Continuing the Marathon !!!

Sometimes we get off track from our passions or goals which is human nature. It could be from an specific negative event in life or road block occurrence. I just wanted to encourage everyone out there to know that it is okay and things will get better, even though I know it’s so cliche. The main thing to know is to never give up on your marathon of passions or goals. Even if you do, I feel God definitely has a way of pushing you back to it once you are ready. If we didn’t learn anything from the prolific rapper, philanthropist and father Nipsey Hussle, we learned that the “Marathon must continue.” 

Nevertheless, everyone has been through this at some point in time. You are not alone out there! This especially relates to the creatives, because it might make you feel like… “Why am I doing this for, again?”  It can make you question if this is truly, your God-given purpose or were you just hearing what you wanted to hear. I can speak on this personally and say in my whole 32 years on this earth, I have never really questioned this or felt uninspired, but there is a time and place for everything. Last year until the beginning of this year was that eye opening experience for me. My personal, loss of creativity and being uninspired, stemmed from loss of life from family members. I have experienced tragedies throughout my life, but none of them hit home as much as these two people I lost last year: My best friend who I considered my sister first, and then my father shortly after. Both deaths hit so hard because, frankly they were unexpected. 

It was so much to deal with, that the last thing on my mind was art. I know that sounds harsh to say because some artists thrive off setbacks, but this time around that wasn’t me. Now I know that was okay and that God had other plans and was giving me a mental break to realign my thought process and appreciate other things around me. Right after the passing of my sister, I had an upcoming art show and thought about canceling it, but pushed myself to do it even through the pain. I felt she would have been upset if I had not done it, knowing that she supported my dreams and aspirations wholeheartedly. So I completed that last show in November and had not done really anything arts-related since then. I questioned if I was maybe over art or if art was over me, due to a lack of inspiration. This was my demeanor all the way up until last month even with me buying new supplies and posting things. 

After much reflection and prayer, I got a message that was loud and clear that I must continue this marathon! Art wasn’t through with me yet! One day, I had a text conversation with a sister about how I felt uninspired and non-creative. No one knew except her and my mom. I got a random email from my friend telling me she came across an art show I should apply to. I told her that I didn’t really think i should apply because I was in a negative mind space, but then I remembered how random this invitation was after no one knew about my feelings. So I applied, realizing this was a neon sign that said “Keep going and don’t drop the baton.” A few more weeks passed and I received a acceptance letter to have one of my pieces displayed in a reputable gallery. This event spoke volumes to me and in closing I am slowly but surely back to business. I hope this helped or inspired someone else to know that everyone gets down even when you seem the happiest and will eventually continue the marathon….

Don’t let adversities keep you off track!!! The baton pick up has started again my first stop of 2019 is below! 

The work above will be displayed from May 1-26th at the “SAMASAMA Art Show & Gallery @ Shopkeepers DC (1231 Florida Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002) 

Schedule of events in link below! 

https://lestalusan.com/blog/2019/4/28/2019samasama