#thoughts

6:59am: anonymous

ronellegreen

growing up, i read a lot of books and a lot of poetry written by “anonymous”. i’m not sure why, and i don’t like it, because now i can’t add those writers to my favourite authors list.

there is one piece, though, that touched me in 2011, and still does when i read it now. (i keep poems i like very near and dear to my heart so yes, i’ve kept this for 6 years). here it is:

i’ve been told

that people in the army

do more by 7:00am

than i do

in an entire day

but if i wake

at 6:59am

and turn to you

to trace the outline of your lips

with mine

i will have done enough

and killed no one 

in the process.

this probably only touched me because of my constant debates with myself on the concept of war. the piece does a good job of throwing shade at those who fight in war, while raining heights of praise on the subject of the piece. a beautiful marriage of topics, i think. but tell me, and for this i really want your engagement: do you think war is a necessary part of being an advanced world, and that we should spend all that we do on building defence teams and mechanisms? or do you think that war is only created to bolster the intentions of powerful people? what do you think?

#lifestyle, #tips&tricks

skin care: simplicity theory

ronellegreen

you may think my affinity for simplicity is overdone, but you haven’t even seen the worst of it. simplicity has just proven itself as the best option for living. in everything, i find that the philosophical rule of occam’s razor rings true.

occam’s razor: the simplest option is always best.

my skin care journey has been ongoing since age 12, and it still is going. currently, i’m fighting the battle scars that remain from my years of fighting acne. that overuse of the word “fighting” was purposeful. because point: stop fighting. edit your outlook on skin care from “i hate my skin, problem skin, ugly skin, can’t wait to have clear skin” to “hey skin, what do you need? hmm? what are your trying to tell me?” listen to your skin. it is part of you.

after giving proactiv maybe half of its entire profit for four years straight, i gave up on it. after getting painful facials done every three weeks to no avail, i gave up on it. after retin-a, and sulphur, and epiduo, and every other acne product known to MANKIND. i gave up on them.

i went to a dermatologist, and after all of those topical methods, was told to go internal. i was prescribed accutane – the strongest acne medication on earth. i actually had to sign my liver away (promise not to sue the pharma company for side effects) before collecting the prescription, because of liver damage being common in people who take it. so this post is not going to tell you to drink water and rub banana skins on your face and all will be cured. with skin, sometimes hormonal behaviour overrides nutritional behaviour, and in that case, see a medical official, like i did.

however, after all that internal hormonal science stuff is covered, your skin likes simplicity. here are some stuff that i do to keep the glow, glowing:

oil cleansing – almond oil instead of a harsh cleanser. rub it in, and use a hot rag to wipe it all away. if i don’t oil cleanse, i use a tiny drop of my handy, dandy dr. bronner’s soap.

toner – simple, pure, rosewater. simple, pure, aloe.

moisturiser – a little “tups” of almond oil. in the winter, i use shea butter for a thicker type of moisture.

and, omg, i can’t say this enough: DRINK. MORE. WATER.

literally, that’s it. that’s actually it.

#thoughts, #tips&tricks

natural hair care: simplicity theory

ronellegreen

let me start by saying, i am no hair expert. i am the total opposite, if anything. you know those natural hair categories with the numbers and letters, like 4C and such? i have no clue what they mean, and i have no clue what my hair is. but let me tell you what i know my hair is – growing. now, it is argued that genes and such can promote fast hair growth – again, not an expert, i don’t know. so this is all relative, i suppose. but i have my working theories, and if we’re all experimenting with how best to handle our natural hair, i think my theory is one worth trying.

minimalism. it’s become a school of thought in interior decor, fashion, cooking and baking, and now, lifestyle. people now choose to only own 21 pieces of clothing, people now choose to only keep one set regime of body care products, rather than that drugstore product graveyard under the sink in the bathroom. people now choose to live lightly. when i chopped all my hair off in 2014, i went crazy with the natural hair products. i thought i needed entire lines of everything, from every brand, from every store, to get best results. eventually, my college budget just couldn’t keep up and i found myself doing less and less with my hair, regarding the products i used. that’s when my hair started really growing.

