#iniwisechild

#MIDWEEKINSPO

As I edge towards my 24th birthday I’m trying to understand what being an ‘adult’ is all about. I certainly don’t feel 24. I still have so much to do i.e. my to-do list is still so long! Productivity is my killer. Maybe it’s from living in London for three years but I have this uncontrollable urge to fill every single second of the day. Maybe things will slow down once I get married…

Anyway, here’s what’s kept me uplifted this week!

1. I had a fanastic conversation with Monique from 'What A Woman Needs' about her story and the #IAMBRAVE campaign. When she asked me if I was brave, I honestly didn’t know how to answer. It sounds cheesy but I just follow my gut, even if it takes me into fear. Following my intuition feels good, so that’s what I do! Monique recommended this TED talk by Brene Brown called ‘The power of vulnerability’ and it perfectly summarised how these kind of attitudes can have a significant effect on your life. 

“And I want to separate courage and bravery for you for a minute. Courage, the original definition of courage, when it first came into the English language — it’s from the Latin word cor, meaning heart — and the original definition was to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart. And so these folks had, very simply, the courage to be imperfect. They had the compassion to be kind to themselves first and then to others, because, as it turns out, we can’t practice compassion with other people if we can’t treat ourselves kindly. And the last was they had connection, and — this was the hard part — as a result of authenticity, they were willing to let go of who they thought they should be in order to be who they were, which you have to absolutely do that for connection.”

2. This week the fantastically talented IniWiseChild dropped his LP entitled ‘The Other Wis3’ and it’s magic. I just love when the sounds of my heritage and hip-hop are blended together - it just seems so close to my heart and raw authenticity. Plus, they work so damn well!

Have a listen here and order the LP!

3. Last but not least, I loved this short article by Sharmistha Mukherjee on the parallel between two ‘sister cities’ - Kyoto and Benares. Both cities were rich with the culture of refined female artists…

“The Geisha lived in an “Okiya” and the “Baiji” in a “kotha”, both the worlds dominated by a matriarch. In both cultures, young girls had to go through rigorous training in classical dance, music and other arts before they could be formally initiated. They had to be well-mannered, had to have extensive knowledge about various arts and the finer rules of etiquette, expert conversationalists, in short, the things what a modern young girl might learn at an expensive finishing school. In Northern India, young boys from the elite families were sent to famous courtesans to learn tehzib.”

An interesting insight and it’s funny how I often use Geishas as an example to explain the culture of ‘baijis/tawaifs’ to people!

Hope you’re having a great week so far :) wherever you are.