This is what freedom looks like…

It’s full of gratefulness and joy. I always think on what it must have felt like June 19, 1865 when my ancestors learned they would be free. We all knew it didn’t look perfect then and it surely doesn’t look perfect now but we were finally able to rebuild our families, consider our futures outside a plantation, think about what we wanted our lives to look like outside of being a slave to someone else’s businesses, wants, and needs.

As a woman, I reflect on being able to have more control of my body and sexuality. I don’t have an owner beating me or abusing me sexually, and don’t have to live through the emotional turmoil of bearing their children. My body is more mine than my ancestors ever got to experience. I don’t take my freedom lightly being a Black Woman in America. And even though things are still rough now, I’m so grateful to the people who came before me. And I celebrate the joy they must have felt, knowing their lives would change forever.

Happy Juneteenth good people. We gon’ be alright! <3

-D. Wright

With all that’s going on in the world, I wanted to offer you guys up a little bit of inspiration. A friend of mine gave me some of the most amazing advice a few weeks back and it’s seriously been changing my life.

[su_quote cite=”Take your work one step at a time. Take life one small step at a time.

-Ameerah”][/su_quote]

Yes… I’ve heard it before (you probably have too), like so many other amazing nuggets of wisdom from family and friends over the years. I guess I honestly wasn’t in the place to apply it to my life. Maybe I only listened and didn’t really hear. I don’t know, but I now realize how much following through on these small useful offerings can impact a life.

I’m learning that when you’re ready to make real progress, good advice will withstand the test of time. Ameerah didn’t know it then, but she was confirming what I needed to hear to get me to the next level. I needed to hear that I didn’t have to build Rome in a day. My success will come with small, daily efforts.

Working on this blog has been a huge undertaking for me. I thought I had to have it up in one night and make money off of it immediately, but it took me about a week or so to get it up and I’m currently working on monetization. With executing at least one task, daily, I’m continuously working on ways to improve my business as well as get it running the way I’d like. I now make sure to never end my day without one task going towards my blog. That could be making small edits, writing out an idea, editing a graphic… it could be anything. I just make sure to have at least one thing done.

I’m also carrying this mentality and discipline into other important aspects of my life. It felt like there weren’t enough hours in the day and used to really struggle at finishing songs or making time to work at my musical pursuits. Now I have a sure-fire plan to get my art done and have projects completed in a more non-stressful way. I’d like to think I’m #teamwinning over here. If I keep this up, who knows where I will be in a year!

So…let’s get real. What about you? What advice can you recall hearing that could get you to your next level? If you can’t think of anything off the bat, take some time to listen. Listen to the folks around you that are wise and have your best interests at heart. Then maybe reflect on some of the advice you might have heard but overlooked.

Now is the best time to make major strides towards your goals. Don’t let the moment pass you by! <3

-D.Wright

Photo courtesy of Gorilla vs. Bear.

Let’s start with, I always thought SZA was a model. I didn’t even realize she did R&B. All I knew was that she was a beautiful milk-chocolate girl with amazing hair and freckles.

All of a sudden everyone was talking about her and asking me if I had listened to any of her music. At the time, I was into a couple of other upcoming folks and didn’t dive into the work she was putting out. I can’t even tell you any of her solo material I’ve heard aside from the music she’s most recently released. What I can tell you is I listened to her on my girl Ratchet Rhi aka Rihanna’s “Anti” album on the 1st track, Consideration, and absolutely loved her. It was my gateway into the world of SZA.

Photo courtesy of Rap-Up.

A few weeks ago I heard “Love Galore” and immediately felt drawn into her rich, youthful alto. Then this “Ctrl” dropped and I totally understood why her label was NOT about the life of letting her go. I mean I did hear it was overblown at the time but if it were real, I probably wouldn’t have let her go either. She’s pretty awesome. I sat here on Friday and was just hypnotized. She literally says everything young women might want to express or chat about with their  girlfriends but with these raspy vocals over R&B tracks. How Sway? That’s legit not an easy feat, especially in R&B these days. Many new-age R&B crooners are not able to capture authentic, raw, and yet polished stories. I mean we fell in love with Usher and Alicia Keys at some point because they were able to skillfully take us on a journey while sticking to the R&B/pop formula. This new wave of R&B is less pop influenced though, and challenges young writers to connect with their audience in that Confession’s album sort of way but with the soul of a Songs in A Minor, all the while creating a new approach to R&B. She’s very much so a musical unicorn in the Frank Ocean sort of way where she’s able to tell really complex stories in a relatable way while, again, over R&B tracks. That’s pretty cool. The ethos of her work is storytelling. And the difference between her and a lot of other R&B artists out now, is she’s crafting the story herself. She’s vulnerable and real. She’s also not overproduced so you hear every word and syllable. You know exactly what she means and feels what she says.