i switched to using dr. bronner’s all natural soaps for everything. facial cleanser, body wash, laundry detergent for delicates/intimates, and shampoo. one product, four uses. dr. bronner’s is a fair trade, organic brand, with all kinds of great, affordable products. i wouldn’t trade it out for anything.

i stopped spending a ton of money on conditioner, because, let’s be honest, we all just want it to help with detangling. that conditioner that claims it’ll seal your split ends and bring sweet baby Jesus himself to invigorate your scalp is a scam. stop it. i get the conditioner that i know has a good amount of slip for detangling, and that has the best (lowest) price. i’ve used high end conditioners, and quite frankly, see no difference at all (but that’s just me.) here’s a random photo of me after using my cheap, basic conditioner to detangle, taken a few months ago – my hair is about 4 inches longer now.

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i dropped “leave in conditioners”, store bought hair masks, and treatments. instead, i bought all natural oils: almond, coconut, olive and tea tree. whenever i do want a treatment or hair mask, i mix those in with my basic conditioner and leave it in my hair for a law and order svu episode. for a natural hair lightener, add raw honey to your masks.

for styling, i stick to one curling custard product at time. for options, i like all of miss jessie’s products, and i like the kinky curly curling custard. i never use a comb, i use a hard bristle brush. after washing and detangling, a simply brush the custard through small sections and let the ‘fro go. no work, no fancy technique.

once a week, after rinsing my conditioner out, I rinse with all natural bragg’s apple cider vinegar. i would say this is my “secret”, my holy grail tip for natural hair care. it clarifies all of the previous week’s gunk and grime stuck to your scalp, naturally. you don’t need harsh shampoos and chemicals to do that. it leaves your scalp clean, invigorated and unclogged, so your hair can breathe and grow in peace.

my theory, in essence, is stop crowding and confusing your hair with a million capitalist regimes. your hair can grow and flourish with no help at all – especially if you are internally healthy. stick to the basics, get a few styling products just so you can feel put together and pretty, drink your water everyday, and watch your hair thank you.

#everbless

#lifestyle, #thoughts, #tips&tricks

access to wellness

ronellegreen

a lot of folks, including my past self, think that being well is a part of being rich. or cultured. or well traveled. or some other ridiculous thing that has nothing to do with wellness at all.

since deciding to choose holistic wellness, i find myself answering “wonderful!” to the question “how are you?”, and actually feeling… wonderful (at least on most days.) and my holistic wellness is not even on any kind of admirable level. i eat way too much ramen and cheap college foolishness to be considered “holistically well” by respectable standards. i also don’t exercise like i should. but in the mind, and in the spirit, and about myself, i am well, so i get to write this.

every single one of us has access to being healthy and well. admittedly, access does not equal affordability. but let’s start somewhere. you don’t have to purchase a $300 soul cycle membership for what i’m talking about. what i’m talking about is simply inspiring yourself to be better in whatever realm you need improvement in. if you’re on instagram, how many experts in the field you want to get into do you follow? this can seem trivial, but if you see inspiring moves more often, you’ll likely get inspired more often. follow people that produce content that can move you, and make you feel how you actually want to feel. whether that be relaxed, light, inspired, or in thought. there are free, available resources that can ignite that. personally, i want to feel healthy, excited about life, grateful for all things, and magical. so i follow people who know how to be healthy, who are excited about being alive, and who celebrate their magic. here are a few of my instagram account suggestions if you want to feel that kind of way too:

  • blackgirlinom
  • sophia_roe
  • alex_elle
  • poetjasminemans
  • traceeellisross
  • nikishabrunson
  • mosaiceye
  • shanboody
  • mayasworld

it is often said that social media is toxic and a waste of time. it definitely can be. but it can also be a space of inspiration and motivation, if you curate it that way. you have all the access. it can easily become access to insecurity, self comparison and problematic sharing online, but it can just as easily become access to wellness you personally have not yet achieved, but are on the journey towards. curate your life. imagine that for everything you’ve ever wanted, the universe just whispered in your ear “access granted”.

