Happy New Week, 
I've been driving across America and I noticed a few things. 
I noticed that we went from Halloween to Christmas decorations in a heart beat.
I am not calling any of you out, including my big brother, my sister-in-law and their kids lol. To me, I took it as a choice to see the positive. 

A LOT has happened heading into 2020 and throughout the entire year.
Personally, there have been global hits as well as personal hits. Why not celebrate what is coming instead of feeling confined and actually stuck?

Given all that has happened, I decided it was time to bring back some more wholesome blog posts. 
Our minds and spirits need to be refreshed and cared for just as much as we need to care for our bodies and those we love. 

If you are online (Instagram) and wanted to connect with a yogi, consider Fatimaeliza Gonzalez. 
We like that she adds some personal reflection to each challenge/ routine. 

Hello Beautiful People, 
Today we are speaking with Rosie Allenson. She is the founder of Non Traditional. 

I first met Rosie when she was barely in middle school. I met her with her mother Jodie (she's the owner and founder of Curvy Girl Studio in Noblesville, IN) at a Bead & Tea class we were hosting in Downtown Noblesville. Just as a heads up, we are offering jewelry and cultural immersion classes virtually now because we've received too many requests. Rosie and Jodie happen to be some of the clients I have been meeting with for cultural immersion classes. I digress.

I think Rosie is brilliant and a breath of fresh air. 
She is conscious and ready to work on making her portion of the world a better place. All this will be done while pursuing a higher education program that will allow her to pursue a career in acting, music theatre and business. 
She is open to new ideas and new voices and is ready to listen, learn and apply herself. 

I share Rosie's story today because we are never too young or too old to apply ourselves. 
I share Rosie's story because being inclusive and being an ally can take various shapes and forms. 

Today, we share a portion of our cultural immersion sessions as experienced through literature. 
We are reading Nervous Conditions by Zimbabwean novelist, playwright, and filmmaker Tsitsi Dangarembga. Nervous Conditions was first published in the United Kingdom in 1988. It was the first book published by a black woman from Zimbabwe in English. The BBC named Nervous Conditions the top 100 books that have shaped the world, in 2018. 

We've had a wonderful time reading this book. Not that it has been an easy read, but rather that it has allowed us to have hard conversations. Now, pardon me for a bit while I am me and explain the usefulness of hard conversations as I mean it.

Hard conversations are unpleasant but can be immensely useful for mankind to have because the tomorrow available to others (most of whom would be considered minors or unborn), depends on what we do today as the living. We are all living in "borrowed spaces" or a "borrowed existence" of sorts. This borrowed nature will have to be passed on to others.

What we do, while here matters immensely.
Hard conversations, when birthed from ethical angles, allow for sturdy roots to be established. Those sturdy roots allow for shade trees to be established that we might never sit under but that others will one day be grateful we fought for and/ or established. Our borrowed presence is not a right, but a privilege. We need to be aware of this borrowed presence with the same attentiveness we might give to a tender houseplant that we want to live. 

I take it as a form of worship.
I take it as one of the most critical forms of worship.
So when I gather for these cultural immersion experiences, I am not just gathering for the sake of gathering. I don't know everything. I am open. I am willing. I am available. I am present. I want whatever divine power allowed me life to allow us a space for growth and human connection that can continue to do good long after I am gone. I attend those meetings with the same humility I might tithe before a deity I have reverence for. During those meetings, I am doing work that he/ she/ they might ask me about. 

What we do today as the living, requires an awareness birthed a lot of times by hard conversations. Jodi, Rosie and I have sat down together, shared with each other, taught and enlightened each other as we continue to find ways to establish the shade trees we are actively working to leave behind. 

Are you a reader?
What version of the arts do you consume (especially in these covid times, we are all consuming the arts somehow)... so, what form of the arts do you prefer?
Is anything you consume inclusive and/ or challenging of your view of the world?

We have a tendency to want to engage across social media when it comes to growth, politics, religion and any other major world views. Perhaps, the best place to start could be personally through the content you consume before reaching out to try and dialogue with others. Are you willing to engage in learning or viewing the world from a lens you might not prefer and/ or agree with? Why or why not? 

