‘a rose by any other name’ A hand-marbled print by Nina Elegba
I write from the lane - the lanes I have travelled, the roads I am journeying through, and the paths I hope to cross.
I write free from my titles.
I lay down their armour: business owner, daughter, friend, ex, guide, teacher, sister, host, manager, producer. I free myself from their expectations, projections, and hopes.
Instead, I will write from a place of home - a place within myself.
I will create in the glow and warmth of my own light.
I will create in honour of the memory of my beginnings, reminding myself that the way I began my journey with creativity and art was through expression. My emotions dictate how I experience and connect with mediums, colours, and textures. They become an expression of me, capturing my thoughts and feelings at that moment.
I use the act of crafting to channel the feelings I can’t express in words.
I craft to release, to set free what has built up inside me.
I allow each word, each stitch, every coil of clay, and every brush stroke to be a loving act of self-care.
I create to rest, to restore, and to breathe.
I create for me.
An invitation to reflect
+ Who are you without your titles? Without being a partner a manager, a friend, a parent or a professional {insert your work title}?
+ What sparks your creativity? It could be a place, a scent a feeling a person, or a colour.
+ Write a love letter to your creative practice(s)
If you would like to reflect in community, about any of the prompts above feel free to leave a comment below or come say hello on Instagram. Until next time, I wish you love, light, and peace.
Who am I without my titles! That is so wonderful and a journey I have been on for four years, after burning down one life with all its titles for something uncertain but honest. I have come to realise identity is just a constant death and rebirth, so I am not holding on to names preciously anymore.
I took those first two invitations to my journal. The revelation that came to me is that what is behind my labels, is my knowing. The foundational truth of who I am and always will be, no matter the circumstance.