#lifestyle, #thoughts

my (tiny but growing) record collection

ronellegreen

as a preteen girl in rural jamaica, old men would come to my gate and ask if my parents had any old records they wanted to sell. (i often mistook them for jehovah’s witnesses and hid behind our curtains to avoid the “moment” they would eventually request “to speak about our saviour”). a few times, my parents would say no, but one time, they said yes, and sold off my grandparents’ entire collection of music. we still have their china collection though, and that’s just as beautiful.

my grand uncle always gave those record buyers a strict no when they asked him. uncle derrick still has every record he ever brought to jamaica from england in the 90s, when he returned from a youthful life of work and marriage. he never plays them, because his player doesn’t work, but he protects them. he also protects an old typewriter he has, it doesn’t work, but it’s being preserved.

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going to uncle derrick’s house always felt like going to a museum. his records and his typewriter are probably the sole reasons that i value the vintage so much today. i’d tinker with them and think of the journeys each old thing had been through, and what each old thing had gotten my uncle through. my family through. and because i could never hear my uncle’s records, i was even more fascinated with them. i would imagine their sound based on their artwork.

as a young adult, i realised i could very easily purchase a player and get to hear those sounds i used to imagine. and so i did. i now have a collection of a few of my uncle’s records that he’s gifted me, and other ones that i’ve picked up along the way, or been given.

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from the legendary bob marley, to acoustic barrington levy, to shabba ranks, to third world’s biggest hits, i couldn’t be any more jamaican in my collection.

the sade fan in me couldn’t help but to get smooth operator on vinyl (but my favourite song of hers is “pearls”). this one is damaged though *frown face*.

i was gifted rihanna’s anti for christmas. the packaging is in braille and it’s really a collector’s dream.

and my favourite way to unwind after a long day – rapture by anita baker. a classic.

 

 

#coffee, #lifestyle, #thoughts

coffee shops: a list

ronellegreen

here are my recommendations for a good coffee experience in DC. howard people, this is especially for you – everything’s pretty close by.

harrar coffee & roastery – pleasant service, wide selection of blends available.

sankofa cafe, books and videos – ethiopian, lovely decor, great sense of community, AMAZING coffee, great food and smoothies.

love and faith cafe – delightful, light-hearted, lovely quotes on every table. awesome nitrogen ice cream and paninis.

compass coffee – world class cold brew, kinda gentrification-y but we can let this one slide.

qualia coffeehouse – great sense of community, okay coffee, very gentrification-y but with a cute outdoor vibe if you like street-side sitting.

the coffee bar, DC – lovely setup, sweet people, beautiful outdoor seating.

colony club – ping pong table upstairs, switches to a bar at 5, live jazz at night very often.

florida ave grill – authentic diner vibe, rich DC history, amazing food, and simple but very good coffee.

calabash teahouse – beautifully eccentric setup, incredible sense of community and love, great people and service, strictly vegetarian/vegan food options, nourishing and natural teas and they draw cute doodles on the lids of your coffee cups. jamaican themed and inspired, so i’m a little biased here.

 

#thoughts

when poems speak for you: a reflection

ronellegreen

i had these three books of poetry in my amazon cart for about 3 months: salt and nejma by nayyirah waheed, and bone by yrsa daley-ward. while scrolling through instagram to avoid my responsibilities one night, i came upon a post saying those exact books were available free for download on the kindle app for the next week. i shrieked and got them right away. look at the universe working its magic. speaking of universe, i went to universal studios for the first time with my family 2 weekends ago – it was awesome, you should go. random fact.

moving on, in salt by nayyirah waheed, i came across a poem that is still, and will forever be, the most powerful three lines i’ve ever read. it is the only three lines i’ve ever read that so perfectly put into words every single thing i’ve felt since i landed in these united states of america in pursuit of a world class business education. the poem goes:

you broke the ocean in 

half to be here.

only to meet nothing that wants you.