Happy Thursday and let's keep growing together,
Stay HEALTHY and safe, 
The LHo Team (The Empowerment Initiative)

About the shoppable pieces below: The artwork is from The Central African Republic, Western Kenya and America. 
All the selected artwork would fall under the non traditional banner that Rosie has chosen to embrace and highlight. We have artwork made from butterfly wings (no butterflies were injured), banana bark or people floating in umbrellas. The pieces capture artistic expression in an unexpected manner and we'd love for you to gift a non traditional art piece to someone you love or tell a friend about us. As always, if you have questions, concerns or comments, get in touch. xo. 

​Do you know how the food you consume makes it to the grocery stores you shop from?
Do you know what farms supply your local grocery stores?
Is it possible to find out? If it's difficult to find out, should this be the case? How can you change this? 

There are a lot of subjects that we, as minorities, discuss in private. As part of our Forever Learning Series, we want to bring those subjects to our customer base. We will continue to present the information under a social ethics lens (this also means I am a heavy friend to have and a heavy dinner guest. I am also a heavy person to consume adult beverages with because I like to reflect and other people engage in social gatherings to decompress.
I just wanted to give a heads up because a lot of customers have actually reached out to dialogue with me... of which I appreciate. I digress).

What do you know about immigration to the United States?
How many immigrants do you know well personally?
How much of their story do you know and understand?
How many other minority group families/ individuals do you know well? 
Do you know who stocks your grocery store shelves at night?
Do you know how much any of these groups earn?
Do you know how many hours a week they work?
Do you know how they ended up in these fields? 
How does that compare with your story?
Do you believe in mission work? How do you feel about those who you might assist on missions coming here to better themselves? 
Have you been on a mission trip? What social justice/ equality issues have you tackled within America? 
.
Earlier this year, a former and fellow business owner and I had a lengthy discussion about our roles in the community as minorities that might be looked up to as leaders as well. We both concluded that one of our greatest sins had been silence. It made a lot of others believe, and yes... this was vocalized to both of us on various occasions, that a lot of the social justice cries we see across social media and in the news were made up, came from whiners and were given by those who just didn't want to pull themselves up via their bootstraps but instead might have preferred a handout. We just wanted our businesses to thrive. So we lay low and remained silent even though today, there are businesses I know I can't walk into in Noblesville, Indiana.

Currently, the other business owner stepped down and I turned our business into a small social enterprise because we want to do good as we turn profits. We now fall under the NGO and nonprofit banner (nonprofits do make profits, the money is simply directed to various causes and efforts across various communities selected for impact).

We want to empower. We want to inform and we believe, as an organization, we have a moral responsibility to all our customers and visitors to create a more enriching experience that allows for growth through various channels. 

Please join us in reflecting and do feel free to share what you might discover as you reflect. 
There shouldn't be shame associated with growing and/ or becoming a better human being. There shouldn't be shaming when it comes to inquiring for knowledge purposes (Kiswahili proverb/ African philosophical view). Admitting our faults becomes that much harder when there is shame surrounding the process. Be humble enough to notice your ills. Be humble enough to remember you will continue to make mistakes too. Forgive yourself (and others) and then become better. To fail to do this is to fail to worship That Which Allowed Us being. E. A. Wasonga

PS: We added a video from Insider News (eight minute video with subtitles) and a few sweet deals. Most pieces are $10. Happy shopping and sharing (click on image to shop design). 

Given that my adviser had been an avid world travel, he allowed me to craft out my college experience with as much international exposure as I wanted (and still graduate on time). He was so dedicated to making sure I had the experience I needed that some of my classes, that were only available biennially and that he taught, he offered to teach me in private in his office when I returned. That allowed me to travel abroad (really, go back to Kenya and enjoy the familiar tastes and sounds of East Africa for a solid seven months) but also, explore my media studies from an African (and also Commonwealth) lens. There, he gave me access to GOLD. I believe a lot of what we are struggling with, on a personal, financial, emotional level, someone or a group of people somewhere in the world already has an applicable solution for. However, we are so busy exercising various versions of selfishness, being territorial, judgemental, unwilling and unfair to release ourselves from bondage. Being abroad for those months allowed me a whole other collection of perspectives, not just from my professors and how education is fashioned abroad, but from the students and the various discussions and cultural experiences I would have missed had I remained in America. 

So, I am writing this now because it's necessary. I am writing this because we need more voices that have different perspectives and we need more voices that impact smaller circles across this nation. 

