who built your definition of creative freedom?
who built your definition of creative freedom?
listen to yourself.
“If you can figure out what you’re committed to, then you can figure out how to move forward in your life.”
— Carrie Mae Weems
There’s so much freedom in knowing who you are. When it comes to our creativity, there’s even more liberation in being led by your own inner compass.
Being a creative is not supposed to be based in lack in any way - that’s a popular but detrimental societal perspective that makes it about performance, and production vs purpose, artistry, your innate gifts. Creativity is about your imagination, your mind, your perspective, and how your natural inclinations put all of these things together to express and channel it into different mediums.
To think that your creativity is limited or unprofitable, because the industry hasn’t given you the break you’re looking for or because
As we’re meditating on Juneteenth today, a day of freedom, remember that it was our collective creativity, our ancestors, that built the foundation of this country - from the physical to the financial to the cultural framework - and that it can never be duplicated. I hope that you move from a space of abundance and awareness of your gifts, and not what society hasn’t given you.
We’ve always turned it into MORE than enough and we’ll continue to do so.
Melissa, founder of #blkcreatives
PS. This week’s newsletter has an updated format lmk what you think!
Journal Prompt: Carrie Mae Weems References Herself
I can’t get over Carrie Mae Weems referencing herself in the Bottega Veneta campaign with A$AP Rocky. One of the most profound living Black artists cites her own work - wishing you that energy for yourself.
#blkcreatives Prompt: Do you know how much power there is in calling back to your OWN creations? When’s the last time you studied yourself for inspiration?
Write for Relief with Tyler Donavan
Creative relief is leaning on the tools that we have to make our days that much better. In Virginia rapper and producer, Tyler Donavan’s case, it's been writing, music, and being vocal with his community about his immediate needs.
Read his thoughts and check out his playlist here.
Links that heal: creativity, kindness, safety, integrity
In response to the need for truly accessible and inclusive outdoor spaces, The Hudson Valley Challenge was created in 2021 to bring awareness and work as a call for all outdoor communities and collectives to work together to help eradicate the socioeconomic barriers that sit firmly between many people and nature.
Low pressure ways to nurture your relationships by #blkcreatives
Dallas Juneteenth History shared by Chandler via Twitter
Dauche and Home Is For The Homies ENERGY via Instagram
Nona Hendryx Invites Carrie Mae Weems Inside Her Virtual Reality by Carrie Mae Weems
Demand that your elected leaders stop trying to erase Black history with Ben & Jerry’s (yes the icecream!)
Resources + Opportunities
We’re currently revamping our job board, please be patient with us as we shift
Submission guidelines for Longreads - $350 for reading lists, $500 personal essays, reported essays start at $500 (all rates in USD)
Words of Mouth is an excellent resource for creative work, fellowships, and gigs
Artist Opportunities: July and August 2024 via Creative Capital
‘We Can’t Wait’: How Black Neighborhoods Are Preparing for the Summer Heat by Adam Mahoney
A Book Recommendation
Born in Blackness: Africa, Africans, and the Making of the Modern World, 1471 to the Second World War by Howard W. French.
a review sent to us by Mason:
“The author, Howard French does a fantastic job of writing about a very broad and sweeping topic in a way that feels closer to a narrative story then an academic journal. This book pushes far beyond the traditional narrative that Africa only became a major player on the global stage during the Transatlantic slave trade but in fact has undergirded everything from the spice trade to modern industrialism. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a better understanding of the role of Blackness in world history.”
Buy the book online via our bookshop OR your local bookstore/library.
So good!!!