-immigrant. (salt. nayyirah waheed)

i damn near cried. coming to america was a decision i knew i’d make since the moment i realised all my visions of my future involved running businesses. it was something i was prepared to do in theory, but in reality, the biggest challenge of my life. emotionally, i wasn’t exposed to the harsh realities of the bigger world, and was shocked when i got here. physically, i wasn’t secure in myself and my identity. academically, i was miserable and hated all of my early curriculum. financially, i was a joke. international students cannot legally work anywhere off campus unless it is an official internship, and my campus had no jobs for me. socially, i was unsure, and friendship circles eventually became friendship sagas. overall, i was a mess, trying to exist in a nation that was not my own. in freshman year, true story, i slept on a street bench with my friends after getting lost and having the metro close til the next morning, all because we didn’t yet know that uber existed. poor immigrants. for all of freshman year i was defeated by american, college math – prior to this i didn’t even know there were different types of math, finding jobs/opportunities/scholarships, and struggling with feeling like a welcomed part of the society i had just thrust myself into. i had broken the ocean for a place that wanted nothing of me. it was freshman year that introduced me to generalised anxiety disorder and its perils. and it was freshman year that wore me down in spirit. this last election briefly wore me down too, but i’ve decided that i’m not going to worry about a thing. i’ve decided that i can break the ocean again, and sail somewhere that wants all of me.

#lifestyle, #thoughts, #tips&tricks

journaling; journeying

ronellegreen

as a kid, my concept of journaling was:

“dear diary,

today i had an ice cream cone after dinner. it’s sunday. mommy made me come to bed early though, because it’s a school night. i hate school nights.

peace out, ronzie.”

it was essentially me projectile vomiting, onto a blank lisa frank diary page, the mundane activities that had filled my mundane day.

now, journaling is a practice i adore, and one i keep in the higher ranks of things that make me happy and keep me collected. my journal is a written governance of my mind and soul, it is my personal constitution scroll and how-to-manual. i’m doing this post because if approached right, you could develop journaling habits that catapult you into a space of positivity and clarity of mind, and i wish that for anyone who comes across my blog.

Untitled_Artwork

practices like praying, meditation, and journaling all have a very noteworthy common denominator – they involve deliberately addressing what is on your mind, and expelling that. with praying, you expel your mind’s worries and thoughts onto a supreme being, with meditation, you do so through breathing and centring of self, and with journaling you do so onto blank pages. all three can bring forth clarity and peace, because they involve facing head on what you are conscious of and concerned about, then placing that external to the mind, allowing you freedom to operate optimally and without a cloudy headspace.

journaling is not exclusive to a certain type of person, or gender, or anything – literally anyone can do it, and everyone should. if you haven’t journaled before, or even if you have, try free writing answers to the following prompts. free writing means letting your fingers document every fleeting thought that comes to mind after seeing the prompt, without hesitation or premeditation. after you answer each prompt, go back and read what’s been clogging your mind! i made this playlist to help put you at ease.

prompts-

  • i feel best after i ___.
  • i am best at ___.
  • i was made for ___.
  • i am motivated by ___.
  • i want to improve my ___.
  • i believe in ___.
  • ten reasons i love myself are ___.
  • ten reasons i hate myself are ___. now cross all ten out. rip the page out. burn it. (i’m serious.)
  • i am the true embodiment of ___.
  • i want ___ for the world.

knock those out in your next few journaling sessions and move forth in the world more self aware than ever. let me know about your experience.

Untitled_Artwork 2

#coffee, #thoughts

poem: in my hands

ronellegreen

my grandma died before I was born from breast cancer, and left behind a diary chock full of detailed descriptions of her journey. i got to know her through that diary, i know her because of that diary. in it, she described what going through chemo would have done to her, and ultimately her decision to bypass invasive treatment and go whenever the time came for her to. she inspired the following poem, because i want all my readers to remember that your loved ones get to decide how they fight their battles – and one way of fighting is never more “noble” than another. the choice is always in their hands. 

 

i’m not losing my hair for this.

i’m not starting a gofundme for this.

 

i’m not dying for this either;

i’m living for it. fighting with it.

 

so that when I lose,

because I will lose…

you all can light candles & let sky lanterns

fly

saying I was a warrior

and making yourselves feel better

for what was my struggle

and my reality.

you want me to lose my hair & die

a heaped pile of chalky bones,

flaky skin,

“get treatment”

“fight it”

no.

I want to fight it looking like myself.

feeling like myself.

