...on being a jalimusolu...

we have to see ourselves to know ourselves. seeing is not just in the mirror, but see our reflections in our counterparts, our elders and ancestors. when i was younger, i believed being an artist was a unique talent that only special people had. i didn't necessarily separate myself from this definition, but i saw myself as aspiring. thankfully i was able to read and redefine what art is and who is.

it took lots of reading, reasoning and realization. it meant expanding narrow definitions of what it means to be black. afrikan. woman. spirit. it meant redefining what is/was/will be beauty. it also meant confirming that as a black afrikan woman spirit that my storytelling had to be responsible and accountable. contextual and relevant and seeking out models of folks who live by a similar expectation. every action has a reaction.

so being a jalimusolu means being present, reflective, aware and ready to accept how the art flows. it means listening to my sisters and other black women - lending all types of support whenever possible. it means having a spiritual experience several times a day and knowing that other women have and will need the art that they had always starved for.

this art lines our hearts and our hands. it is a lifeline to the stories and faces of our ancestors - who made art as survival and celebration. this means opening our mouths, beating a drum, shaking our posterior, picking up a pencil and a pad, turning our computers on...

it is a game of hide and seek with the truth