As Chief Imagination Officer of Creative Sage™, I live a passionate personal mission to cause the spontaneous combustion of creativity, innovation, and compassionate intelligence everywhere.
At Creative Sage™, we help organizations, project teams, executives, entrepreneurs, artists and other creative professionals redefine themselves, create a new vision, navigate transitions, and innovate to maximize organizational or individual success, and social impact.
This is a Tumblr log of curated links, news and resources. We update it weekly, so please be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this page to catch the latest posts.
Mar 08
Feb 21
Happy Presidents Day! Celebrating especially the past three Presidents, including the REAL 45th U.S. President, elected by the clear MAJORITY of U.S. voters.
Kwanzaa was first celebrated in 1966 after having been created by professor of Africana studies, activist, and author Maulana Karenga to help give identity, purpose, and direction to African Americans.
Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa (between December 26 and January 1) correspond to the Nguzo Saba (the Seven Principles):
Umoja - Unity - To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
Kujichagulia - Self-Determination - To define and name ourselves, as well as to create and speak for ourselves.
Ujima - Collective Work and Responsibility - To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers’ and sisters’ problems our problems and to solve them together.
Ujamaa - Cooperative economics - To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
Nia - Purpose - To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
Kuumba - Creativity - To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
Imani - Faith - To believe with all our hearts in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.
Happy Kwanzaa to those who celebrate it. While it does not receive the same visibility or acknowledgement as other end-of-year holidays, it is important to include those who observe these seven days!
[ID: Graphic split in half. The left half is a photo of a kinara, a seven-space Kwanzaa candleholder. The right side is a brown gradient with white text describing the principles of Kwanzaa. The TEP logo and “Happy Kwanzaa” in white are at the bottom right.]
Today is 26 December 2021 and the 1st day of Kwanzaa. I will continue to celebrate Kwanzaa similar to last year by exploring and producing art and intention. Our ancestors frequently used intention to celebrate, pray, and receive guidance because they understood that materials should not control our beings due to it lacking value in the spiritual realm. I will post per diem to summarize the principle of the day and ways to incorporate its energy into our atmosphere until 1 January 2022, the last day of Kwanzaa.
Things to remember:
Umoja- Unity
Kinara- Candle Holder
Mazao- Crops
Bendera- Flag
Kikombe cha umoja- Unity Cup
7 nguzo saba- The 7 Principles
—
Which candle is lit today?
I decorated my environment with symbols: mazao, kinara, and bendera to represent Kwanzaa. I do not have a physical candle holder nor candles, therefore I drew 7 candles to replace the idea of physical candles because the intention of the drawn candles are just as important as the physical ones. For today, the black candle is lit to represent black people and the principle, unity.
What does Umoja represent?
Unity is essential in our community because it reminds us about the importance of sticking together. As a result of this, we have freedom and the ability to continue our legacy. Even if you have never learned about your African heritage, you still carry their bloodline and perform their traditions such as prayer, manifestation, unity, spirituality, movement, dance, and song. I often hear people say that black people do not stick together but I do not understand why this quote holds power. If someone says something negative about you, do you promote it or allow it to de-escalate? Another disheartening idea is that Kwanzaa is a silly holiday, but how can a holiday that represents positivity, being kind and helpful, connecting to our ancestors, and pulling our strength together as one, be known as a silly holiday? It sounds like another form of separation promoted by negativity to make us abandon one another and that should not be entertained. If you lead by example then your community will flourish even if it has only helped 1 person at a time. Today I will listen and dance to African music, draw African art, learn more about our heritage, and develop a stronger connection to our ancestors by acknowledging their strength and providing it into the environment. I will also place a water bottle to the side to symbolize kikombe cha umoja. Each day, energy will travel into the water bottle and on the the last day of Kwanzaa, I will drink the bottle and allow it to fill my spirit with positive energy sent from our ancestors. You can do the same with a water bottle or with a cup and if you are using a cup then you can fill water in it each day or on the last day of this holiday. I am delighted to celebrate Kwanzaa once more and I wish you all a blessed and happy Kwanzaa.
Happy Solstice, everyone! This surely encompasses all #Solstice wishes, except one — looking forward to the day of longest light in a healthier, saner, happier, more compassionate time:
Happy Hanukkah from the Brooklyn Museum! The Jewish festival of lights begins tonight at sundown and we wish all those who celebrate a chag sameach filled with candle lights, games, and lots of fried foods.
Roman artist. Mosaic of Menorah, 6th century C.E. Stone and mortar, Museum Collection Fund, 05.27.
Nov 24
Enjoy a loving, peaceful, and gratitude-filled Thanksgiving, everyone!! ❤️