I realize I live in a nation that I appreciate and that I call one of my many homes. 
Here though, as much as an education and then a college degree determine various factors in life... we forget what all that education is for. It's not just a process. It's a process with purpose. 
Here, history is based on opinions and not researched facts here, in this America I love and call one of my many homes. 
Science is ignored and based on political views and not researched mainly because a lot of times, what I bump into is a lack of know how on where to go for information. As everyone is out studying various fields and going through various forms of education, it is important to birth lifelong learners. 

For all the math I studied and all the science I took in and even classes like art (especially between Kenya and Botswana and my final science courses in my American high school) there was not just here is X, Y and Z... we also spent a lot of time proving and investigating what we were learning. 

Here is an example from my Science and Agriculture classes in primary school (elementary school in Kenya).  
Transpiration: (of a plant or leaf) transpiration can be described as the exhalation of water vapor through the stomata.
"plants lose more than 90 percent of their water through transpiration" (definition was gathered from Oxford Languages)

We not only wrote the word down, we were taught where the term stemmed from. What two or three languages married each other to birth the word. 

We then spent a lesson or three, once the chapter was over, proving that what he had learnt actually takes place. In the case of transpiration, we used plastic bags. We tied a plastic bag over a few leaves on a tree or potted plant for a few days and when we returned a few days later, there would be liquid in the bag that had touches of green and brown to it. We hadn't had liquid in the bag before. The liquid was now there. We wrote what we observed and proceeded to the next subject matter and even took time to ask our teachers various questions in relation to transpiration. 

Education isn't just about stating facts. The more we research, the more we learn about facts. This is why Pluto was downgraded into a dwarf planet in my lifetime and this is also why we (as a human race) discovered that plants could also use artificial light to produce food (photosynthesis). I remember the agriculture class I was in (it was 2002) when our teacher made us aware of what researchers had now discovered. 

​Education should empower us to think critically, learn how to research facts and weigh truth. The moment education becomes about parotting (especially unfounded information), we are then living on dangerous breeding ground.
​
I live in a country where the media is not understood, the way I had to take years and years of classes to understand how it works and why it matters. The media, also through it's own doing, has turned into a source of entertainment and is no longer founded on passing of unbiased information.

The media ethics courses I had to take, are disregarded because networks are no longer unbiased and thus exist under the oppression of political agendas and for ratings that bring in financial backing.

This is dangerous. I could list a zillion and one reasons why this is dangerous or I could simply begin to share pieces I think will help those who frequent our platform, have another outlook on matters. ​

I did not realize what role our presence in the community played until I was invited to a dinner where we discussed immigration. I was invited to help decipher what was real from what was not. I was an immigrant. I had become a citizen. They had known me for a long time and valued my presence in their lives. They felt with me, they could share their truth about what they believed when it came to immigration and why the path to citizenship was sacred. However, there were so very, many views being shared across various media platforms and a lot of them were opinion based. A lot of the channels brought in experts and naysayers to shout at each other and had stopped informing because ratings, ratings, ratings. So we spoke about DACA. We spoke about the green card which should no longer be termed as a lottery. We spoke about my life back home. We spoke about international students. We spoke about the path to citizenship and how some were left out. 

We are now social distancing. 
​We have a blog that thousands of you visit (THANK YOU). 
So, here is a link from National Geographic that breaks down the 19th amendment based on historical accounts. It's a five minute read. I/ We, as a team, don't want to continue in the insanity we all seem to be practising. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. We keep barking at each other. Let's do something else. Let's return to the drawing board, as a nation, as humanity, and begin to research what we believe.

We invite those that visit our website to join us in thinking critically. What we research and decide (as citizens of the world) will determine the tomorrows others get to face. That is an important role to play. 
​
We also added a few of our dinners, a few of our latest looks so the team and our suppliers can continue to be paid and music that was written by a Ghanaian and Kenyan artists. I never thought music that spoke of our African struggles might ever be used to highlight struggles (even in part) that we would witness and face in The West. Here we are though. 
Take care of yourselves and stay healthy,
You, who is reading, matters to us. x
The LHo Team

Does institutionalized oppression continue in various ways currently? Why or why not? How did you arrive at the conclusions you did? Did you use a fair assessment of evidence to arrive at your conclusions? Are there other ways you might be able to view the issue? From relearning the 19th amendment from historical accounts, let's begin to become forever learners that think critically and hopefully, even ethically. 

Hey Beautiful People, 
How is your week going? 
I will openly confess I stood and cried about USPS. USPS not functioning (the way it should) impacts SO MUCH of what we do. I am me, I have found a solution, but I still needed to stop and allow my emotions room to be.

