A way to maximize my creative skills, meet new people, and explore a fresh penmanship. All in my own terms, isn't it neat?

Opportunities in media come and go. Journalism is a dynamic profession that doesn't leave a lot of imagination when it comes to succeeding at it: you must know people.

Intellectual and experiential capitals are essential investments in the career of a journalist, as the more proficient you are in a field, the more enthusiastic your readership will be. If you know your people, you know how to cater to them with words. If you craft your storytelling techniques in details, it's inevitable that you will have a chance to retain attention and media consumption from your readers. Who says no to a consistent audience and a secure lane of media coverage to focus on? Easy money, right... or no? Well, discipline and knowledge are powerful tools. Understanding your own resources, your unique sell of points, and work through them in a consistent way are some of the things I am revising throughout this seasonal fellowship at AMAKA.

I'm a fashion journalist and academic researcher. My bread and butter can be summarized in a few concepts that span from the intersectionality framework and media representation especially through the lenses of the creative industries. Most of my works centers on fashion, but I'm not limited to the area alone. I'm a fitness and wellness enthusiast as well as a sustainability activist. I love pragmatism - but I do not deprive myself from appreciating art -  and my writing leans towards the criticism and cultural analysis of the BIPOC community's concerns. Did "we" make it yet? Are "we" seen yet? How can we make "us" heard? We, BIPOC members are incredibly talented and diverse; there's a universe of possibilities for us out there to showcase our unique personalities, our own diversity, and our collaborative potential. For this reason I am grateful for this connection with AMAKA, their team and the community of readers, subscribers, and content creators in it.

I try to provide answers, leave out questions, and push readers to reflect on what I'm sharing in an article. I guess this is my creative avenue - strategically reporting underrepresented narrative of creative profiles and their emergent success to a receptive audience. However, since I've started sitting on the other side of the classroom, I began wondering the ways how I could be an efficient creative while pursuing other trajectories written in my destiny. Creatives who work in academia, are we valid in the industries and fields we spend our time and hone our labour in?

During the #Cohort23 by AMAKA hosted by Michelle Abrams, I'm back at being a student, ready to cultivate, refine, and reflect on my relationship with my creative self. Does an academic title make me obnoxious in the creative or media landscape? Is my immigrant journey suffocating my creativity or pushing me to elaborate alternative approaches to opportunities with other creatives? What's stopping me from tapping into this creative energy? Surrounded by other creatives, this cohort is an opportunity that I'm glad I grabbed and treasured it with an open and humble heart.