Tag: bloggers

TESSA

by almachristina4 Comments on TESSA

(artist: Bryson Tiller – song: Canceled)  Listen here

Sorry (not sorry), guys.  This is primarily for my ladies.  

**disclaimer: this post is about identity and yet I can’t reveal Tessa because I didn’t ask permission.  The irony**

Inspired by Leesh. 
  

Who or what is TESSA, you ask? ————

TESSA is a mixture of women and identity.  TESSA is ‘Hey, Auntie’ and ‘Bye, Felicia’ in the same breath.  She is how we choose to identify and define OURSELVES.  And personally, I LOVE the correlation.  TESSA is who I choose to be!  TESSA is ‘GIRL’S TRIP‘ the movie (are you with me?).  TESSA might be Topanga or Alizè, to you (jokes).  TESSA is my sister when she changes her hair, or you when you change yours!  Don’t get me wrong (’cause I know any fellas reading this are ready); it has nothing to do with putting on a front, and everything to do with experiencing new dimensions of our true selves.  

"How 'bout dat?"

We aren’t in conversation enough about SO many things and our identity as women and defining ourselves for ourselves is no different.  We can choose to do this DAILY (yes, everyday); or weekly.  Some of us decide every Jan.1.  Some of us don’t decide enough; we just go along (insert side-eye emoji).  I think it is best to remember that whatever we decide about ourselves, it is our own choice.  Another thing to remember is to do it for you and only you.  That last bit can be hard to face.  Most of us were born with expectations already set for us — for who we will become.  It could be that we’re almost 30 and still don’t want to disappoint our family or, that we’re living out a vision of who we are that we developed based on a certain situation or circumstance or, maybe it was something else — but you know that SOMEWHERE along the way you have fallen into some bogus, halfway-intentional, take-me-as-I-am-but-this-is-not-who-I-really-am version of yourself that was subconsciously driven by who you grew up around, or by the loudest voice in your life, or by someone else’s standard.  Yes, that is how convoluted our lives can be.  Additionally, for myself, I know there are things I want to change and things I never want to change about who I am.  Truth is, self-realization requires continuous addition and subtraction.  

Regardless if you relate to ‘Tessa’, we must decide our identity and definition for ourselves and our lives and then be confident in those decisions.  Heck, you can be who you wanna be.  I am just here to remind you that it is completely up to you.  Be courageous.  

"Hey, girl, hey!"

 

 

 

almachristina

Validity

by almachristinaLeave a Comment on Validity

(artist: YEBBA – song: Evergreen)  (← I’ve played this song over and over and OVER…and OVER.  Enjoy!).  Listen here

 

video credit → Youtube — Oscars

 

    Validity: the quality of being logically or factually sound; authentic or genuine.  (according to vocabulary.com and Oxford dictionaries)

    just in case you scrolled past it, the video above is Lupita Nyong’o accepting the 2014 Oscar Award for Best Supporting Actress in the movie ’12 Years a Slave’.  First, SHE WON (boom) and second, her acceptance speech STILL moves me to tears.  With her emotions so raw and alive, her speech has literally resonated in my heart since I first watched it four years ago.  I definitely didn’t know it was almost Oscars 2018 time (March 4), BUT it’s definitely God’s perfect timing for me to create this post.  And nevertheless, (insert cheers*) go, insanely captivating actor and actress nominees, and GO, BLACK PEOPLE!  #Oscars2018  #IMROOTINGFOREVERYBODYBLACK  (Thank you, Issa Rae, for the hashtag of the next 50 years, or forever.) (google search, mom).

    for those of you who may not know, ’12 Years A Slave’ is the true story of Solomon Northup, a Black man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1841 (← very simplistic description there, forgive me).  The movie was released in October 2013.

    Lupita Nyong’o opened her speech (fast forward to minute 1:43 if you like) by saying, with tears in her eyes, “It doesn’t escape me for one moment that so much joy in my life is thanks to so much pain in someone else’s.”  (I love these words so much I wish they were mine. ♥♥)  In this instance she was referring to the woman, Patsey, whom she portrayed in the movie.  But also in this instance and most others it means, I am only here because someone paved the way for me.  Someone born before me experienced pain — struggled or fought, suffered or DIED, or WAS GIVEN A HARD TIME, so that I might shine.  That’s it — so I would have the opportunity to live my dreams or simply so that I can enjoy my life the way that I choose.  While this rings true in every moment, I don’t believe we always live everyday with it in mind.  Our lives (thoughts and movements), should be EXPLODING with gratitude in the form of confidence and kindness (just my opinion but might as well be fact).

“…NO MATTER WHERE YOU’RE FROM, YOUR DREAMS ARE VALID…” – Lupita Nyong’o 

    **watch. the. video. in its entirety.** (or skip to minute 3:20)(rolls eyes*)  Sharing this because her words, her award, her example, the movie, Patsey, that year, this year; it is moving and very REAL and NECESSARY to digest in 2018.  gonna leave it there I think.   powerful stuff.

∴HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH∴

♥♥almachristina

Affirmation

by almachristina6 Comments on Affirmation

(artist: St. Beauty Band — album: Running to the Sun) (<— this is my soundtrack.  I’ll try to do this every post.) Listen here

    hey there, welcome to INK by me, Alma Christina!  I want to begin this blog with an affirmation. ⌈window into my life⌉ I’m learning the importance of DAILY AFFIRMATIONS.  Whatever affirmation you choose, it usually holds a high level of significance to you because it often encompasses an area of your life that needs improving; after all, you’ve chosen the words carefully and specifically, and you’ve most likely completed some sort of exercise that helped you get to the one affirmation, or three, you desperately need to transform your life.

    what I’ve gathered is that affirmations help us become the best version of ourselves through words that become a combination of work, belief in ourselves, and faith in a higher power.  Affirmations help us realize and visualize what we want for our lives, in pretty much any area — the usuals we label as spiritually, physically, and psychologically, but there’s also materially and energetically (aha!) and any other realm you want to come up with, so long as it applies to you.  Confession: It took me some time to understand and even acknowledge the concept of daily affirmations, but one thing I now know since putting them into practice is that the effect of a single affirmation is POWERFUL.  Do what I do (this time)… Repeat your affirmations everyday, start living according to what they say, feel your faith grow, and watch your life change.  I’m giving you one of mine for free, and maybe a couple more in future blog posts.  This one I’ll probably affirm for the rest of my life (btw, it’s definitely up for grabs):

“I DESERVE and HAVE and GIVE UNRELENTING, UNAFRAID, and UNMATCHED AGAPE LOVE.  And NOTHING CAN GET IN THE WAY OF IT.”  – Alma Christina

otherwise, I’m just here to explore art and writing, unabashed aesthetics, and mainly words that have LIFE.

♥♥almachristina