I took a moment to cry and then messaged a few people I feel shake things up across the globe. Confession complete, now, how are you doing? Are there any emotions you want to allow room? Make sure you allow them the room they need so that you can refuel yourself with better energy. 

As I pen about better energy, I also wanted to blog about what most of you might have noticed across social media. A lot of women are now posting black and white shots of themselves. Taylor Lorenz, covered the phenomenon for The New York Times, and stated... "The premise of the “challenge accepted” trend is that these photos promote female empowerment, and that nominating friends to take part in the campaign is a way for women to support each other".

I first noticed the images from a few of our customers in Vizag, India. Then, the tags started coming in. 

I didn't have the energy to post an actual image on Instagram (I have to use hashtags and I wasn't ready for all that action). I did however post a shot of me in our stories which I find way simpler to do. What about you? Have you participated? Do you think the campaign is useful? Do you think it changes or impacts anything?

Now, to go along with this theme of women supporting women, I chose songs that I feel celebrate women and sisterhood. Some support through lyrics while others support by having women just come together and SING. If you have any recommendations for this list, send them in. I listen to music while I do most of my life. Also, if you have any good recommendations from allies, send those in as well. I added Tarrus Riley to the playlist because he is the one artist I have seen perform live (I was in Dallas, Texas for business) and he invited people on stage to dance but he did not need the girls to do anything outlandish. When he saw one girl begin to dance a little to provocatively for him, he held her hand and asked her to step off the stage. She could have done WHATEVER she wanted to (I am in no way trying to censor her dance moves)... for me, it was just nice to watch a musician not expect it. It was nice to watch a man say, you can do that off stage, but let it not be because I asked you to come on stage. That wasn't part of the request. He just wanted company and hype on stage.

The song selection is full of older songs, but music to me is like wine. In between becoming grownup enough to travel from state to state for pop ups (alone... in a car or on a train), I found I didn't need the hippest, latest anything. I took comfort in either listening to thoughts through books, TED Talks, certain comedians doing stand up and/ or enjoying music that cemented a time in my life, a loved one's life or perhaps a song I bumped into while listening to a show. 

I was apparently no longer listening to music to prove anything. I select songs that in essence help me date and get to know myself, my thoughts and world views in a way. Music can do that.

I also added our latest designs because our team needs to be paid and the makers and interns that have gotten used to earning with us actually rely on that money to do portions of their lives.

​So here you go. 

​...and until the next post, try as much as you can to be kind and thoughtful of others, even if others are not thoughtful of you... being honest to yourself and the path you were chosen to walk in this life is all you are required to do. So, be truthful to that journey and you will find that the rest settles as you return to dust. 

Cheers,
​E. A. Wasonga 

Reflecting is not a sin.
We wrote this piece from a genuine space and to provoke thought.

Sharing thoughts in a respectful manner can provoke reflection and growth.
So this was written so we can listen, reflect and share with each other.

Listening to each other is not a sin either.  

There will be more pieces written and shared through our platform that promote conversation and growth. 

If we do not speak with each other and/ or ask questions, while connecting as human beings (and allowing each other a listening ear), then nothing changes. 

We also wrote this piece to mark days... otherwise it's all just sunrises and sunsets jumbled together (especially in 2020).

We added various dresses that are still available for purchase online. 
Only dresses though they vary in style (may that provoke thought and conversation too)

Happy Friday 
Stay healthy, safe and open to The Universe
The LHo Team

As people, we have a tendency to forget certain parts of society. We have a tendency to become unaware, whether we mean to or not. I do it. I am sure others do too. 

The forgotten people look different from nation to nation and from time to time. I remember being in university and reading about how older generations sometimes became the forgotten in various parts of the US. I then had to write papers on the subject. I remember presentations from fellow students that highlighted the incarcerated and one time, with a now close friend, sex workers.

A lot of the forgotten make people uncomfortable, so it’s not always best practice to bring them up. We learnt that over one brutal summer with a friend as she tried to impact the lives of sex workers and found the religious institution she called home disapproved of everything she was doing. This broke her and we pieced her back together with beads, silence, music, random fast food visits and a lot of crying plus praying.

The discomfort makes me wonder about what we should do next. Should we discuss the issue or remain proper and in essence, silent? If you only have one life to live, wouldn’t it also be profitable to use part of it to handle some of the world’s heaviness in between everything else you feel you have to do before you die? Discomfort isn’t a reason to stay silent anymore. Or at least, it isn't to our team. 
      
