Heeeyyy yyyaaaallll 😅
Alright, so it’s been a minute… months really, but listen- I’m nothing if not an advocate for taking all the time you need to get yourself together! When I started blogging, the shutdown in NYC was in full swing. That time away from work made it abundantly clear that I needed to (permanently) re-introduce creativity into my life. I hadn’t realized that I had been drowning without them. I wanted to be smart and deliberate about how I implemented this, especially since my interests can all stand as careers on their own… That careful planning took me the rest of the year lol. BUT, here we are! And where is here you ask, well:
- I’m a makeup artist… again lol — well, once you are, I guess you always are. I became a certified makeup artist in 2014, but I started working two retail jobs simultaneously towards the end of that year and couldn’t maintain all three. Having very real student loans meant I was sticking with whatever job provided stable income. I still took clients here and there, but mainly family.
I’ve spent the last few months participating in a Makeup Masters course and enjoyed every moment of it. It gave me the chance to see exactly how rusty I was. It also made me come to terms with my lack of confidence and all that triggers it — usually my need to get things “correct”. The program let me watch myself grow and see my skills sharpen. Unlike 6 years ago, I truly understand and appreciate the ever evolving process that is artistry. I just started an IG page for my artistry, feel free to follow 🙂 @dlaingartistry - I became an entrepreneur — I’m selling rum punch haha! I started off following my father’s recipe which follows the traditional Jamaican one: white rum, bulk syrup, and fresh lime juice. However, I’ve never liked the taste alcohol and decided to make my own version. Not going to lie, figuring that out was stressful, but having a product that I’m proud of and can partake in is extremely rewarding. Feel free to check out my IG page and DM me your order if you’re in the NYC area 😉 @laingsrumpunch
- I got real with myself! I’ve always been someone with a lot of intellectual curiosities and passions. That’s caused me a great deal of confusion on choosing a path to take. I’ve always held steadfast to the notion of a conventional career — anything creative was just going to be a hobby, something I did on the side. But as more time passes, I realize that my creative pursuits revive and fuel me more than anything else. It’s nerve racking to actively invest more of myself into them, especially since they take more energy (I’m a hard worker, but I am DEF lazy, yal lol), but I know this functional discomfort means I’m going in the right direction.
Aaand, now you’re all caught up! So, what can you expect from me going forward? I’ll slowly reintroduce myself to blogging. I’m committing to two articles per month for now — probably a recurring topic and then a random one. That’s the most I can do realistically while aiming for consistency. Also, I will be posting more on the IG page for this blog! So make sure you’re following @itsduhkneel to see that 😀 !
Well, if you’ve made it all the way through this post then you’re awesome and I thank you. Let me know in the comments what your creative outlets are! How do you incorporate them into your everyday? Have you considered investing in them full time? If not, what’s stopping you?