So it has begun friends.

It’s already been a over a week in but the time of turkey, dressing, crazy decorative lighting, overly played Christmas songs and wild family shenanigans has been ushered in by the November food fest we call Thanksgiving. Also let’s not forget the ever anticipated lip-syncing extravaganza that took over the streets of New Your City, a la the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Speaking of the parade, 1. I’d personally LOVE to do it, it’s like a right of passage for any artist, 2. I think my cousin got to perform with the Prairie View A&M marching band. That’s pretty cool and yes I’m low-key jelly. It’s ok though, my time to shine will happen sooner than later – even if I have to jack a Sesame Street float and hold Elmo hostage. That just got dark real quick…I didn’t mean it. I love me a lil Elmo’s World.

Anywho, Thanksgiving came and went, and it was different for me this go round. It was definitely slower and super chill. I enjoyed seeing everyone and hanging with my people but I liked stepping back a bit too. Oh, and there was the food! Anyone who knows me, knows I ate everything I could. My best friend Adrienne, who I generally refer to as Adra, cooked her booty off! I probably should have taken more pictures, but I also decided to try and live in the moment. I’m finding the balance in all of this social media jazz but seriously, it’s hard to look fab when you’re eating like it’s the Last Supper and you’re borderline ready to pop that one top jean button. Don’t pretend like you’re not guilty of a little glutton.

KoKo, Dee and Me!

It was so fun though. The week started with us celebrating my girl Korlynn aka KoKo’s birthday, then going out for Ethiopian food later in the week and ending with a mini baecation as the kids say. Yeah, you read right and no I won’t dive into it now. Maybe later.

Lucy Ethiopian’s Qinttot No. 4

Well enough about me. How was your Turkey Day and are you ready for Christmas? I know I’m not. What I do know is we should all take a moment to reflect in this season of gratefulness and just throw out some positive vibes. It’s time to set up for the the new year and really make a splash in our world. <3

-D.Wright

I’m proud to say been a couple months since I’ve been writing to you all here on Sounds About Wright and I want to make sure that we get better acquainted.

I kinda hate social media. I know, I shouldn’t admit it out loud but it’s a lot of work and I just like to live (unless I’m snapping pictures of meals, that’s my only real online vice).

If you’re ever looking for me out there on the interwebs, you can find me a couple places. I’ll make it easy for you. Check it below.

Facebook

Facebook.com/SAWrightBlog

This is where you can find me most of the time. I like talking with everyone about random articles and crazy stuff I come across. Sometimes you might get a short essay or two but aside from my Kanye rants we have fun there. It’s kind of the baby-blog version of SAW. Stop by and say hello when you get the chance. I’d love to chat it up with you.

Twitter

Twitter.com/SAWrightBlog

Ok, even though I’m an OG of Twitter, I still haven’t gotten it down pat. Here I just talk to random people and a couple of  folks I know about all of the breaking stories and news updates that hit. You might also get the occasional .gif from me, but I promise they’re all really good.

Instagram

Instagram.com/SAWrightBlog

I LOVE taking pictures of stuff but here I mostly share food and break my new blog posts here. I do share a few pictures of my adventures here but I’ll make sure to get better with that. I was told I do a lot of cool stuff and people would probably want check out the same spots as well. We’ll see. And you all might know by now I have a lot to say, so as I see things I’ll photo journal it here.

Well.. there you go! I’m obviously everywhere and fortunate for you guys they all have the same handle. In addition to my social networks, I’ll start shooting you all emails when you sign up for my list to keep you posted on new content and other fun stuff. I’m also still working on how I want to attack these podcasts and playlists, but just keep rocking with me. You won’t be sorry! Wellllll maybe you will. #joking

Oh yeah, feel free to drop a line in the comment section. I won’t bite.

Talk you you soon! <3

-D.Wright

Prepare yourselves…this is going to be a real one.

The C-Word

Let’s talk about control. Control is a false idol. It’s something we’re forever chasing and (funny enough) not able to completely relish in because it’s hard to maintain. It’s our means of exerting power to sway the outcomes of events, or matters, surrounding our lives. We fuss and toil over details that have no real significance other than to scratch the itch. We overanalyze our abilities and scrutinize our works and when that isn’t enough – we extend the courtesy to others.

You might be wondering how it is that I became such the subject matter expert. I’ll be honest, I don’t know the when or the how…I just know I am. I’m ready to release that control and exchange it for something a little bit better – authorship.