As a child in one of the Eastern nations of Africa, I remember social ethics classes where we discussed those who were HIV positive and how society, at the time, preferred to shun and even neglect them to the point of death. Forgotten people are everywhere. Currently, a second man is said to have been cured of the disease in the UK. Such headlines make me wonder about those who died and the burden of human life. Not that I am God or that I even want to check His work, but sometimes, I wonder about us as mankind. I wonder about how much of a burden we are to each other, to the earth we live in and even to God.

In these social ethics classes, we often discussed why people might shun someone diagnosed with the disease. We discussed the facts of the disease and perhaps why shunning them might not be helpful to society as a whole. We discussed myths about the disease and then reflected on how these myths led to lost lives. As stated before, forgotten people differ from nation to nation and from time to time. It took us a while to get to the point where we now say, HIV is not a death sentence. With the possibility of a cure within reach, it now truly isn’t a death sentence. For me and my ever reflective mind though, this gives me a lot to ponder. ​

​Now, as Covid-19 has turned into a global pandemic, various groups of forgotten people have surfaced. The other day, I was going through Instagram in between sewing masks when I saw a post from a friend and fashion influencer I have worked with throughout the years. The post was jolting. I think I instantly empathized with her frustration and it also shocked me. I was once again being introduced to forgotten people. People that even I, had forgotten. As stated before, it's something we all do. I have made peace with the fact that despite all the papers I wrote on the subject, I am still going to work hard to be aware and fail at it anyway. 
 
I didn't know what to do so I called her first after commenting on her post. I spoke with her and asked her to record a short video we could share that highlighted what she felt might help those like her brother at this time. I still don't have a concrete solution and that is another thing that bothers me (catches my attention) about us... mankind. We made these rules. Not necessarily us, but people who lived or perhaps ran affairs before us. Why should there be systems we don't understand how to navigate? Why isn't this information readily available? And if we find out the system in place isn't serving our current needs, why must it be such a battle to better things? These are all man-made complications and we are man. As I said, I ponder a lot.

We have a project with a teammate that will allow us to design and create furniture with former inmates within the US. This should roll out in the next few weeks since I've learnt that almost everything we design or bring in tends to sell online. People seem to appreciate our aesthetic and former inmates are a group I have wanted to work with. Why not do it now? I don’t have a plan for Sarah’s brother though.

I have decided that bringing the subject to the limelight, especially amongst those who shop with us, is important. I emcee and craft various cross-cultural events not just within Indiana, but the world. These events allow people to meet and connect with other people who might not live, love, worship or look like them. When we gather and work through societal issues (verbally and otherwise), I almost always hear a statement along the lines of "Hmm, I didn't even know this was still an issue," or "I didn't even know this was a problem anywhere in the world,". 

Having these cross-cultural events has allowed us to see each other, despite our differences. As stated before, I am always quietly thinking about mankind and the burden of our existence and the possibility of lessening our burden on each other, the earth and eventually, God. I feel that when we connect on that human level, politics and other insignificant issues aside, we can finally begin to get past a lot of the man-made and man-allowed chaos we have chosen to exist in.

So, I am sharing Sarah's story. I've tried to read and watch a few more interviews so I can learn more on the subject. Again, I might not have the solution, but reading and listening might help me understand more so our organization can also become a resource on the subject. We are choosing to share because someone might read this and may very well have a solution or even a suggestion that might help Sarah. 

I think the biggest thing for me, as someone who cares deeply about this state and calls this nation one of my homes, is I did not want to be silent anymore. I've styled, dressed, partnered and created for a lot of influential people in the state and beyond this state. Simply calling Sarah to check in on her emotional and mental state, didn't feel like enough. So if you do read this and you do know more about what can be done to help, not just Sarah’s brother John, but others who are serving time behind bars, please get in touch.

​These are the latest texts I received from Sarah yesterday evening and today morning:

04/ 28th/ 2020 4:36 PM: As of right now I haven’t been able to hear from him in a week. All we know is that they moved him to a hospital to get treatment and we have not heard which hospital. They won’t let us know where he is only that he’s getting treatment. And it’s been a week.

04/ 29th/ 2020 1:26 PM: I just heard today that he is alert and still in the hospital. They won't tell us where though.

