This year, the biggest thing I have done for myself is rest and avoid black trauma in large quantities. To be a Black person in white countries is never truly to know rest and peace. I have tried my hardest to stay away from as much traumatic content as possible, but with the way social media is set up, it’s hard to avoid it because people just put their trauma out there for you to see with no warning. With that being said, I like to stay up to date on current events, but too much media and negativity can be draining.
I also make sure never to consume any black trauma media sometimes; due to our climate, I have to work on sets that deal with black trauma because, honestly, I am unemployed, and I need the money. Still, I am grateful not to be at the forefront of it all and escape to other departments for my mental stability. To counter that, I try to get as much rest as possible. I watch tv; I play games, listen to music, read comics, fictional books, and any other things that will help me relax. I even tend to relax so much that I run into homework time, but I seem always to get everything done on time. Rest has been the most contributing factor to my creativity.
As shown above, I have had time to experiment with not just my filming and lighting techniques, but photoshop, which has been a fantastic thing for me, honestly. I created the above photos, I created the photo from the day two flier, and I was able to subtly touch up the photo from day 4. Creating stories, filming, making delicious new recipes and foods from all around the world, baking my childhood favorites, and just releasing myself to the world to continue being a sponge and learning has all been due to rest. Resting is key to any part of my life, and this is the first time in a long where I actually understood that and not panicked as much as I thought I would.
REST. It will all work out in the end.
Drinks and Desserts 