I want to fight it in my essence of the word:

and that is to live with it,

as if it is only

an annoying tenant in

the apartment that I am landlady for.

and not some life altering,

hospital bed-filling,

bouquet-buying,

balloon-blowing,

go-to-Costco-to-buy-cases-of-food-drinks-ing,

important,

thing.

let me fight it the way I want;

like with warm coffee in my hands,

on a balcony,

overlooking a park,

where kids get to squeal and play.

you get up, get out…

and let me fight this the way

I want.

and don’t you dare have a problem with it.

because I’ve lived, & this is living

to me.

the coffee in my hands might still be warm when the fight ends,

but all is well, I am well.

#thoughts, #tirades, Uncategorized

my unpopular opinion on monetizing creativity

ronellegreen

in honor of creatives everywhere, selling prints, beats, and whatever your pieces are – shine on. between self doubt, lack of support, cost of producing and just.. living, it can be extremely difficult to do your best work in a way that is sustainable and lucrative. (i had to link my friend’s new song in right there because i’m living for it right now). anyway, i want to write on something that’s been scratching at my sanity lately.

a chunk of my generation of creatives, be it career creatives or dabblers, are latching onto this new narrative of entitlement that makes me cringe. this is in two ways:

  1. you think your friends are supposed  to throw money at you for your work just because they’re your friends.
  2. you think the whole world should know/care/accept how much it costs you to produce your work, and be ever-willing to pay top dollar for said work, because they know/care/accept how much it costs you.

not only do you think one of, or both, those things, but you’re angry about it. you tweet rant about it. you condescend those who verbally, not monetarily, express support for you. you chit chat in your creative friend groups about the measly non-creatives who “just don’t understand” and huff and puff about your acrylics and canvases and photography equipment and instruments and blah. blah. blah.

my reply to this chunk of my generation of creatives:

  1. your friends might not care about your work at all. that’s okay. they don’t have to consume your work because they’re your friend. they can support you in countless other ways. friends ≠guaranteed customers.
  2. (unfortunately, but actually) no one cares. people will buy your work because they are moved by it and think it is quality, not because they know/care/accept how hard it must be for you.

the point about all your whining and anger with the modern, young art consumer is this, absolutely, positively, no one cares. and no one should. here’s why.

art is something that feels personal to the artist, I get that. my poems all feel like my vital organs. but guess what, your art does not feel personal to the viewer  – it feels like a product. and it is a product. especially if you intend to earn money for it. once you decide to earn hard dollars for the art you produce, you have a responsibility now to not only produce good work, but to operate as a business entity. that is what you are now, a business. wendy’s does not get to say to burger-buyers: “DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH BEEF AND WAGES AND MAINTENANCE COST? STOP COMPLAINING AND BUY OUR BURGERS”. apple does not get to say “DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH IT COSTS TO DEVELOP iOS AND MAKE iPHONES? SHUT UP AND BUY OUR STUFF”. no business on earth gets to say that. no business on earth gets to whine about potential customers not liking their pricing, or not wanting to pay what they think their product is worth. so you shouldn’t feel like you get to, either. what businesses have to do is adjust their price schema to fit their target markets. so for you, decide who you’re targeting, build a deliberate, thought out, standardized pricing strategy. decide on a marketing strategy. do research into how to operate as a fully functional sole proprietorship – that is what you become the minute you want to make money for your work. your friends are your friends – not necessarily your target market. aside from them plainly using you for your talents and abusing the work you do, stop getting upset with them for supporting you in ways other than buying your work. sometimes, they simply don’t care about your work enough to pay for any of it – and that’s okay. some of my absolute best friends don’t ever read my blog or poetry, and it’s okay, because they just don’t care for this type of thing. i don’t send off angry tweets about them being “fake” and not “supporting” me – my asking for their support through consumption of my work is different from my asking them to support me as a companion and friend. consuming your work is not the only way people can support you! you are more than the art you produce.

with that said, i am not telling you to settle for selling your work for less than you think it is worth. nor am i telling you to become a passionate business magnate. all i’m saying is, this neo-starving-artist logic has to go. i’m sure your work is worth what you think it is. and i’m sure your talent can feed you and build an empire. act like it. operate like it. monetize it. but bring it up to standard, polish it, and know that there will be countless people who don’t care about it, want to buy it, or think it’s good – and that’s fine.