Below, I've added the photographs from one of the projects where Sarah literally saved us. We were booked for three events in three different states on one weekend. I loved why each event was being held and I wanted us to take part in ALL of them. Each event had to do with culture and community. Sarah agreed to take the Kansas City, MO event. She drove for nine hours to meet African DJs she did not know but that put the event together. She produced The Taste of Africa Festival fashion show we were hired to create with our pieces and some of her own (she's a stylist). These are some of the dress rehearsal pictures. So today, I will not include anything for sale. I will share the magic of SarahJintheCity and what she brought to life. You can also watch her IGTV video here: https://www.instagram.com/p/B_iHpaHhDLy/

I like music. Music is always a good idea. I included a song by the late Geoffrey Oryema - Makambo. I bumped into this song on YouTube and I like to listen to it on days when I allow my pondering to ebb and flow without restrictions. ​

Hey there, 
We've decided to take the "extra time" available now that we are social distancing, and not popping up across the country, to share stories. Stories are how people learn best, in my opinion. I see it happen every time I hold a jewelry making class and share the stories of the various beads from across the globe. When we closed down our physical store, we received a lot of concerned messages about not being available as a resource that people could learn from in Noblesville. We did listen and we are working to share as many stories as possible online. So, the first person we interviewed is an artist whose work we've followed for years via Instagram and her name is Jasvir Panesar.  

LHo Team: How did you end up on this journey? Were there teachers, parental figures etc that endured you had access to the arts?
Jasvir: My mum is an artist, and I guess she passed it on to me..
I did O’level art (GCSE) I never took it seriously, the art teacher always threatened to throw me out of the window... because she knew I had potential, however being a teenager I had other things on my mind. I got an A in art without really trying.
I didn’t go to an art school or take my art any further because I had a lot going on personally, so I hate to admit but I wasted that time of my career life. I gave up art all together. I guess it was only after I had my daughter, I was home a lot and decided to pass my time painting, that’s when I started getting orders for portraits from my friends and family. Some paid and most wanted a freebie. ​I was approached by many people wanting my art for their projects or business ventures. I was naive and excited that my art would be showcased. Little did I know it was just a way to get my art for free. I have learnt a lot since and now I’m very cautious of how I let anyone use my artwork.

LHo Team: What places on earth do you call home?
Jasvir: I was born in London, UK, When I was three years old my parents decided to move back to Kenya. I grew up in Nairobi, returned to London when I was 22. Currently London is my home, but Kenya will always be my first home.
​
I love America. It's one of my homes, A lot of times though, living in America feels like having to "choose sides" because identity here is so race oriented. You can't just wake up in America when you are a minority. I can say that because it's a load I realize I'm lifting specifically as I prepare to travel back to various African nations with our customers. Once we are at the airport and especially when we are flying via an African airline, I feel my body relax and put the weight of my color, hair and accent down. It's not like the other parts of Africa I lived in. When you are a minority and you wake up in America, especially when people are not social distancing and sheltering in place, every morning feels like waking up, remembering you have color (or difference) to you and figuring out how to appropriately carry your color (difference) in an acceptable manner in between everything else you have to do that day. Yes, it's a daily thing just like brushing your teeth or taking a bath. For those of us at LHo who were not born or raised here, it feels like having to walk around with a load on your head and shoulders that no one else can sees you are carrying. Sometimes, you think you are safe because you are still in your neighbourhood until the neighbour's child sees you eating fruit and comments out loud about you being a monkey to his friends (loud enough for you to hear) when all you were doing was trying to get your vitamins for the day. Sharing some of these experiences became very important to me because I have a lot of treasured customers who come and discuss race, justice, global culture, women's rights, the struggles that their adopted children, who might be of another race, face with me. I have been invited to dinners where we had to discuss immigration because they felt I was the person they could safely have a conversation with in a manner that birth growth. I am grateful for everyone who trusts me enough to want to discuss these issues and grow from these discussions. I however noticed that not sharing my experiences or the experiences and voices of others was almost a robbery in a way. A lot of the people who gravitate to our organization want a better world. They want to be part of building that better world and they want their children and grandchildren to be part of that as well. For that reconciliation to take place, our truth has to be shared so there can be awareness and from that hopefully, healing. We specifically wanted to know what inspires Jasvir because she creates outside racial lines. Sharing her story is our way of sharing "another existence" or a world where color isn't always such a source for turmoil. I have shared with LHo Team members that I didn't know I had color until I got here in 2004. I learnt it in under two weeks of arriving in America. I cried so hard that day and vow I was going to work as hard as I could to never allow anyone to box me because I had "color to me". Jasvir represents The Old World I lived in. The one where we celebrated difference through acculturation and enculturation. The Old World where we tried to grow from difference instead of look for ways to shame or automatically judge others for not being like us. 