Photo courtesy of Rap-Up.

SZA is a very moving artist and that’s so refreshing nowadays. You get the sense that she’s really bearing her soul in 14 tracks. Ctrl is extremely personal in a time when music seems so impersonal and contrived. For that reason alone, she has a new fan in me. I love it and I think as a woman, she plays up a lot on those feminine sensitivities without even trying. I’m glad to have an artist like her on the rise and I’m excited to see where she continues to journey with her artistry. <3

-D.Wright

Last Monday I had a shoot with one of my favorite people and photographers out of Houston, Jesus Camacho at Throughgood Coffee in The Heights.

Jesus and I talked a while back about my thoughts and what I was envisioning, vibe-wise. I tell you this man delivered! We came out with a bunch of beautiful shots for the blog and I can’t wait until you all see them.

I generally like to keep shoots super low-key because I get a little shy and anxious, but I enlisted the help of my go-to dynamic duo/my “dream-team” for make up and styling advice. Mayte Hernandez (a freelance MUA and stylist) slayed my make-up, she also helped pick out the looks you’ll see and Korlynn “KoKo” Mulligan (SCAD Alumnus) assisted. These ladies are the BOMB.com!

And funny enough, this was my first time working with Jesus on a personal project. We’ve had a couple collaborations for some internal tech company stuff, but we knew this would be different. It was going to be all me. The cool thing is, he’s so nice and creative. He gave me solid direction and we came out with some amazing shots that you’ll start to see later this week.

Now as for Throughgood Coffee, it’s actually my pastor’s coffee shop. Anyone that knows Pastor Rudy will tell you, he loves a good cup of coffee and will meet you at any shop for a chat. It’s honestly how he got me to first attend St. John’s. So opening a coffee shop has been a big dream of his and it finally came into fruition about a month back. They opened their doors in May and have seen hundreds of people come in for their daily cup of Joe.

And so when I first saw the space, I just knew I wanted to do something creative in it. So I gave Pastor Rudy a holler and asked if I could shoot for my blog, as soon as I got it up and running. He’s the coolest pastor ever and obliged, so here we are today.

Throughgood provided me the perfect backdrop for the first portion of my shoot (the second half I did at various outdoor locations). The interior materials are mostly a combination of of wood, glass, and different metals with big windows that reminded me a bit of my home aesthetic. There is also this earthy, very serene feeling you get right when you pull into the gates. It’s extremely soulful, in the best of ways, and intentional about its positive vibes. I mean he is a spiritual leader and all so I guess it makes sense. They have a beautiful outdoor area as well as a dog park for you puppy parents out there.

And of course there’s coffee. Amazing, amazing coffee. I’m not even really a coffee drinker but I loved the espresso I had and have had their juices on a previous trip as well. If you’re wondering about food, just know you’re in luck! They serve all kinds of organic, vegan goodies like this “Savory Cheesecake” pictured on the side there. On the weekends they have food trucks roll through with what I call the good stuff. Last I was there, I had this mouthwatering fried-catfish that legit had me dreaming about it for a week. Make sure to check out the website for more information on what trucks will be featured and the different things they’ll have going on. Oh yeah, for all of you workaholics out there, there is free Wi-Fi. Don’t you worry. You’re taken care of.

I know you’re also probably thinking, “how much will this run me?” Honestly the pricing is pretty good. I think I paid around six bucks and some change for a coffee cake and espresso. Juice prices were around$2/$3 and the food truck charges varied by restaurant. Good food/drinks and fair prices equals one happy little camper here.

With all I’ve told you, you can probably imagine how much of an awesome day it was for me. I was in wonderful company and got to shoot at one of my new favorite places in Houston for my very first blog shoot. On top of that, I had the support of these amazing people helping me to start my new venture off with a bang. I’m forever grateful for my sweet, little village and the beauty of my city. Thanks guys (and baby Beyoncé voice) I love you Houston. <3

-D.Wright

So I’ll start with, I’m super grateful my little sister Deangela thought her big sis was cool enough to roll out with her to Houston’s very own summer par-tay, Free Press Summer Fest last weekend. It was set for June 3rd-4th from 11am until around midnight-ish each night at Eleanor Tinsley Park but as you might have read, while following my tweets, Mother Nature had other plans. It sucks because the line up was pretty cool too. It consisted of local acts like DJ Fredster and Khruangbin to nationally recognized artists like Solange Knowles, Charlie XCX and G-Eazy.

