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glowsociety · 7 years ago

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“By ancestry, I was born to rule” Nelson Mandela

“We are the ones we have been waiting for” Alice Walker

The Glowvolution is all about sharing our shine with each other in support of our individual journeys.

If you get, give. If you learn, teach.

Maya Angelou

So, like many of you, I have been yearning to be more creative lately and decided to do something about it. I started planning a shoot for no real reason and figured this would be a perfect way to collaborate would some creatives and have fun. On this sunny hot Saturday, I met up with Makeup Artist, Thurzday and Photographer: David Wong at the park near the LA River.

This is the first time I have done something of this nature. I have never posed nude or even semi nude. But its All or Nothing day so what better way for me to lose my fears and to Free the Nipple, because I do stand behind the right for a women to do so #freethenipple. It’s a dream to be a creative director so I figured this would be a great way to practice while making images that convey messages in an artistic fashion. It was only after following through with this shoot that I realized the layers to this shit. Not only was it about losing my fears behind being judged, but also being the judge. Its about being confident and following instincts, even without knowing all of the details at the time. This is the year to kill the Ego and free your fears.

GOING 4WARD FEARLESSLY … INTO THE UNKNOWN

In the days leading up to the photo shoot I felt connected to something bigger and went into autopilot. As I braided my hair the night before my ancestors took over my fingers. The fears crept up in my mind and I almost did not follow through, I almost cancelled the shoot many times because of not feeling I had enough time or resources or energy to follow through. I was also scared to be in public with body paint because people may judge me. I knew it was my ego that wanted to just get out of it and my fear actually became my drive to keep going. In the end I am SO proud and happy I followed through. I realized, It’s apart of a whole healing power move that I need to make at this moment. There is so much beauty in the process, all you need is to set your intention – aim – then FIRE! Watch your arrow of intention propel you forward.

FINDING MY ANCESTORS & LEARNING ABOUT MYSELF

Whatever I do in life, I always research it first. It was very interesting finding out about the ArwTainos. Since I began to search into my ancestry, its been one interesting revelation after another. I have tons of journals and recently looked back into them to track my mental growth. I found this quote in one notebook and remembered exactly how I felt; lost and confused.

“My mind and spirit need to come to some sort of agreement.” ~ excerpt from Broken N2 Words (original poem, written in 2010)

At the time I was in the Big Apple feeling sad, lonely, depressed & unsupported. Although, my spirit still remained hopeful, I let my mind and ego beat me up. In January of 2016, I read Reinventing the Body & Resurrecting the Soul, by Deepak Chopra and seriously felt my soul decide to fully awaken the rest of me, I kid you not.

Many of us are split internally between our differing personas and find it hard to combine them into one cohesive person. The point is to be more Authentic. How can you do that if you are so split with a conflicted mind? Many times our (alter) egos fight with each other, seeming to tell us to go in numerous directions. Most go in the direction of the Ego that screams the loudest. This is counter-productive because your souls true voice doesn’t scream, it whispers. That’s why you have to quiet your mind to hear it. In the weeks before the shoot, I had no clear plan and decided to use the resources I had to make it work.

There is something about dressing up as your ancestors that connects you and allows you to tap into something beautiful, blessed and you feel supported.

A major Inspiration for the photoshoot. Tapping into the feministic power of Queen ANACAONA “Queen on the shoulders of giants. She stands for Guidance, Wisdom and Beauty. She led the resistance against the genocide of her people and was hung by the Spaniards.

LISTENING TO OUR ANCESTORS

They are speaking through us

~I am not being sexual, I am being Free

I’m not confrontational, I’m just being ME

Roots ancestral are calling to be seen

Shut down your E-Go

See my Glow and shining soul ~

~ “Savage” ~

The “Savage” in me knows that Mother Earth is dying and feels helpless. She is a Warrior who has chosen the path of peace. But don’t be fooled, she is no pushover. She is unseen until she wants to be like a ghost and she creeps up on you in a ninja-like fashion. Because she is beautiful woman, she has to be more on point with her senses and instincts. Synchronicity is her religion and there are many angels around her. She makes what she needs and is a pescatarian like her ancestors. Her purpose is to Love. By sending her energy to the sea, she sends Love to the World.

THE AFTERMATH

After the photoshoot, I was overwhelmed with emotion that I can’t quit describe and gratefulness for the experience. I truly feel the blessings from simply going ahead with the photoshoot. It was like a type of ritual or ceremony to connect with my ancestors. I felt supported by generations spanning across the world. I definitely feel more confident.

In my journal the next day, I wrote:

I am tapping into something I can not explain, better yet, something I find hard to put into words. Yet, its completely clear when I think of how I feel right now. I feel like I have a village of ancestors looking / watching /wishing the best for me. I have recently introduced my ARAWAK TAINO ancestry to my list of ancestors to pay homage to via a photoshoot taken by the L.A. River with photographer David Wong (IG: @rareform1906) and makeup artist: Thurzday (IG: @yo_thurz).

With this action, I open the ancient lines of communication with you. I invite you to speak to me, show me love, show me your strength and guide me.

It’s ALL OR NOTHING! No time for the back and forth, full steam ahead!

When a friend asked me, “What are you doing the photoshoot for?” my answer echoed in my mind first before escaping my lips in a high pitched scream: ” I’M DOIN’ THIS FOR ME!”

Its a new day and I’m Doing This For ME! what do you need to do for yourself?

I hope to inspire you to constantly seek out ways to Kill your Ego and get in tuned with our ancient gifts. If you didnt know already, we are in the Kill your ego phase now and I knew it was something big for me that I was doing. Honestly I’m still working on how the whole experience effected me, but in short, I feel stronger, more supported and connected to a powerful source (you can call it what you want).

Self healing is HARD consistent work. But once you decide that the invisible bully needs to go, you’re all about it. This is that Ego crushing, roots finding, confidence building, mind freeing work. I love being creative and collaborating with a talented people like the makeup artist Thurzday (IG: @yo_thurz ) and photographer David Wong (IG: @rareform1906 ). I am blessed to be able to practice another artistic way to pay homage to my ancestors and a better understanding of myself.

Its All or Nothing Day and Its all about HEALING! So go all out and do something for you today, then repeat.

Whenever you are creating beauty around you, you are restoring your own soul ~

Alice Walker

From my ❤ to yours,

I’m Doin’ This For Me (infinite series) The Glowvolution is all about sharing our shine with each other in support of our individual journeys.

#alterego #art #COURAGE #fashion #freethenipplemovement #glowart #glowvolution #growth #heritage #IDTFM #imdointhisforme #LIFE #loseyourego #photoshoot #roots #sankofa

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