It's okay to need help

Coming in hot 🔥 with this week’s newsletter. Here are a few things to take with you into the weekend.

Reflections

You know the saying, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference?” Recently, I realized I might only know it and not how to act in it. There's a disconnect between the words and work. What do serenity, courage, and wisdom look like in action?

I can’t control everything. Sometimes, boy, do I try. I’m always working hard to see my dreams' greatest possibilities. Which can quickly lead me to anger or frustration at the slightest setback. But that's not the action of someone who has been given the serenity to accept the things they cannot change. Serenity is finding peace with the present and actively imploring tools to help you do so. Breathing exercises. Step away from the computer, or go for a walk. Whatever you do, stay actively going after your peace. Even if that means getting someone to help.

"Stop worrying if your vision is new. Let others make that decision; they usually do. You keep moving on." -Sunday in the Park With George

The most fantastic possibility of my ideas doesn't always live within. That's a weird sentence but a true one. I'm trying to say, yeah, I may have thought of it, planned, and prepared for it. But for some of my dreams to reach their full potential, I have to set them free. Especially when I've hit roadblocks, it's almost necessary. I can find courage in the necessity, as needs aren't inherently wrong. Courage gives you the strength to move on and reach out to others. Let them help you to decide what comes next. It may be scary, but do it, scared. And if things don't work out. Move on.

Post of the week

There is something so special about the little boy's subtle moment of calmness while trying to get a better grip on the flytrap. Sometimes you have to calm down to properly use your help 🤣.

Design inspiration

In a restaurant, I saw these paper signs to identify what drink was in the bubbler. They seemed rather flimsy, and some were damaged and wet. I thought, what if I designed sturdier signs with an interchangeable center? You could switch out the titles depending on the drink at the time.

Here's what I've modeled so far. I aim to go back and add circular cutouts to the stand and sign for magnets.

“This battle is not yours, it’s the Lord’s. Think about it and then start shoutin’.” -Yolanda Adams

Did you know

Still learning new and exciting things via The Negro Yearbook. I stumbled upon The Negro Yearbook, a yearly publication by the Tuskegee Institute. Between 1917 and 1952, ten editions were published, chronicling everything from “The Problems Connected with the use of the Negro in the World War” to “The Negro’s Economic Progress.” This week led me to Clorindy or the origin of the cake-walk. An 1898 Broadway one-act musical written by William Marion Cook and Paul Lawrence Dunbar. You can read more about it here.