As soon as we stepped out of our Lyft, we felt rain. I immediately grabbed for my poncho, and yes… it was only sprinkling. I didn’t care. While walking up to the entrance, we annoyingly sang a couple rounds of  the most appropriate song for the weather… “Bad and Boujee”, affectionally known to me as “Rain drop, drop top.” And so it begun…

In predictable festival fashion, everyone had their own version of the uniform. There was body glitter, shirtless bros, tanks, net stockings, Jurassic Park hats, backpacks, several variations of Jaden Smith, Yonce’ body suits with an extra side of cellulite on the side, and all the jiggly bits from up-top to down-below ready to be tanned and admired by college kids aka toddlers (ok they were like 18 but whatever). Let’s just say it was interesting and I felt like a dinosaur. We opted for the “happy to be here folks, this is how we normally dress” option. It didn’t go viral or anything but hey, nothing fell out (if you get my drift).

So after actually entering the gates of the festival, we saw a Taco Bell truck and a village or Port-O-Potties we swore to never step foot in. As we walked, we eyed a variety of trendy food trucks and bars lined up to perfection. They definitely wanted to make sure you were full in more ways the one. I never got to actually hit the merch area but it was there, tucked away between the food. The park was beautiful and hot. It literally felt like being in a greenhouse with the sun set right over you in every direction you might try to escape. After baking for a few minutes, we walked underneath a canopy of trees and heard DJ Fredster who was definitely killing it. His energy and music was that of something you’d hear spin in Vegas. The crowd was a little bit more grown up and super chill so naturally I asked for wine… and I found it. They had $9 baby cups of Chardonnay ready, along with a few other well drinks and cocktails for their grown and sexy bunch. Walking back, a kid (literally like 15 or 16) asked me to buy him a beer. I looked at him, took my sips and we went off in search of my buddies Khruangbin who were about to start their set.

I was so proud to see Mark and DJ. Their performance was full of funk, soul, and experimental sound. It was inviting and felt familiar. The crowd ignored the broiling sun and danced all over the lawn of the Saturn stage. It was just downright fun and a solid impression for folks like my little sister who were experiencing them for the first time. I’d definitely recommend you taking a listen if you’re into old school vibey instrumentation.

It was after Khruangbin’s set when I saw a huge rush of people headed to the Neptune stage. I’m a bit of a wanderer so I yelled for my sister to follow the crowd. Best decision ever. We heard the drop for DJ Mr. Rogers of 93.7 The Beat and knew it was about to get crazy. The crowd jumped and dived all over each other. I eventually found a small field with flowers and trees (ok… yes shade, there was shade) and went for it. You would have to, it was hot!

They rapped every single lyric he played and then the main dude, Trill Sammy, came out with his entourage shooting huge water guns for the hyped and thirsting crowd. They. Went. Crazy. I mean like Kanye West just declared his run for presidency on MTV again, crazy. Mind you, we (my sister and I) don’t know this guy at all, but instinctively knew we were supposed to be partying like we were at a frat house before the cops came. Speaking of cops, they were there saving folks left and right. For future notice kids…don’t do drugs, drink, and jump around on each other in sweltering 90 degree weather. You will fall out and possibly get arrested for possession. That’s a thing.

Anywho… the afternoon went on and we were getting hungry so we stopped by the main stage to check out another act, Jon Bellion. He has quite a few radio hits under his belt and was definitely fun to watch. The set had good energy and a massive crowd so it was definitely cool. I will probably check out more of his music this week. He wasn’t too bad at all and had some really catchy tunes with nice tracks backing him. Towards the end of his performance, we went ahead and called a Lyft. Dee snapped this shot on our way out…

We had perfect timing because this is when the sky decided to unfold and shut down the festival for a few hours. But guess who was inside, eating nachos/tamales, and drinking margaritas in the nice air-conditioned restaurant? Deangela and me, that’s who! Clearly we’re the kind of girls to go glamping. Don’t ask  us to stay outside for extended periods of time. And my logic was, if we were going to suffer in Houston’s humidity, we might as well be happy about it. Back on track here, El Tiempo did not disappoint. We ate, talked and waited for them to open the fest back up to catch G-Eazy. It was night and crazy humid/muddy, so no pics of that. Sorry. But you can check out my delicious plate!

So fast forward to day 2. We were SO excited because this is when all of the more popular pop acts were going to perform. But guess what… some kind of monsoon happened in the late afternoon and shut down the remainder of the festival. There were barely any updates so we remained hopeful for a few hours until we got the notice that they would be “cancelling the rest of the performances due to the inclement weather.” Sigh… So this was our day two… Two sisters, pitifully siting at home, on the couch waiting to hear the news that the shows we dressed to attend weren’t happening.

Overall we had a good time and enjoyed each other’s company. We had fun at the performances we were able to catch and were happy we got to slow down and catch up on each other’s lives. So there it is… my first time at Free Press Summer Fest. <3

-D.Wright