8 Audacious Actions
Explore Creativity
“When you are in a creative mindset, you can open your mind to what is possible, and not be limited by what already exists.”
Exploring Creativity Can Open Opportunities
WHEN MOST PEOPLE THINK of exploring their creativity, they envision having to drag out crayons, scissors, or paint to create some masterpiece. But, creativity comes in many forms—and even people who don’t consider themselves to be creatives could take some time to explore these avenues.
For some, creativity comes naturally, like those who were able to knit their own booties from birth. However, for others, it’s a struggle at times. Take heart, my friends! Creativity is a skill you can learn.
Regardless of how you choose to cultivate it, you will discover how much enjoyment being intentionally creative adds to your professional journey.
"The key is to grant yourself time to dabble in creative activities."
Explore Creativity
Herstory
Cicely Tyson
CICELY TYSON was a woman who used her creativity in audacious ways. Over her fifty-year acting career, she was known for only choosing to play resilient Black women who were thriving even while living under pressure. Tyson said, “I wait for roles first to be written for a woman, then to be written for a black woman. And then I have the audacity to be selective about the kinds of roles I play” (tvworthwatching.com).
Her refusal to play roles that demeaned Black women caused her to be out of work periodically. However, she still achieved numerous accolades including Emmy awards, a Tony award, an honorary Oscar, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
A trendsetter for fashion and hair, Tyson showed her creativity when she wore cornrows in the movie Sounder, and in a short-lived television series called East Side/Westside, she wore her natural un-straightened hair. For this, she was dubbed “mother of the afro.” Tyson’s nuanced way of portraying powerful Black women with realistic subtleties broke boundaries for Black women. She played famous, strong Black women such as Harriett Tubman, Coretta Scott King, and mothers of Rosa Parks and Wilma Rudolph.
In addition, her portrayal of fictional characters, such as Miss Jane Pittman and the mother of Kunta Kinte in Roots illuminated Black womanhood. It allowed white audiences to secretly stare at the complexity of the Black female experience in America.
Cicely Tyson passed away on January 28, 2021, at ninety-six years old. Another queen of creativity, Shonda Rhimes, known for her creation of highly addictive television shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and How to Get Away with Murder summed up the loss of Cicely Tyson in one sentence: “Her power and grace will be with us forever” (Quote in article by MSN.com).
