Perhaps it was the journalist in me that drew a particular fascination towards obtaining a deeper level of understanding of this marginalized yet very special and sacred community to me, to shed light on its history in The Bahamas? Or maybe it was my longing for wanting to have this discussion on the origins (if any) of #Pride in The Bahamas? Whatever the reason, I especially aimed to sit before an OG activist, properly obtain ‘newfound’ information and render the discussion on page to not only gain a greater appreciation from whence we’ve come, but also a new perspective on the way forward in solidarity.

Back like we’ve never left - we’re talking life after graduation and of course, all things artsy…

A conversation among artists about clear moments in time that have led to their becoming.

As Black women, we’ve all been consumed by the politics of ‘twerking’. On one hand, Christianity and neo-colonial society threaten our respectability if we engage in such behavior. The gyration or contortion of our hips appears to outline our identity: uneducated, classless and seeking male sexual attention.

In this series, The Misconceptions of (Bahamian) Creatives - brackets because we can only speak from our personal perspectives - we unravel and debunk some of the myths of what it means to live as artist in a space that barely acknowledges our existence, but has a shit ton to say about it. In this chapter, we talk love and dating.

One suggestion a past professor made that still resonates with me to date is to take time to look at the work critically - dissect the work’s formal and aesthetic qualities while pinpointing the historic references. He said one must mull over the work, question the things they dislike about it rather than become distracted by the parts they like. I found this suggestion to be odd, but useful.

…..Amid the trying times of content considered “woke”, cool or relevant, we often found ourselves asking: Where can a creative go to feel safe, to express a thought freely, that may or may not be in alignment with the status quo? Where can they go to get away from conversations of the norm? To discuss much larger and pressing issues of art and artistry at hand?

We thought about it, then opted to create this space ourselves… since that's what creatives do best - create.