The Meltdown

Many of you know I’m a huge fan of therapy and this story started with a little trip to my friendly therapist, Dr. Kay. There was definitely a meltdown involved. I’m not ashamed to say it. I was not coping well emotionally and was not afraid to let her know. That poor lady…she has a lot on her hands. I came in with unresolved issues all from different areas of my life that I absolutely felt I had no control over. It was maddening. I was flailing down a rabbit hole. And after plenty of tears and irrational ranting, she gave it to me.

[su_quote cite=”You can’t control everything, no one can, but you can be the author of your life. You have to be the author of your own life.”][/su_quote]

The Resolve

I’m sitting there, glassy eyed and it hits me. I can’t control anyone else’s narrative but my own. I’ve always heard, “You can’t control what you can’t control” and it finally sunk in. I can’t control how others respond to me, or what other people think or feel about anything. What I can control is what I think of myself, what opportunities I create for myself, and what I contribute to the world. I had to ask myself, “What do I want to contribute to the world, and how can you plan to make that dream a reality?” I mean, Dr. Kay definitely posed a lot of wonderful questions for me to consider what exactly it was that I wanted to create for myself.

The Challenge

Now I’m challenging you, as much as I’m challenging myself, to think on what it is that you can create and contribute for yourself. What are the things you can reasonably control in your life? What can you let go of? I sadly used to think that my success rested on the chance of someone discovering me and my talents. That’s something I absolutely can not control or depend on, but what I can control is discovering myself and proudly creating a path that makes sense for me.

So will you join me in becoming the author of your own life? It’s high time we create and promote some beautifully unique stories to share with the world. <3

-D.Wright

I have a problem. I love technology and I really love the internet.

Like many of you I anxiously anticipate the happenings of the world when I wake up. I’m guilty of checking my phone for news from sun up to sun down. Sometimes I fall asleep looking at my phone or my iPad and I’m always engaged with social media in one way or another. I’m the epitome of a tech crazed millennial. I can’t ever seem to get enough.

Technology has made the world smaller and so easy to stay connected. It’s addictive and distracting, and many of us fall for it every single day. I always end up wondering how I get so much accomplished while taking quick glances at news alerts and articles. Shoot, I wonder sometimes if I could get even more done. Don’t answer that for me, I’m pretty sure I know what you’re thinking.

Anywho, I was having a conversation a few weeks back about a few of my friends deleting social media and later ran across this Time article about funny man/writer Aziz Ansari giving up the interwebs.

[su_quote cite=”I wanted to stop that thing where I get home and look at websites for an hour and a half, checking to see if there’s a new thing. And read a book instead. I’ve been doing it for a couple months and it’s worked. I’m reading, like, three books right now. I’m putting something in my mind. It feels so much better than just reading the Internet and not remembering anything.”][/su_quote]

Don’t we all Aziz, don’t we all…Well, sure some of you don’t. The internet is pretty fun but what I took away from this article and my chitty-chats was that there is so much trash that we’re feeding our brains for no good reason. We all know Trump is there, we all know natural disasters are a thing, we all know folks will put up a fabulous picture of their world travels and pretend they don’t still eat ramen or Easy Mac, we all know that everyone will show the best of themselves and if they don’t it’s because the sub-Tweet game is strong. We know those things are real but what we don’t know is how to turn away and take care of ourselves.

So what do we do?

Let’s be clear, I’m not giving up the internet or my beloved social media, that’s unreasonable for me but what I can do is lay off and maybe delete an app or two. I can make sure to be aware I’m not grabbing for my phone every five minutes like some red eyed tech junky. I can also make sure to work hard at not comparing myself to all the other amazing people I know. It’s unhealthy and ridiculous.

We have so much life to live and we should soak it in. My question to you is, are you going to break up with the internet? <3

-D.Wright

Ok… I love lipstick. I mean I really love lipstick.

I could probably blame my mother and aunt for my obsession. I remember they would wear beautiful reds and plums when I was a little girl, so now I’ve taken on my own passion for lip color. You’ve probably even seen me in a few on Instagram and Snapchat, so imagine my excitement when I heard about this sweet new beauty brand – Mented.

Started by two very fabulous Harvard Business School grads and bffs, KJ Miller and Amanda E. Johnson, Mented gives a girl like me hope. They’re keeping women of color at the forefront of their beauty industry domination and I’m here for it. I’m always looking for something new that makes sense for my skin tone, especially rich nude colors and I couldn’t be more excited to support two brown girls who make other brown girls look even more beautiful.

I think I’m leaning towards purchasing their Capsule Collection. I’ll make sure to keep you all posted but just know they have lipstick  and nail colors to die for, ok that was kinda dark– to live for. I’m looking forward to see how they expand their brand and it looks like the rest of the country is too. <3

-D.Wright