Los Angeles Chinatown Street Style | Film Photography by: @jazzandtheblues
I have found myself at a loss for words lately, which is a rare occurrence. I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, and it’s been the ultimate therapy in this adventure that we call life. It’s the main reason why I have continued to operate this blog as a passion project over the last couple of years.
Social media is an increasingly disconnected spectrum in which many of us, including myself, exhibit a highlight reel of our greatest and most rewarding accomplishments without recognition of the blood, sweat, tears, or true grit that it takes to get there.
By all accounts, I never should have made it out of the inner city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I grew up the oldest of five children in a two-bedroom apartment. We lived in housing projects and often struggled on the poverty line. I have been insanely fortunate to evolve past such humble beginnings during each chapter of my life thus far. Today, I want to commemorate the pain. The indelible scars that sear and pulsate in my mind every single day. The nauseating trauma that propels me to the next moment and the step after and the leap after that. Every fall, every misstep, every tear…
This post may seem unlinked to such experiences, but I wouldn’t be here writing these words without them. You wouldn’t be here reading these words without the trials and tribulations that have developed your character into the individual that you are today. I wouldn’t have been able to rediscover my voice and feel capable of using it without understanding hardship and the hunger for not having more, but being more.
So next time you’re posting online or taking a moment for yourself. Remember your pain. It will always lead you back to your “why,” or your reason for being. Feel that pain and choose to make healing a priority even during the darkest moments in your life.
This past August I collaborated with the mega-talented babe Ashton Angle of @jazzandtheblues in Chinatown Los Angeles for some film photos that I am delighted to finally share in their entirety. I posted some selects on Instagram/Tik Tok but there are some never before seen photos here that are dear to my heart. I hope you enjoy them and do add me on Like to Know It for full outfit details!
