why do we call this newsletter, 'Take Care'?

life is more than just work.

Self-care is the bridge to community-care, and community-care is the bridge to community healing. — MINAA B.

I grew up operating in survival mode and it wasn’t until this year that I realized I was still unconsiciously living in it.

Here’s a defintion of survial brain from Verywell Mind that’s a great explainer for what survival mode looks like:

“It simply means that your brain is so occupied with making sure you can get through life that you can't take on anything new at the moment; a survival brain is one that is focused on keeping you alive.” full article here.

For me, “anything new” can translate into new ideas, new ways of beings, etc. - the things that can really amount to sustainable change. If it’s hard for me to accept those, that means I’ll keep running into the same patterns that keep me stressed, stuck, and frustrated, and always pointing the finger at something or someone else that’s in the way of me succeeding.

This weekend all of that came to a head when I had a panic attack. The overthinking, the stress, the worry, the uncertainty, it caught up with me in a way that literally attacked my body and I shut down for awhile.

I don’t wish that for you, the person reading this newsletter, or anyone else.

That’s not to dismiss what you’re currently dealing with. It’s not to say ‘hey forget everything you’ve ever been through and everything that’s happened to you and just move on’. That’s not realistic nor is it kind, two things that #blkcreatives likes to represent.

We’ve titled our newsletter ‘Take Care’ because before we even begin to talk about productivity, approaches to creativity, resources, etc, we care about you as a full person and human being, first and foremost.

You are more than the work you do.

You are more than what you produce.

You are more than your traumas and the pain of your past.

You are more than your current troubles and trials.

You are more than what you post and share on social media.

You are more than your wins, your failures, your valleys, and your moutaintop moments.

You are more than what is and is not in your bank account.

You are more than your job description or whatever professional label you’ve given yourself.

We want to always remind you that taking care of yourself is always the best priority no matter what season you’re in. We want you to prioritize being kind and going easy on yourself when you need to.

Survival mode will have you living deep inside of your fears, your anxieties, and your uncertainties, I know that first hand. We want you to live from a space of confidence in knowing that as long as you are your best advocate, everything else will work itself out.

wishing you inner strength over inner stress,

Melissa, founder of #blkcreatives

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#blkcreatives exclusive [AND A GIVEAWAY!]: An Excerpt from 'A Heart on Fire' by Danielle Coke Balfour

If your heart’s been on fire lately with everything going on in our world, we have a read for you. In her debut book, A Heart on Fire: 100 Meditations on Loving Your Neighbors Well, Danielle Coke Balfour guides readers through the Ten Pillars of a Life of Good Work, explaining that a life of good work is both conscious and intentional.

Dani explores ideas of justice, empathy, hope, community, love, consistency, awareness, creativity, honesty, and redemption. With thoughtful meditations and practical to-do’s, A Heart on Fire will inspire you to evaluate your life and make changes.

Read the excerpt on creativity here.

For our giveaway, we’ll be selecting two subscribers at random to win! If you’ve read this newsletter, you’re entered to win!

Easy, right?!

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Links that Help

• This creative decided to build a book around purpose and it’s beautiful

• A book list for Communicating, Relationship Building, and Emotional Growth

• Four things to help you start.

• Trapital is accepting writer pitches and shared the guidelines on Twitter

• The Unapologetic Workbook for Black Mental Health is on our wellness book list

• Texas creative sends love to the Black neighborhood candy lady in animated film

• Updated our Bookshop page, take a look here!

• How one photographer documented the disappearing landscape of Houston’s Fourth Ward

• The Gumbo is accepting writer pitches until November 17th

• scottie. on Personal Productivity And The Beauty of Routine

Until Next Week, Take Care!

• Fuel your creativity via stories and practical info on our blog

• Find resources and opportunities on our job board

• Start your next read via our creative library

• Get inspired in other ways via our Amazon store