Living In LA: Year 2

*Cue Roy Ayers, My Life in the Sunshine ☀️*

Today marks two years living in the city of Angels as it is called. Two years ago, after driving 2,304 miles separated into three days, I finally arrived in Los Angeles. As I write this, I have a flood of memories come to mind as I reflect on how much has happened within the past two years. I went from twists to braids to an afro to a whole silk press, and you couldn’t tell me nothing when I was rocking it! Los Angeles has been a city that I have learned so much from, and there have been a lot of great learning opportunities as well. I never use the term bad to describe my experiences, but I have definitely had some challenging experiences here, which was to be expected.

After my first year living here in Los Angeles, some of my takeaways included building community, being your biggest supporter, shooting your shot, and giving yourself some grace amongst other things. Those core ideas still remain true after year two as well along with a plethora of other themes. I chose to move to Los Angeles not only to pursue my doctoral studies, but also because I believed it to be a place that would challenge me and continue to bring out the best of me in every way. So after another year notched under my belt, and with the third year of my PhD program on the horizon, I thought it would be beneficial to share some more takeaways for folks thinking about making that big jump to their next chapter in life.

Try New Things:

Before moving to Los Angeles, there were places and events that I had highlighted and made notes within my iPhone that I wanted to visit. Like many tourists entering Los Angeles, I knew that I would want to visit the Hollywood Sign, Santa Monica Pier, and Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles as these were well-known staples I was familiar with prior to arriving. However, there were also some other things that I had no idea that I would get involved in, such as being a contestant on different gameshows or doing background work for films, tv shows, and engaging in skits. I have even picked up screenwriting as a new creative outlet outside of the PhD program. In my PhD program it is encouraged that you are reading literature outside of your field in order strengthen the works of your own research studies. It has been important to apply this general advice to other aspects of my life as well, as I have been intentional about making sure to get experiences outside of those that I was generally familiar with back in Michigan. As it does in reading new literature and connecting with people outside of my academic field, trying new things have allowed me to meet some amazing folks and get opportunities that I otherwise would not have been able to have.

Don’t Lose Your Joy:

For me joy is everything, and maintaining joy in a world that so often attempts to strip you of this is an act of resistance within itself. It is also an act of love, and one that people need to see and experience more. To exist in this world and to be relatively conscious is to feel a tension, as Bob Marley once said in his song, So Much Trouble in the World. To have joy is a blessing, and for me my understanding of joy comes from within and is deeply rooted within my faith and personal relationship to God. This joy for me is shown externally through acts such as dancing and service, and it is something that I will continue to do for as long as I have breath in my body!

Stay True To Yourself:

Moving away to a new city or anywhere else at that can be daunting for anyone that decides to make that leap. For me, even though I would embrace the new and knew that there would be changes, I also knew that I was and will continue to stay true to myself. Staying true to myself looks like not compromising my moral foundation and continuing to tap into things that reflect who I believe myself to be. Some of these things include treating people as I want to be treated, leading with love, and paying it forward to others just as so many have continued to pay it forward with me. It also looks like dancing for hours at a time, trying new hairstyles, and going on occasional food excursions amongst so many other things. As I mentioned on a blog I posted a little over four years ago, the Best Person to Be Is You. Leaning into your own strengths and qualities only allows you to be the best you not only for yourself, but it allows you to be your best self for others as well.

Find Your Places of Peace:

Whether you have decided to make that big jump physically or mentally, finding your places of peace is extremely important as you continue to grow. For me, these external places of peace have included the beach, the mountains, and community organizations that I have immersed myself in like the Metaphor Club over in Leimert Park area of Los Angeles. More internal sources of peace for me have continued to be journaling, running, and reading with the biggest being my own personal relationship with God as my ultimate source. Both of these external and internal places of peace have been essential to me as I continue to grow and learn more about myself each and every day here on the West Coast.

Embrace The Challenges:

This is always easier said than done, but as they say, pressure can make diamonds. Within a new place there are sure to be challenges that arise, and my perspective is that challenges are opportunities to grow. With that being said, there have definitely been a lot of opportunities of growth! Even though I believe it is important to always have a plan, I know that for me most of time things really never goes according to plan. Since I know that, I have become proficient at adapting to situations and making the best out of them, and this is something that I am still in the process of doing. Over the years, I have also noticed a pattern that putting your best foot forward in a situation, especially when challenging, can lead to outcomes that you may have not even expected to occur.

So cheers to 730 days in Los Angeles and the halfway point of my doctoral program! & Cheers to you for taking the time to read this!