Art and Creating Your Own Rainbows With Tania Ahmed

Today I talk to Tania Ahmed, who is a creative content maker, crafts tutor, and maker from the UK. She has been crafting almost all of her life and she produces creative content for magazines and craft manufacturers and teaches at independent stores, craft shows and for local charities. 

This episode is for anyone who has been told that you can’t make money from your passion, especially for you artists and creatives who have bought into this idea or have been hiding your art.

Tania provides really great action steps, inspiration and mindset activities you can do to continue towards working your goal. She shares how she has fought against the resistance of things that keep her from her creativity, and she will inspire you with her story of how she’s been able to use a growth mindset, being grateful and being faithful to do what she loves for a living.

She is very passionate about sharing her love for craft and most days you will find her at home often covered in glitter glue or paint!

To see her work, visit her website and youtube, and follow her on instagram

Listen to "Art and Creating Your Own Rainbows With Tania Ahmed" on Spreaker.

If you'd like to learn more about T.H.E. Celebration Academy.  Here's 30 days of Free Membership.

Mastering Logistics & Time Management

On this week’s episode, we talk about the importance of logistics and time management. As artists and entrepreneurs, we need to strengthen this skill set so that we can get our gifts out into the world smoothly and seamlessly.

We’ll be discussing how you can set yourself up for success with tips on developing a growth mindset and how having a handle on the logistics required for business and daily life will help to reduce stress and anxiety.

When we’re better organized we can work from a position of strength rather than from a reactive place. 

I hope you enjoy this week’s episode! 

For the time management course I mention in this episode, please click here.

Listen to "Mastering Logistics & Time Management" on Spreaker.

If you'd like to learn more about T.H.E. Celebration Academy.  Here's 30 days of Free Membership.

An interview with Charlene E. Green AKA Hustle Diva

Charlene E. Green (aka Hustle Diva) is a writer, a poet, editor, a literary consultant, and a life coach.   She is also the feature for this Sunday’s Live and Online: Expression Session. 

This week’s episode is a spiritual experience.  We truly went on journey during this interview with Charlene. 

Through her poetry, life experiences, and insights, Charlene illuminates the importance of connecting with one’s gifts and purpose.  She also shares ways a person do that in their. 

Charlene also shares three brilliant and powerful poems with us!   

Charlene will be our feature for this month’s Live and Online: Expression Session on January 21st at 12 PM PST.

Listen to "An interview with Charlene E. Green AKA Hustle Diva" on Spreaker.

An interview with Irmina - Activist, Artist, and Trouble Maker.

This week’s episode is a powerful interview with artist, activist, and self-described trouble maker, Irmina “Phoenix the Artist L.A.".

Irmina shares with us deep insights into the process of creating art and of writing. We had a great discussion on the importance of creatives, especially women, calling themselves artists.

Plus, Irmina shares with us three brilliant and amazing poems.

Irmina will be our feature for this month’s Live and Online: Expression Session on January 21st at 12 PM PST.

Listen to "Interview with Artist, Activist, and Trouble Maker Irmina" on Spreaker.

Adele, White Privilege and The Grammys

Adele gets to transcend genre because she is white. It is because of white privilege that white artists are able to be individuals, moving beyond categorization.  Our privilege allows us to be just us, rather than seen in comparison to the social groups we belong to.  It is no different than any other profession.  Often times, we are rewarded for work that is really mediocre - our privilege gives us that extra bump up.

I think Adele is a genius.  I love her music.  I have rolled up my windows and driven along passionately singing the chorus to hello many a-time.  So this isn’t a knock on Adele. It is an acknowledgement that Adele, and all white artists such as myself, benefit from white privilege in all aspects of our careers.

Our biases affect how we perceive an artist and their work.  As soon as we find out the gender, or race, or sexual orientation, or body type, and all the other aspects of their identity, our minds immediately place them into the boxes our collective and personal biases have created.  For most people, this process happens without our realization, or even permission, and is formed through our subconscious and implicit biases.

If Adele was a Black or Brown Women, perceptions of her, and her music, and the words used to describe her and her music, would be completely different.  Her entire experience of becoming a rising star would have been different.  And it is hard to imagine that she would have received the amount of awards she has this far.  Rather than being a star in her own category, she would constantly be compared to other Black or Brown Women who vaguely sound and/or look like her.

Let’s check the stats: only 10 black artists have won Album of the Year in Grammy history: Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Lauryn Hill, Michael Jackson, Natalie Cole, Lionel Richie,  Outkast, Whitney Houston, Herbie Hancock  and Quincy Jones.

We all remember Macklemore’s Grammy night.  Macklemore has won more rap grammy awards than  “2Pac, Biggie, Nas, DMX, Busta Rhymes, KRS-One, Rick Ross, Snoop Dogg, Mos Def, Run DMC, Public Enemy, Big Pun, Jeezy, Ja Rule and Kendrick Lamar, combined” (Complex, 2015).

I’m not saying Mack is terrible either, I’ve enjoyed his music often. But I know, you know, he knows, we all know, he is not better than all of those rappers combined.   That’s the bump white privilege gets you.

Of course, Adele’s wins were in stark contrast with Beyonce not winning.   Adele even gave a great speech acknowledging how messed up (racist) the Grammy process is. Lemonade was a cultural, musical, and cinematic work of genius.  You don’t need me to talk about how powerful, empowering, revolutionary and impactful Lemonade is.  That much is obvious.  Lemonade was also Black.  Beautifully Black.  Brilliantly Black. Boldly Black. Black Girl Magic Black.  

But white supremacy does not recognize Black.  White supremacy denies Black, while claiming all lives matter.

The Grammy’s won’t reward that.  The Grammy’s are just another night of white privilege at play.