I think that, now more than ever, it is important to continue to seek, cultivate and protect opportunities for happiness in our lives… And, when we’re able, to share those moments with others to find inspiration and hope from because the ability to posses love, joy and/or hope in the face of adversity is not only a privilege but also the greatest resistance of all.
Despite the heaviness of our country’s current state of affairs, there were many positive happenings that occurred in January which I’d like to recognize in today’s post soooo here we go…
Life Happening
:) Getting to meet Valla from By Sanniyah Sloan at the Women’s March on Washington. We had such a great time, she fit right in with my group of friends and I can’t wait to hang some more the next time she’s in town. Valla’s visit made me realize that I need to make a trip down to Atlanta asap because there are a few bloggers from there that I would love to meet and also because the Georgia Aquarium has been on my to-do list since forever… Crossing my fingers to try and make it happen this Fall!
I’ve met so many great women through my blog and am always down to meet up so if you (blog reader/friend) are ever in the D.C. area, don’t be shy. Holla at yo girl!
:) We finally put a spice rack up which helped to create space on the ONE counter we have available in our tiny kitchen. Sooooo nice to finally have a clear space to prep food without any clutter.
:) For Christmas, one of our cousins gifted us with complimentary movie tickets which Charles and I redeemed to see Hidden Figures. The movie was both very inspiring and heartbreaking to watch.
Inspiring… to know that this movie is based on a true story of women of color who went beyond the boundaries of their circumstances to pursue their dreams as mathematicians/ engineers and to see what a huge impact they made while working at NASA.
Heartbreaking… in that this story is only now being told but I guess better now than never, right? It just makes me wonder what else we don’t know… American history as it’s taught in our educational system is soooo one sided. #justsayin
^^ Female Mannequin Nutcracker… We imagined we were cracking P45’s nuts when we gave this interactive exhibit a try haha = definitely a highlight from our visit.
:) Following our girl date at Calabash Teahouse & Cafe last month, Katherine and I visited the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) in D.C. Founded in 1987, NMWA is the only major museum in the WORLD solely dedicated to recognizing women’s creative contributions. This was my second time visiting, Katherine and baby Zen’s first time, and every time I visit I feel a sense of pride to be surrounded by art created by female artists. Hashtag major girl power vibes.
In addition to the art, the building’s beautiful architectural design is reason enough to explore this awesome museum. Admission into NMWA is $10 per person but the first Sunday of every month is FREE admission so if you’re ever in the city, please make sure to visit.
:) Brunch at Whitlows with my Gotti Crew a.k.a. my close group of friends from undergrad life. Although we keep up with each other via group text every single day, nothing beats taking the time to meet in person and commune over food.
Grad School Happening
^^ A few of my fellow arts management classmates. Dalton (left) sneakily took this selfie while I went to the bathroom during a break for our Capstone class haha.
:) I’m officially into my last semester in grad school and the main focus for this Spring is my Capstone a.k.a. thesis paper. My thesis proposal was just approved which means that it’s time to buckle down and start working on my paper.
In case you might be interested, my thesis paper will focus on answering the question of “how dance can play a primary role in creative placemaking (CP).” I chose this topic because the majority of CP cases I’ve seen primarily focus on the usage of visual arts as their method for community arts engagement. With my background in dance, I am curious to learn and understand how dance companies can better position and advocate themselves and their artform as a vehicle for CP.
1st draft is due exactly one month from today!
Music Happening
:) Kehlani’s new album “SweetSexySavage” has been on repeat, all day erry day. I’ve been a fan of hers for a couple of years now and it’s really nice to see her finally get the recognition she deserves with her album hitting #1 in the R&B category on Billboard.
Dance Happening
:) Just watch the video above and I think the choreography paired with the music choice will speak for itself. For me, I saw the female dancers as representing the “river” while the male dancer embodied the “cry me” part if that makes any sense.
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And so concludes the recap of my favorite highlights from January.
How’s life happening on your side of the online world?
xo, Setarra
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