If aimless is a state of mind, where, oh, where on earth am I? I promise I’ve been present, despite going MIA. At least, that’s the story I’m sticking to. Having left a gaping hole in this publishing space for so long, I had convinced myself that a cloud of creative stasis had engulfed me, somewhere between spring and summer. Six months plus, since my last post and, with the arrival of autumn, I find myself falling past the latter half of the year with nagging thoughts, but nothing of note. Just notes on notes on notes. I went back through my journal entries from the beginning of the year though and realized something: The act of writing, the habit and ritual of putting words to page is and has remained an ongoing part of my practice, a foundational piece that I need to give myself credit for. After a closer look and with a little more grace, here are some highlights and pen-points that I’ve collected to-date:
FEBRUARY
A hacking of humanity / slowly slowly / surely surely / for seconds / for days / for decades / for centuries / too long
MARCH
I curated and coordinated an event at Eaton DC called “Black Women on the Move,” which served as a local stop on my ongoing #JOURNEYStour. I screened my visual docupoem, alongside other related performances and presentations by fellow Black female artists with transnational stories and experiences.
APRIL
The stasis is hard to shake / like ankle weights on emotions / cloudy thoughts and cluttered words / my silence is surrender / questions I have trouble answering / I offer up / like flowers / carefully cut and arranged / stems soaked in still water / a vase of disjointed thoughts / still beautiful
MAY
The days are numbered boxes / empty until filled / emptier in their passing / everyday is someone’s death anniversary / everyday an assortment of birthdays / schedules repeated / plans deleted
I was interviewed for a monthly showcast called Unerased Amplified. During the episode “Mothering Ourselves: Wit & Wisdom,” I had a chance to talk about my beloved maternal muse and what it was like interviewing her for my visual anthology JOURNEY(S): addis to dc.
JUNE
The tears fall / not at first impact / but in the after hours / of cause and effect / in the cool shadows / of dim regret / and destitute emotion / descending with mood / & drenching through
JULY
I participated in another #JOURNEYStour event, co-presenting my anthology against the backdrop of fine art renderings of Black women photographed by Redeat Wondemu, one of the collaborators I tapped for the Eaton event in March. I screened JOURNEY(S): addis to dc at the aptly titled Lost Origins Gallery. Afterward, Redeat and I sat in conversation with curator and connector Edom Wessenyeleh. We also took questions from the audience about our respective works.
AUGUST
If there was a casting call for a doyenne, a prominent and respected woman in a certain field, Arsema Thomas (they/she), would get the part. I spoke with the breakout actress and star of the newly released Hulu film She Taught Love, written by Darrell Britt-Gibson and directed by Nate Edwards. [Subscribers, keep scrolling to hear an excerpted audio clip from our interview.]
I came into the film truly not loving myself. – Arsema Thomas
Thomas, 30, stepped into the streaming spotlight with her role in the Netflix spinoff Queen Charlotte. We discussed our shared background, as Ethiopian-Americans, including how her grandmother's defiant act at the age of seven set the stage for her life’s work and changed the course of her family's history.
There's no way to start my story without going back. It starts from this red thread of very defiant women. – Arsema Thomas
Arsema emphasized the importance of intentional artistic collaboration, especially in the context of identity and representation. She gave flowers to Pan-African figures like Wangarĩ Maathai, Thomas Sankara, bell hooks and others she considers to be intellectual ancestors. Their heavy influence on her activism and art inspire her to challenge existing images of and narratives about Black women and to gravitate toward complex and nuanced characters. For Arsema’s sanity—personally, professionally—dimensionality is key. And, despite her “general malaise” about the future, she believes deeply that radical change is possible with self-love and empathy.
SEPTEMBER
My project JOURNEY(S) was featured in the September / October 2024 issue of Selamta, Ethiopian Airlines' in-flight magazine.
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