In the past, I tried and fought and struggled against myself to be an aesthetic, esoteric, and mysterious cool girl. However, I have learned that simply am not that girl. I am deeply passionate, ridiculously extroverted, an absurd optimist in the face of a world which has given black girls no reason to hope. In this sense, hope and optimism are radically subversive actions that shape my every day. 

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My visual art tends to exemplify this. My writing often does not. I do not need to reconcile these differences between the two mediums for the purpose of self continuity. As a writer, I unintentionally construct themes of deprivation and despair and hopelessness, but as a photographer, I capture proof of sustenance, of love, and of hope. Attempting to ensure these two mediums reflect the same values dilutes their capacity to contextualise one another. Why would I need to capture love and hope if hate and despair did not exist? If I am to engage meaningfully in optimism, I must be realistic about the current state of our world.