(wo)man-oh-(wo)man!

11 months ago, I was mid way through an entrepreneurial fellowship program with the K auffman Foundation. The foundation had sent us to the bay area for a month, and one morning in April I was in our apartment in SOMA preparing a reunion brunch. Aurora came by and we did what we did best: ate, caught up, and motivated each other. I remember this distinct tone and look in A's demeanor. It was this indescribable look of determination. She looked me in the eye and said, "It's time, this is my year. I know it." Low and behold, the homies don't lie.

My emotion in seeing her evolution warms my heart times a million. Reading the first draft of her script back in 2003, us sharing a home in echo park shortly after, witnessing her gorgeous wedding years later and now seeing that she has truly arrived as an artist is something more young artists of color need to see and hear. As young women artists of color, this shit is REAL. Our crafts are real. Our stories are real. And our possibilities are endless.

As cliche as it all may sound, it's all futhamuckin' possible. The work, the determination, and the rewards. I know as artists, it's hard to recognize this sometimes. Life can stall part of the process, finances can distract us from refining our crafts, resources can sometimes appear minimal... But in essence, we owe it to all the folks around us who have supported us for years. Your success is truly their success. Knowing in your heart that your 'work' is a culmination of all the family, friends and strangers who have believed in you, is a new breed of motivation. There is no choice, your greatness is just around the corner.