about Google rolling out a new SEO feature, totally AI-based, which aims to provide a comprehensive human experience.
Google’s new boo, SGE, stands for Search Generative Experience. It aims to provide (us) the consumer with a full first look, pulled from multiple verified sources, to whatever we type in that multibillion-dollar search bar.
Something a little like below…
GOOGLE SGE EXAMPLE
The idea behind this is as we continue to interact with technology, search engines, etc. it mimics a human conversation, minimizing scrolling through various pages, and allows the Google homepage to become that one-stop shop for our answers (reclaiming a bit of that power from TikTok).
Right now SGE is on every marketer’s radar BUT it got me thinking about what this means for me as a creator. Does this mean the work I’ve been doing can be pulled in alongside others increasing my chance of people viewing my page?
And, is all the work I’ve been doing on SEO obsolete with this new tool? I’m just now getting the hang of one search optimization now there’s another one to master.
Well, not quite.
As I understand it SGE is aiming for topical authority, more than just keyword stuffing, proper placement, and content optimization (i.e.) the sole technical focus on SEO. SGE will highlight content that is valuable, digestible, and authentic content that is helpful for the consumer.
If that’s the case, I am pumped, because it means the work I’m doing has a fighting chance. When I go to write, produce, and share creative content I am always thinking the audience first. With SGE I can keep the focus on sharing inspiring, informative, engaging, and helpful content to my audience rather than being solely worried about optimization, numbers, headlines, spacing, etc.
Not saying there isn’t a place for all of the above but SGE can even the playing field and allow us to get back to what we love to do. If we can shift our focus back to creating genuinely good content that comes from the heart it will have a level of expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (all of which are the new things SGE will be looking for.)
What I have learned is it doesn’t matter how good your SEO strategy is, if the content isn’t good, no one’s going to engage.
Similar to my thoughts on the algorithm, if your content is good, punchy, and serves a need then all the remaining technical things will fall in line.
This removes the burdening effect of content creation being a chore.
There’s also a higher likelihood that my information will be seen. Why? A snippet of my content might get shared along with other creatives in my space versus not having a spot solely because of someone who has 20% more keywords than the next person.
I’m excited about the opportunity to get back to sharing rich content with people who love to create rather than feeling intimidated because we don’t know all the proper SEO protocols.
This is just my take on Google SGE's potential for me as an artist. Are you excited, hesitant, or interested in Google SGE too? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Speaking of creating trustworthy and authoritative content that goes on to serve, empower, and connect a community I took a trip to the High Museum in Atlanta, GA, and I had no idea what I was in store for!
SONYA CLARK “WE ARE EACH OTHER” EXHIBIT
I love love love The High Museum. It’s known for showcasing, hosting, and partnering with some of the coolest, state-of-the-art exhibits locally and from around the world. Years back they hosted ‘The Rise of Sneaker Culture’ which was an incredible expose on the complex social history and cultural significance behind common footwear to the Making Africa an amazing layout on contemporary design to the Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors, which blew my mind! (Another write-up for another day!)
Just recently I was fortunate enough to catch the Little Amal walk hosted by Woodruff Arts Center and the High Museum which you can find in my newsletter post here.
On this recent visit, I was surprised to find a new exhibit had slipped in under my nose, and it was in one word groundbreaking.
Sonya Clark's ‘We Are Each Other’ exhibit is by far one of the most invigorating, inspiring, and truly humbling exhibits I’ve had the pleasure to view. It spoke volumes on how honoring oneself allows the opportunity to honor, commune, and share in fellowship with others. The majority of Clark’s works are participatory projects (We LOVE!) Each artist's contribution is tied to larger artwork as a whole.
We are each other’s harvest, we are each other’s business, we are each other’s magnitude and bond.”
The focus of ‘We Are Each Other’ is to showcase the black experience through a revisionist lens of history. But I felt as if the messaging was a universal concept we all could adopt.
