inthe8:

creative black women you should know

Magic runs through all black women. Everywhere. It’s an unshakeable ancestral prize that has influenced fashion designers to popstars. There’s so many of us, that it may be difficult to pinpoint us all. Never fear, because I can happily direct you to some! Here are a few young, gifted, and black women that should be on your radar.

Neff Davis (aka FilmColors):

Street smart, style smart, hotel smart and film smart. DMV native Neffatari Davis is a director and color-theorist (in fact, she was the one who inspired me to explore color theory and cinematography). Having worked for HBO and Playboi Carti, the uber-gifted Neff is a force to be reckoned with. Like Jessica Pressler wrote, Neff has an eye for detail: color, symbols, and references. For all the film buffs, look out for Neff’s upcoming projects (such as the Anna Delvey film coming to Netflix)!

www.Film-colors.com

Alice (aka, Creepy Bad Witch):

This anime loving, book guzzling, skincare sorceress concocts candles, face masks, shower gel potions, and a shit-ton more salves and serums for the body and mind. Over the years, her (brilliant) shop has gone through its series’ of transformations, switching from the name Shrine of 9 (her birthday is 09/09/1990) to Filthy Cosmetics. No matter the name, Alice is a walking orb of creativity, from her tattoos to her product names. Get familiar!

www.filthycosmetics.com

Pea the Feary:

This Afro-Futurist is the future. Pea the Feary is an artist in every sense of the word. She creates portraits of ethereal beings such as the aforementioned Alice and Frank Ocean, crafts pins based on your zodiac sign, and graphic designs posters with messages that you need to hear. Do yourselves a favor and buy something from this magical black girl.

www.peathefeary.com

Tierra Whack:

Step into Philly rapper Tierra Whack’s “Whack World”, and you’ll quickly realize that it is anything but. Traveling from room to room and world to world, Tierra delivers nothing but excellence through the use of clever concepts, sly lyricism, and genius melodies: dancing with muppets in a cemetery, using her nails to tell a story, and beautifying a taxidermed dog. Indulge in Tierra’s latest project on YouTube.

Aurum Amare:

Quality, handmade, homegrown, and original clothes that include plus sized women? You’re not dreaming. Aurum, (while going to school and interning, mind you) co-owns a boss business called Pink Plastic, with options ranging from modest to revealing. Whether you want to serve school girl or silked down sophistication, Pink Plastic has options for everyone.

www.shoppinkplastic.com

Shade Renee:

“O-P-U-L-E-N-C-E. Opulence”. A self proclaimed “Entreprenegro”, Shade is the owner of the luxurious Spilling Pearls. Inspired by the posh opulence of high fashion, Shade includes diamonds, polished garments, and well…pearls, into her gorgeous brand. If you’ve been looking for a black owned high end retailer, you’ve found one.

www.pearls.studio

Renell Medrano

From Solange to Bella Hadid, to Kelela to A$AP Ferg, Renell has pointed her magic lens towards a plethora of people. Hailing from the Bronx, Medrano experienced life through her lens, hence her focus on documentary photography. Both unsuspecting and glorious, her subjects are always captured personally and beautifully.

www.renellmedrano.com

Eryn Amel

Mom, poet, and entrepreneur? Yes. Eryn Amel is the creator of what I’ll call a Statement Shop. Her shirts read “It is Impossible To Shame a Woman Who is Unashamed”—all of her merchandise a blatant “fuck you” to patriarchy and misogyny. Whether you’re experiencing what this wickedly intelligent woman has to offer though her poetry books or her Instagram, Eryn is definitely a creative black woman you should be hip to.

www.erynamelshopee.bigcartel.com

Warsan Shire

Choosing just one, sole quote to introduce Warsan is impossible. Warsan Shire is a wordsmith whose works focus on identity—what it makes you, and turns you into. Author of “Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth”, Warsan’s work was also featured in Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” (she penned all of the poems). Simply put, Shire’s work cuts deep. She articulates painfully common complexities women (particularly Somali women) endure in a way that is precise, and at times, uncomfortable.

Get her book here

Nathalie Owusu

Ghanaian beauty blogger Nathalie does makeup. And, she does it well. With her expertise ranging from the perfect smokey eye on dark skin to the perfect bright lip, Nathalie has got you covered. Paired with her display of makeup looks, Nathalie offers indispensable advice for black girls, particularly ones with darker skin: “To all my chocolate girls: wear those pastels, that ruby red lip, those bright colors”. Owusu has modeled for the (amazing) skincare company Girl Co. Watch her latest video, and subscribe to her YouTube Channel here.

Creative black women exist in multitudes. It’s impossible to name us all. Know any more creative black women? Name them in your response to this post!

pyonkotchi:

pyonkotchi:

Some Thoughts on criticism in fandom and creators bc this shit drives me absolutely nuts and I got a lot to say I guess

Fans are allowed to criticize creators! It does not matter if they never went to art school or dont have a million dollar disney series! their opinions still matter!

Criticism isnt hate, a fan criticizing a creator doesnt make them a fake fan or a traitor, it doesnt mean they hate the work! fans criticize creators because they love their work and want to see them improve! loving something doesnt mean blind worship.

Criticism isn’t entitlement, Criticism isnt setting impossible standards, just because no one is perfect doesnt mean that no one should try. Just because fans of a show want to see it improve doesnt make them “entitled”. 

Criticism =/= Hate, constructive criticism isn’t blind hatred. Criticism isnt always kind either, just because its negative doesnt mean its not criticism. Learn the difference,

The existence of trolls, misguided teens, and nasty haters doesnt make other criticism automatically invalid. There are plenty of older more “mature” folks who have criticism that should be heard, and just because younger fans don’t always know how to get their thoughts across properly doesnt automatically mean their thoughts and ideas are wrong or should be brushed off. Trolls and Haters? they’ll always exist and their existence doesnt mean other people aren’t worth listening to.

Hobbiests and children aren’t always going to be receptive of criticism and thats okay. But if you expect that your work is going to reach a wide audience, if you consider yourself a professional, if you are making a profit from your creations, you need to be receptive of criticism, If you want to reach that level someday then please be understanding and try to be more open to criticism as well. 

That doesn’t mean you have to take literally every single thing everyone says to heart and it doesn’t mean you have to allow yourself to be harrassed, but be more receptive to criticism, strive to improve yourself. 

and if youre a fan please don’t coddle creators or get angry at critics, you as a fan should want your faves to improve themselves.

ALSO someone criticizing something doesnt mean theyre trying to convince you to stop liking it. Like if seeing criticism makes you feel as if you shouldnt like it anymore that’s your own problem