Run It Back! – MAKER.

The old days are rollin’ back in!

With the vaccinations going around becoming more and more accessible, the life we once knew is starting to return (a lot earlier than I expected if i’m being real). Fighting the virus is clearly not over, but those long days spent inside for protection seem to be on its way to being in the rearview for most. Even though it’s not over, I’ve been thinking on how do we go on from here? How is this past year & some change going to effect us as a community, us as a whole, us as a planet in the next 2? 5? 10 years? It’s crazy to think how such a relative small amount of time can affect such a longer period of time in the future. Then THAT got me thinking about how much that ties back into effort put into whatever you’re trying to achieve.

Sometimes, the tasks that you may consider small or “not as important” are the tasks that actually put you in the position to succeed. I’ve learned over time & observation that taking care of the small details is pivotal to the success of anyone’s ventures. Working on those smaller tasks every day should be the goal for anyone. It will take time, but the time will be rewarded for those moving in full faith.

So Why Stop Now?

Why Stop Now? went from a question all the way to a collection; A collection dedicated to being yourself, living your truths, & accomplishing your goals. Why Stop Now? as a question will have a different impact on every individual who asks themselves. As a community, we must ask ourselves this every day in order to accomplish the goals that we want to together. For me, it meant speaking about my people & uplifting those voices despite it not being our “month”. The plan is to have this collection out late June, but there is a possibility it could leak into early August. This is all for good reasoning though as I am trying to make this release really special. Finding the best comfort in blanks has been essential for me as I want all of my clothing to feel perfect on the body (until I start making my own blanks). 2 shirts, 1 sweatshirt, 1 bandana, & 1 pair of shorts. Better visuals for the socials are also in the works. & speaking of visuals…..just know i got something for you.

From this point on, I’m changing how I sell LEVEL UP. as well. No more pre-order type sells. There will be a limited quantity of each item put on sale on the website until it is sold out (I’m thinking 20-25 of each right now, but that’s all subject to change). Forgot to pick up on a shirt from a few weeks back? If I still have it in your size, you got it. When you release in a specific timeframe, it limits people who are in a crunch from purchasing. In a way to be more accessible & improve the wait times of orders I felt as though this was the best way to move forward!

If this is your first time reading the blog, then I have to tell you that each post I like to highlight one person/group of people that deserve to be recognized more for their contributions to society and themselves. In this post, I want to bring more attention to Darnella Frazier, the saint that put the spotlight on Chauvin & presented the best evidence of murder & privilege you can, through a video. Only 17 years old at the time, she was brave enough to put risks and backlash aside to record the death of George Floyd at the expense of Chauvin in addition to testifying at his trail not too long ago. During the trail, Darnella says “When I look at George Floyd, I look at my dad, I look at my brothers, I look at my cousins, my uncles.” she has stayed up some nights “apologizing and apologizing to George Floyd for not doing more and not physically interacting and not saving his life.” She also took to her own social media to broadcast her voice & further demonstrate the evil tenacity of Chauvin. “George Floyd was already cuffed on the ground, a knee to the neck when you’re already restrained is absolutely unnecessary,” she wrote. “That man was begging for his life and Chauvin did not care.” In my eyes, Darnella is a hero and deserves way more recognition. It is hard to think how this case may have turned out if not for her being so courageous and filming the incident.

As I come to a close with this 2nd edition of the LEVEL UP. blog, i’ll leave 5 more things that i’ve read/seen/listened to over the course of the last couple of months that I think every one should take notice to. Those things are as follows:

& finally, to wrap it all up, here is this month’s playlist for you all to enjoy. Thank you so much for making it this far if you did, & be sure to be back here for the next edition in July!