The Journey Of Being A Black Creative
By: James Teague
One thing that I admire so much about all creatives is their come up story. Almost every creative has their own unique story about where they first started to where they’re currently at. What makes this so unique is that although each story unfolds differently, we all have a common goal: to live our lives and be happy on our own terms.
Recently, while at work, I was listening to The Joe Budden Podcast, and they were discussing how this new episode, “The Terrain,” just so happened to fall on the five year anniversary of when the podcast was created. The team discussed their thoughts, feelings, and personal pivotal moments revolving the development of their platform. Joe Budden spoke to the crew about recognizing their impact within the last five years. One thing that stuck out during this conversation was, “As a creative you just never know what works and you just have to try shit.” That one single quote ultimately defines what being a creative is.
The Joe Budden Podcast
As a Black creative listening to Joe, Rory, Mal, and Parks speak about maneuvering through their trial & errors and comparing it my own personal battles growing into my role with content creation, I was really inspired to know that I wasn’t the only one who felt similar thoughts along this journey. There’s always ideas and content building in our heads, but the problem always becomes “how do I execute this?”
Sometimes, we create this mental battle in our own heads on whether to push the button on pursuing an idea or not only to psych ourselves out and throw the said idea onto the back burner. Then, suddenly, the universe humbles us by making us see someone else come out and execute the EXACT SAME IDEA we originally came up with. Whether it’s our environment unintentionally playing a role with shaping our perception on our dreams, how we might personally view our own work, or if past situations are still holding an affect on how you want to move with your content, sometimes it’s just necessary to work on looking past all roadblocks holding and just really throw something to that creative wall and see what will actually stick.
This has been the story (or should I say struggle) of my life as a Black creative. Speaking from personal experience, while building my foundation as a Black creative writer, going in between scrolling through my social media timelines, looking at my environment, and factoring in my living situation, I would frequently allow my circumstances to get the best of me and my creativity. In my head, there’s been this grand vision of what I want a creative work environment to look like. Unfortunately, because of where I'm at and where life was taking me this past year, it was tough to stay on task, and I constantly focused on the wrong things.
It made me feel like I wasn’t doing enough, especially when the antics at my day job kept playing with my emotions. Being creative while balancing a job that’s not aligned with your purpose is a continuous headache. But through the universe and a couple of personal affirmations, I began to realize that everything I asked for and wanted to be with my creativity has already come to life for me.
It may not exactly look how I pictured it in my head, but it is still coming to fruition. I had to understand and realize that I am exactly where I need to be on this journey and I had to continue to grow in this journey with my writing, my creativity, and my goals. Rory and Mal, while talking about their come up on the podcast, explained that the pod was their first time coming into the media world; and although they did not necessarily have the same media experience as their current creative peers, they had to learn by growing with their brand. Mal explains, “You grow with the platform. You grow with your people. You Grow with your audience.” It’s our priority as creatives when we are invested in our talents, platforms, or ideas, to make sure to trust our process and grow with our creativity. Our minds and ideas are so powerful. You never know how far your ideas can take you until you decide to bet on yourself. And when that day comes, then that will be the beginning of a new life.
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