What Nina Simone Taught Me...
What Nina Simone Taught Me...

An artist's duty is to reflect the times..."
Nina Simone

Screw your status quo. Collective liberation and truth matter. Complacency? Not so much. As a child, I befriended kids everyone else shunned. Ostracizing folks never sat well with me - even on the elementary school playground. I simply could not pretend I did not see their pain. You see, I feel intensely. 

I think its why I connect so deeply with Nina Simone, a woman of fierce talent who dared to speak about the ugliness of America while simultaneously pushing for change. She understood creatives do not produce art in a vacuum. We are deeply impacted by the world around us - whether we choose to acknowledge it or not.

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The Woke PrettyComment
The Free Spirit Black Woman: A False Anomaly
The Free Spirit Black Woman: A False Anomaly

free spir•it
frē ˈspirit/ noun
an independent or uninhibited person.

Being a free spirit ain’t new.  

Although seems to be the trend with all the unicorns and mermaids flooding your timeline, this life for women of color, particularly Black women, isn't new. There are generations of “hidden figures” that have led their life against the grain, uninhibited, learned how to make the rules work in their favor and sprinkled #blackgirlmagic and faery dust all over the damn place. 

It took me a while to recognize that I am she.  

I’d look at other women and wonder how can I do that, how can I be like THAT, not realizing I was already it and more. A military brat born in the South, raised in the Northeast, product of a divorced home, in an underserved community, part of the Black Baptist community within close-knit family; and when I turned 18, at the first open door, I hopped on the HBCU train and hauled ass down to Atlanta (shout out to CAU). I didn’t care about being the “Yankee” rocking Timbs and a skirt, tongue ring clanging against my teeth, nails longer than life, hair flowin’ like cherry red coke, then in 2 seconds short, dark and brown.  

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The Free Spirit Pretty Comment
Aspiring was not good enough for me...
Aspiring was not good enough for me...

For as long as I can remember, I have always dreamed of becoming a writer of many things. I didn’t care what I had to write as long as long as I was free to write on whatever topic I chose. But just because it was my dream and my passion did not mean that the journey getting there would be a smooth one. I had it all mapped out. I was going to write my book, it was going to top the charts and I would be in New York City dining outside at some fancy restaurant with a sun hat and huge designer shades, people watching, coming up with my next big idea. Unfortunately by the time I had started college right after high school, life had different plans for me. 
If I wasn’t switching majors in college, I was switching boyfriends. It wasn’t until my 24th birthday, that I “buckle down” with school and actually graduate this time. By now, I was back in school majoring in Creative Writing. I was

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The Dream Big PrettyComment
5 Ways to Turn Your V-Day Into a ‘Me Day’
5 Ways to Turn Your V-Day Into a ‘Me Day’


Valentine’s Day is approaching (dum-dum-dum) and if you’re a single entrepreneur like me, then you’re probably date-less with no prospects on the horizon. It’s OK, don’t fret! I don’t subscribe to the whole idea of Valentine’s Day; however, for those of you who do and simply love – love, I encourage you to change your view and make it an official “Love Me” Day. 

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The Free Spirit Pretty
Creatives Deal with Depression, Too: How We Can Heal
Creatives Deal with Depression, Too: How We Can Heal


I smile and laugh often, creating, networking and collaborating come naturally. I run an inspirational and faith blog, Live In Color. And yet there are days when simply climbing out of bed feels epic, even posting on Instagram, my favorite social media space, becomes overwhelming. I run head first towards the familiar comfort of busyness though. Anything at all to avoid the full weight of encroaching sadness.  I cannot crumble. Too many folks depend on me, I whisper to myself, so keep going, girl. 

When I first heard Solange sing Cranes in the Sky, I nearly cried. Her words lingered with me for days: " I tried to drink it away. I tried to put one in the air. I tried to dance it away. I tried to change it with my hair... I tried to work it away, but that just made me even sadder..."

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The Woke Pretty