Meditation of the TigerSwan

Last month I had the opportunity to produce a pop-up boutique and photo studio at the #ForTheCulture event put on the by the lovely and talented Morgan Davis of Distinctly Creative. The event was held at the Congress Heights Arts and Cultural Center. It was a truly well organized, well attended, relevant, magical event in honor of Black History Month. At the event I had the opportunity to connect with so many vibrant, cool people. Two stars that I met were Brittny Amanda and Teyana, both brilliant young women pursuing degrees in higher education – Brittny Amanda in medicine and health sciences; Teyana in financial management and wealth development. I captured this beautiful picture of them both at the party. Super Fly. Super Dope. Clearly Queens.

Both of them were very excited about TigerSwan Timeless Boutique and loved my vintage clothing selection. We chatted about the growth of my business and branding, and they both gladly offered to model for me if I ever needed it. OBVIOUSLY I followed up with them the next week and got some dates on the calendar for some fashion shoots.

I am so delighted with the results of the first of their shoots. Check out some of the photos below from my shoot with Brittny Amanda, called “The Meditation of the TigerSwan.”

Brittny Amanda and I met early in the morning for our shoot. Before I styled her or went out to take pictures, we chatted about the concept of the shoot, which is about meditating on ourselves and being intentional about how we use our time. It’s about taking intentional time in the morning to meditate on our long term and short term goals. It sounds cliché but it’s true: Time is so precious. It’s the most valuable asset we have, aside from our health. Once your time is spent, you can never earn it back.

One of the things that I have been struggling with for years now, is time management. Part of the reason I struggle with it, is because I simply have so much on my mind and so much to get done that at the beginning of the day I feel pressure too just dive into a sea of challenges. Then what happens, is I forget to eat throughout the day. I get horrible migraines because I don’t eat or drink enough water. I don’t accomplish simple tasks because I get mentally bogged down in overwhelming goals. I worker longer hours and feel exhausted at the end of the day with little energy left to cook or take care of myself and loved ones. And then for some reason I feel guilty that I am not the superwoman who can do it all, and this unreasonable guilt eats at my soul. It’s such a lame cycle and I recognize it, which is why I am trying to practice new habits daily and demonstrate that through my photography.

My new practice involves getting out of bed immediately when the alarm goes off. I then adorn myself in my favorite vintage house robe and water my plants. Watering my plants soothes my mind by reminding me that water is life and that anything can grow in the right conditions with love and care. It reminds me to drink more water. It reminds me that its absolutely safe to let water touch my hair. I reminds me that I am connected to my ancestors through this practice. It allows me to get present with my body and take note of what’s running through my mind. And dressing in my favorite vintage house robe allows me to feel like a serene queen in my home. I feel picturesque and beautiful surrounded by my plants.

After that, I sit down with my planner, asses and write out my goals for that week or day. And I block out time for various tasks in my planner and in my iphone. I think about my income potential and expenses for that week as well as corresponding transportation logistics. And then at that point, I am crystal clear about what I need to do with the time and resources I have, and the steps to set it all in motion to meet my goals. That makes me feel zenful and it makes me feel powerful. It enables me to confidently say “yes” or “no” to the barrage of requests I get throughout the week. When I am clear and intentional with my time, my capacity to do what’s most important to me actually expands.

Instead of getting migraines and feeling overwhelmed, I feel motivated and energized. Instead of working longer hours, I work effective shorter hours and make time to do more activities that replenish my soul like photography, sewing, and dancing. Instead of feeling too tired to check in with my friends and loved ones, I am excited to make family phone calls and invite friends over for dinner. I have the capacity to mentor young people and do extra fundraisers for organizations I believe in. The love spreads and everyone benefits.

So that’s what “The Meditation of the TigerSwan” is about. It’s about embracing the practices that enable us to be clear and connected to our deepest desires and goals. For me it’s watering my plants in the morning, wearing vintage, and reading Thich Nhat Hahn’s “You Are Here” when I’ve wandered too far off center.

That coolest part about this shoot though, was that after it was over Brittny Amanda told me that doing this photoshoot reminds and encourages her to get back into yoga and planning out her days. Both of those practices make her feel like a queen in control of her body and her future. She is a queen and should feel like that every day. We all should.

What do you practice in the morning? Can you be more intentional with planning how you spend your time? How about being more intentional with how you spend your resources? What are your personal goals and how are you taking steps towards them today? How can you unlock more of your power and offer more to the universe?