Tapping into creativity as you go & grow through CHANGE that shows up as loss + grief

Hey there!

In 1989, I graduated from Howard University School of Law and began taking the bar exam to fulfill my 16 year old teenage self’s dream of becoming a practicing attorney with a bar card.

When my bar exam journey began, I had no idea it would become a four-year painful life and career experience that produced my first adult struggles with loss and grief.

I had no idea the experience would bring me face-to-face with suffering and my type A personality. I didn’t know the experience would cause me to begin a personal relationship with surrendering my ego power for my heart power.

My bar exam experience dropped me into a well of deep loss and grief, and introduced creativity as my “healing balm” medicine. The creativity showed up as listening to lots of music while writing poetry and journal entries. Both forms of writing reminded me of the many days I would spend listening to my vinyl records and WHUR 96.3 FM while writing poetry and making handmade cards when I was in elementary and junior high school.

My creative practices became lifelines to healing that supported me as I dealt with CHANGE, LOSS, and GRIEF. In 2020, I began tapping into my creative practices of listening to music, writing, drawing, coloring, painting, cooking, and wearing colorful clothing and lipsticks to navigate the stress and anxiety I felt as a result of the loss and grief I faced during the global pandemic and the elections.

Four years later, my writing has blossomed into my debut spoken word album, Thriving Mindfully as Theresa’s Daughter. The album’s creative process helped me express and manage the loss and grief I started experiencing when my mom Theresa made her life transition on July 9, 2023. I still use these creative practices to ground myself as I go and grow through the loss and grief connected to my mom and the current changes I am experiencing as a result of aging, menopause, and the recent elections.

What are you using to support yourself as you experience CHANGE that shows up as loss and grief?

I invite you to click the video below to listen to “G.R.I.E.F.,” one of the tracks on my album, for tips on how to go and grow through CHANGE that shows up as loss and grief.

Just in case you need some inspiration for tapping into the creative practice of listening to music, check out “Thriving Mindfully as Theresa’s Daughter,” the signature track on the album that celebrates the gift of music my mom gave me.

FYI: Footprint Productions founder Garnet Jackson, my best friend for life and soul brothalove, breathed life into my creativity as the music producer of the album. Garnet guided me through the four-year process of writing and recording. In August 2023, I traveled to London and worked with Garnet and Brian Bogdanovic, the chief producer at BonaFide Studios, to record the album. I am deeply grateful for their amazing gifts and support.

To date, I have only released three tracks on M-xCloud, SoundCloud, and YouTube. I will release the full album in the coming months on a paid platform that aligns with my beliefs and values.

MORE SUPPORT

If you need more support, join me for the Thriving Mindfully Circles, a six-week series that will help you be present, well, and the REAL YOU no matter what’s happening.

Click the button register for the Thriving Mindfully Circles on Embracing Change on November 17 and 24 and December 1, 8, 15, and 22 at 7-7:30 PM ET. Pay what you can to attend. No one will be turned away.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Take a deep breath and a few seconds to let me know how you are doing by leaving a comment below, sending an email (ananda@anandaleeke.com), or reaching out with a direct message on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, or YouTube.

May you and your loved ones be happy, healthy, and free from inner and outer harm as you navigate daily changes in your life, relationship, and career.

Love, Ease, Grace, Joy, Peace, Wisdom, Creativity, and Abundance,

Ananda

P.S.: The Grief + You Retreat is a two-day nurturing experience (90 minutes for the first day and two hours for the second day) that I lead each month. The next retreats will be November 16-17 and December 7-8 at 2-3:30 PM ET (second day is 2-4 PM ET) via Zoom. Click the button to get more information.