herstory

alysa l’se. the dreamer. the writer. the lost guide. the found student. the passionately practical, delusional, impulsive, leo stellium. the sensitive, stubborn, idealizing cancer. the anxious, capricorn rising, 6/2 projecting, neurodiverging overplanner. the lesbian. the black woman. the little, “too grown” black girl. the friend. the eldest sister. the only daughter. the remothering. existing, everywhere, all at once.

for as long as i can remember, i’ve found myself trying to fit into spaces that made me feel small, overstaying my welcome in boxes i knew i was meant to break through because i didn’t want to take up space or be seen as “too much”. coming out of this shell, i am realizing that i have to be honest about who i am, who i want to be and make room for how i need to show up for that person.

as someone living through the intersections of marginalization, i wasn’t just looking for belonging and representation across the spaces i loved but for others to have the same. it’s rare that women, femmes and queer folks alike are able to take part in creative avenues that don’t require us to leave pieces of ourselves at the door. while inclusion is important, beyond allies, we need to be around people who share our experiences without having to explain. sometimes, we just want to be somewhere with people who just… get it. simply.

as i come out of my mask, i am working to inspire queer creatives to break the binaries of society and live comfortably in the person who feels joyful, at ease and proud of the life they’ve built. too often are we told to leave our dreams behind because the road is “uncomfortable”. but as one of my favorite word magicians Reyna biddy says, “uncomfortable places can be beautiful. growth will always be beautiful.”

we are more than what society can conceptualize of us. we are more than the story that makes sense outside of us. we are more than what we produce in fear and performance because we offer our best when we’ve given it to ourselves. our magic isn’t to be consumed but created. protected. the world can get the overflow.