Creative Interviews are another way for us to celebrate culture through Black & Queer At The Table, the place to be at.

Okay, let’s get real.

Why is giving yourself credit so hard to do? At the beginning of this year, I told myself that I would start to celebrate my accomplishments more and be unapologetic about them. However, the truth is, some days, that shit is still hard to do.

No matter what you’ve been able to achieve, who you’ve been able to support, or how many awards you get — celebrating yourself is not always easy. But it’s time to change that.

It’s time to start giving ourselves credit when we deserve it because this life shit gets hard. Some days things get tough. Some days the light at the end of the tunnel seems dim — but the only person always there to celebrate you is yourself. So, if anyone deserves a moment to shine, it’s you.

It’s taken a long time to get this out, but I’m going to take up this space by celebrating myself. Thanks in advance for joining me.

Over the last almost two years, The Closet Unlocked has been producing a range of media content from short stories, blogs, vlogs, playlists, podcasts, interviews, and so much more. By combining my personal interests, hobbies, and skills, I’ve been able to help co-create this platform with the community into what it is today — a space to amplify the voices and experiences of our people.

Black, Queer people specifically.

When this first started, all I had was an idea. I knew that there were conversations not happening that could help heal our people. However, nobody was willing to talk about them. The concept of being “in the closet” has always been that thing that most folks stayed away from. It was the experience that everybody either lied about or felt embarrassed to discuss, and for me, I wanted to change that. I wanted us to see the more positive side of things.

So, instead of going down a rabbit hole of platforms that didn’t get real about this experience, I decided to create my own that did.

Initially, I created this blog to help myself get back into writing. It was something that I’d always done as a kid, during school, and even as an adult in various ways. Yet, I never dared to take myself seriously doing it. It was time to change that, so I started writing.

I didn’t know what I was doing or how I would do it, but I did it anyway. I believed in myself enough to start, and sometimes that’s all we need. Now don’t get me wrong — I felt a sense of imposter syndrome; I was exhausted with graduate school; I was broke looking for work; overwhelmed looking for a new place to live; and a mix of other life things. But all in all, I had to remind myself of what I was capable of.

I had to remind myself of what a badd bitch I am.

Eventually, I graduated with my Master’s in Public Affairs, received an award for my service and advocacy on campus, moved back to my hometown, got a new job in my field, and was surrounded by a fantastic support team and so much more! I could honestly cry some days just thinking about how blessed I am, but I’ll save that conversation for another day.

Shortly after the first six months of production, I started to think long-term about what the brand of The Closet Unlocked could look like if it were made to be sustainable. That then led me to more ideas — to expand the platform, invite guests, and collaborate with other creatives — all of which could help me develop a more strategic plan for long-term programming. So I went back to the drawing board.

When I first began college, I told my professor that I wanted to own my own company at some point. Fast forward to my reasoning behind pursuing a master’s degree — I wanted to own my own company. I had been learning management context in my classes, putting together business plan examples, immersing myself in culture, and being in conversation with people who had done what I sought to do. Yet, it took longer to dawn on me what was right in front of my life for some reason.

I, slowly but surely, had built my own company.

And I’m still doing it. It was as if the universe had made this decision for me at an unexpected time, but I had to see it through. I didn’t see myself being a creator, a founder, or an entrepreneur. Hell, some days, I still don’t. I wanted to be a writer; what the hell am I doing trying to build a business? What am I doing trying to build community? What am I doing trying to heal the world?

I’m just trying, and that’s all I can say.

As I mentioned before, this life shit gets hard. We may take some L’s, but there’s always a way to bounce back. There’s always going to be something to look forward to. There are always people around who appreciate and support you for being who you are and doing what you do.

You just have to find your community.

So, to my community, the family that has grown with me through this process — I thank you for always supporting me. I appreciate you for learning with me and giving me grace as we take this day by day. This space is for you, and here, you’re always loved.

Peace.