SONYA CLARK ‘The Beaded Prayers Project’
The exhibit opens up with The Bearded Prayers Project (ongoing). It is a kaleidoscope of colors, beads, pins, and binding agents, from a variety of artists in a variety of ages that greet you on anchored patches. Each of these prayer patches signifies something personal and deep to the originator but they speak volumes to the communities, tribes, and spaces they represent.
The Bearded Prayer Project was born out of the mediative, communal, and active practice of beading and its connection to prayer. Each pouch contains a wish, prayer, blessing, or dream from the artist written down on paper and encased with a covering that has at least one bead on the outer surface.
Looking at the hundreds of prayers laid on a wall I began to reflect on my journey. Of the items and prayers that would be encased in my pouch. If I would be as brave to share mine.
To me, The Beaded Prayer Project itself is like saying a prayer, a confession, a form of release. As you work with beads, intentionally write down things valued most to you, sealing them with precious material - all of it an act of vulnerability.
Yet it does appeal to me! The Bearded Prayer project is like an active time capsule. And what a cool way to seal your hopes, dreams, and leave your worries behind and trust the good to find you on your way. Hence, me going to one of the Bearded Prayer workshops next month :)
‘The Bearded Prayer Project’ hosts these sessions wherever the exhibit is traveling which means it could come to somewhere near you!
If you're in the Atlanta area hopefully we’ll cross paths :)
SONYA CLARK COMBS SERIES AND MADAME C.J. WALKER
And, as if reflecting on the Beaded Prayer Project wasn’t enough to make me sob I followed the trail of connectivity across her Combs series and Madame C.J. Walker canvas.
At first glance, I was immediately drawn into the binding and intertwining, twisting, knifing, and gnashing of the comb teeth. The Alien Superstar of it all.
After delving further into the Combs series it opened my awareness to the meaning behind The Black Plastic Comb. From being a part of the culture as part of iconic photography to the symbolism behind ‘good hair’ or ‘bad hair’ and all the in-between.
Black combs growing up were frequently seen around the house, in salons, and with my Aunties. When I see one it brings back those memories of comfort and home.
It was further fascinating to see the culmination of her combs twist into Madame C.J. Walker's portrait.
Sonya Clark utilized over three thousand combs to create the staggering portrait of America’s first female millionaire who used her wealth as a way to further support causes that positively impacted the black community. To Clark, she made this as an ode to how Madame C.J. navigated her way to success in a male-dominated world. To me, it symbolized how again something seemingly minuscule when partnered can morph to stand for something bigger.
The Hair Care Project, one of Sonya Clark’s feature works continues this binding work.
SONYA CLARK’S HAIRCARE CRAFT PROJECT
The Hair Care Craft Project is another collaborative project in which Sonya herself lays her head bare for stylists to perform work. I see it as a magic that takes place in the hair salons by a stylist who braids, weaves and maps their way through a scalp.
Sonya Clark means for the Hair Care Craft project to be a bridge between a culture phenomenon and art institutions in textile art.
At first glance, these scalp variations look like really cool patterns or braid designs. But, when immersing myself it made me think of braiding as more than just something to take for granted, as more than just a temporary style after wash days or summer styles.
Braiding in itself is a centuries-old practice passed down generationally. It symbolizes tradition, tribe, identity, belonging, wealth, status, and strength. Each braid acts as a connector, a fiber, a root between the braider and the act happening upon your head.
It educated me that braided hair gives you your place in the world.
The braiding style may be temporary but the craft and care that goes into these braiding styles forever remain.
For Sonya, the art of braiding, weaving, and fibers and their importance is still alive in variations of her projects. Another one of her current projects Unraveling is a literal act of unraveling the historic symbol behind the Confederate South filled to the brim with hatred, prejudice, and symbols of freedom.
This exhibit along with her first physical art installation ‘Finding Freedom’ will be in a future write-up for you all to come along with me!
In all it’s been an amazing journey discovering new mind shifts, learning about different practices, and discovering the importance that has been there all along.
I feel beyond ready to claim and believe in a prosperous, and blessed 2024!
I hope all of you are with me. See you on the other side!