LHo Team: What inspires you?
Jasvir: I love colour, I’m mostly inspired when I’m around colour of any nature, be it skin, nature, wildlife or even jewellery (especially African jewellery) because it is so colourful and vibrant. I love watching other artists create, that really inspires me. I’ll be honest I’m quite a lazy girl but when I have an art idea I forget to eat!

I feel they have so much depth and history in them. They have the perfect features and such beautiful and colourful head wraps. I love colour as you can see from my Instagram feed. It’s all colour!

LHo Team: So what is the most expensive piece you’ve ever sold. Tell us about it and what was it? Do you have images of it?
Jasvir: I did a portrait of a couple married for 40 years a few years ago. I sold that for £250 as it was a very large painting and needed a lot of detail. I don’t have an image of it unfortunately.

LHo Team: Okay, what about your most beloved piece of art? Why is it precious to you?
Jasvir: It’s one I did recently of an African woman. It was an experiment, I was trying out a fluid art technique with a glue gun and the portrait on top. It turned out so beautiful and has over 80, 000 views on YouTube.

​LHo Team: Who would you like to work with art wise and/ or create a piece of art for?
Jasvir: I don’t really know of any particular artist, but I always dream of seeing my work on the international catwalk someday. May be Gucci might come across my work someday... I can dream... :)

LHo Team: Where can people buy your art? Do you offer virtual art lessons?
Jasvir: I don’t have a website yet, but people can check out my Facebook or Instagram page..contact me if they like anything. I also have a YouTube Channel where you can watch the process to most of my paintings.

LHo Team: Is there anything else you would like anyone that bumps into our blog to know? 
Jasvir: I’m a self taught artist and I learn more everyday. I create art that makes me happy and is full of colour. I’m a rebel, very moody but extremely friendly. Hit me up!!

​Supporting indie is not hard and doesn't always have to involve you spending money (especially if you are not in a position to do so). You can support indie businesses and artists by liking posts or letting your contacts know about various artists you might have bumped into while doing life, in case your contacts do want to shop. Please follow Jasvir on Instagram or subscribe to her YouTube channel. That's a way of supporting her too. Below is the video from Jasvir that got 80,000 views, a playlist from our intern Shem and some of our latest designs on Shoptiques that hail from Maasai Market or have beads that were sourced from there. If you would like to commission a piece from Jasvir, get in touch. She is all types of awesome!!! We'll put up another post once her work in available within the US. 

We wish you good vibes, peace, love and a great weekend!!
Hugs and kisses
​The LHo Team. 

So social media can lead to great connections and finds. Via Instagram, we recently bumped into From Coffee to Wine, a podcast produced in Indiana by Jacqueline Martinez. Jacqueline is based in Greenwood, Indiana. I loved that she was "local" (yes, we travel. However, there are certain cities and towns that will ALWAYS be home to us. Indy is one of those places. It was the first state we resided in when we moved to America in 2004).

I also liked the name of her podcast and her hashtag #LetsBeHuman.
I asked her for the top three things she does to stay true to this hashtag and this is what she had to share:

1. Have a "serve first" mentality
2. Listen first. Talk second (if at all)
3. When I do share, I'm very real and go deep quickly
   ​

In 2020, let's spend more time being kind and being human as opposed to making sure we tick all the boxes to impress people we might not necessarily truly care for. Let's spend time with those we value, doing what makes us happy and makes the world a better place. Your mental health will thank you for this. 

I also thought it would be GREAT to feature her because she's holding both a cup and a wine glass. 

I did not know that we could sell as many mugs and wine glasses as we have until the end of 2019 rolled around. We're still shipping out mugs and wine glasses and for that we are grateful. We hope they are serving you well as you go from tea/ coffee to wine and back to tea/ coffee again. To shop any of the mugs or glasses, simply click on the image. 

​We also featured one of her podcasts where she discusses how the podcast was born. Whenever we embark on a project, a lot of us struggle with lining things up in the name of perfection when really, we just need to begin. Listening to her process might inspire you to begin or continue yours (irrespective of whatever it is you are embarking on or moving forward with). Her vulnerability (humanity... #LetsBeHuman) might just birth your strength. 

Cheers
​The LHo Team.