One of the most gratifying things in my life thus far, has been the journey of finding my roles, my passions, and my purposes. I used the plural versions of each to emphasize the fact that we are multifaceted and that is something to be embraced. There is no need to shrink ourselves down to be more palatable to others. I found my first passion in writing, it was my first love. Through it, I learned how to make sense of the world around me. I learned how to channel my emotions, my thoughts and my desires in a healthy medium. I learned to stretch my brain to play with different words and melodies to exude different messages. This is when I first saw myself as a true creative being.
Writing is my core, it will never leave me but over the years my passions have expanded. One of the expansions being toward the visual arts. Through videography and photography, I have the ability to tap into a love for documentation that my mother first instilled in me through disposable cameras and a 2006 Panasonic camcorder. I get to display art in motion, in real time. I get to show people just how beautiful I view them in hopes that they can see it in themselves. I get to give people a way of physically cementing their existence and importance in this life.
Perhaps the newest and most rewarding journey I’ve embarked on is the creation of what I call “theGRPCHT”. theGRPCHT is a monthly small group discussion facilitated by yours truly, centered on topics of healing and growth, especially within the black community. I am a strong believer that we cannot heal what we do not talk about and that we as individuals, must be the foundation for the change we want to see. I aim to foster community and collective healing by bringing people together to allow our voices to be heard and our minds to be peaked. theGRPCHT pushes me into the intersection of all things I hold dear.
I am truly grateful that each of these passions called to me, but I’m even more grateful that I had the courage enough to answer.
Lakeisha Allen | Instagram: lowwwkei |
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