Skip to main content

Humpday Update #10 / BaltimoreGirls

Photo Credit: Dominic Nell

Happy Humpday all! This week so far has been pretty insane as I continue to juggle several side projects and work at the same time. Between this blog, the YouTube Channel, the Zine, and a possible graphic Novel, my hands are so full.

But the highlight up until this update was my Sunday with the BaltimoreGirls.

It was an intense event for me. I was in a room full of one of the scariest groups of people I'd care to be around; women. I knew no one, I misread the event, and felt completely out of place for the entire two hours I spent sitting in a chair.

I was an outsider, and as a "county girl" whose idea of "city culture" differs vastly from those of the women in the room; I was so nervous I gave myself a migraine and had to leave. (that and I made the mistake of thinking it was really a 2pm-4pm event and didn't eat...) These women, to me, were the grown versions of the city girls at camp, school, and church who bullied me relentlessly for being different.

Although tense for my entire visit, I was shown that I had nothing to be afraid of.

I stuck out sure, but that couldn't be helped really, I am different.

But every woman in that room was different.

Photo Credit: Dwayne Hazelwood 

I was in a place where I was not being judged; no one was pointing and laughing at the "county girl who talked white".

The Founder of Baltimore Girls, Ms. Stephanie Safiyatou Edwards, was magic. Her vision is the simplest and most heartfelt I've ever come across. To show the world the beautiful shapes, colors, and powers of women in Baltimore.

"(Even) if you weren't born here... You came here and decided to make Baltimore your home? You a Baltimore Girl." ~ Safiyatou

I am so positive that this woman is going to change the way people look at Baltimore and the way people look at women. BaltimoreGirls is going to go very far and they are going to change the lives and outlooks of the girls involved as they go.

I plan on spending more time with them If they'll have me. Maybe not in the spotlight so much as I don't think my poor nerves can handle it. :) But behind the scenes, helping to make sure things happen for this group.

I AM a BaltimoreGirl, and I've never been prouder to say so. In just two hours I was changed for the better.


Popular posts from this blog

Humpday Update #26

Art by: Rafael Alvarez I've pretty much realized by this point that very few bloggers out there have anything of substance to say. With most of us out there being females, and more than %75 percent of us talking about topics like fashion, makeup, hair, and "lifestyle" which amounts to little more than recipes, $60 throw pillows, and fruit infusion water bottles. What I'm getting at here is that watching "fluff" bloggers take the spotlight is really disheartening when you're trying to actually say something. I try to be completely honest in my posts. Giving people ways to tackle problems in their lives no matter how big or small. Self confidence, reaching goals, and doing what you love. But because I'm not teaching the perfect contour, where to by the latest shag rug, or even worse, passing off the latest overpriced product...my reader count remains embarrassingly low. It's more than frustrating actually. It makes me want to punch every

Humpday Update #25

I like really love starting projects. Can you tell? But this project is a big one, one that will take most likely the entire year of 2017 to reach it's full potential. I'll need friends, partners, and possibly a kick-starter... The best part about this project is that I get to empower other creatives while also empowering myself. One of the things I see across my social media, and one of the things I've noticed I face myself, is that creatives need other creatives to get most projects off the ground. Whether it be a critique or a partner, creatives are constantly searching for the "other half" of a great idea. Writers need Illustrators. Musicians need Videographers. Photographers need Graphic Designers. The list goes on and on. In it's early stages (like right now) Maker Mashup exits solely as a Facebook group and its parent page . Bringing creatives together in a more chaotic place than I'd refer, but everything has to start somewhere. B

Understanding the Disappointment Equation

"I try not to expect things from people because that's how they let me down." New Year, new mindset. At least that's what's going around right? Give it another week and most of the people who are all talk around the start of the new year will fall back into routine. It's sad, but they're annoying and it's true. I on the other hand am not slowing down. Being happy and doing something worth remembering come 2018 is high on my list. With these goals in mind I've been trying to pay close attention to how other happy people are so d*mn happy. One word; EXPECTATIONS. As in lower, of course. Having no expectations at all can cause more harm than good. But I've learned that a good balance of expectations as they relate to reality, can have a better outcome. Try to rethink the equation as reality over expectation instead of the other way around. Meeting new people, for example. The reality is that they don't know you and that they cou