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. 

Hello Lovelies, 
We bumped into a story we wanted to share.

Traveling with a few of you (to East Africa) allowed us to reconnect with a lot of our East African upbringing.

Being on the ground reminded us just how much East Africans recycle, reduce, reuse, rot/ compost and upcycle.  We are actively returning to our East African roots/ values that remind us: waste not, want not. The saying was a constant reminder in school and at home. If you live to waste, you will eventually get to a point where you do not have. Be conscious of your usage as you are only a visitor passing through these earthly streets. Just as you are passing through, leave a world for those that will visit after you. East Africans are very much philosophical thinkers and we have been for centuries. That's why some of our traditional garb is littered with proverbs and sayings.

Now, as we reconnect with our roots and find new avenues to reduce our waste footprint, we wanted to share an exciting story from IKEA that we thought quite a few of you might appreciate or would like to pass on because we all know that one person that is IKEA obsessed. Remember, we are forever learning, growing and connecting and this felt like a push in the right direction from a big business brand. It felt like the kind of push that might normalize discussing sustainable living ideas. 

Here's what you need to know: 

• According to BBC News, The Swedish giant, IKEA, will as of next month, launch a scheme to buy back some of your unwanted  IKEA furniture. 
• Under the plan, it will offer vouchers worth up to 50% of the original price, to be spent at its stores.
• The "Buy Back" initiative will launch to coincide with Black Friday in order to make sustainable living more attainable. 

This is GREAT news for the planet and for us, as a small social enterprise that was always BIG about reusing, it helps us become bolder about reducing our waste footprint (BBC BUSINESS, 13th Oct 2020)

Our shopping bags and shipping materials are now 100% upcycled. You might receive a jacket you purchased from us in Kate Spade packaging. We're upcycling and a lot of our customers and friends are ready to assist with this decision.

On average, we ship out thirty five packages a month (except over the holiday season and all the way to valentines day when our online orders triple) and if we are doing our normal circuit of pop ups, we have a sale every 1 1/2 -2 minutes. Instead of creating demand for new trees to be cut down so we have enough packaging and bagging material, we've just started collecting from our customers and friends. We're choosing to use what's already available in the community so that we can reduce our waste and especially plastic footprint. This is just one of the ways we are choosing to do our part as an organization. For more, visit this link: "About Us" . 

And we know, it might seem strange that a small business would write about a big business, but we are all winning in this instance. When we all do what we can, we all win. If we were more focused on caring for each other and this beautiful world we share, we'd find there can be enough resources to meet all of mankind's basic needs comfortably. 

Below, are a few pieces from us that include salvaged and upcycled beads/ creations. Others are included because they are eco-friendly. Click on each image to purchase it on Shoptiques and if you need to ask us questions etc message us: +17656060777. And yes, you can meet us to pick up pieces you are interested in. If you don't spot anything for you, please share this blog with a friend that might (sharing is caring). 

So in the future, should you see we've described a bead or finished design as salvaged know that either our suppliers or our team was working to reduce our waste footprint as an organization (contact us to find out how. Yes... we'll go into detail and no, you're not bothering us).

Lastly, we included a video from Ghana highlighting one social entrepreneur that is making bicycles from bamboo and in the process, creating dignified sources of income for others. How are you going to reduce your waste footprint in the remaining months of 2020? Here's the link to the rest of the IKEA story: please feel free to read the rest of the article (it's a 2-5 minute read depending on your reading speed). 

Love yous,
Wishing you HEALTH, safety and enough
The LHo Team (The Empowerment Initiative).  

​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). 

Hey there foodies, 
We have our dish for this week LIVE. 
You can place an order on our foodies page. 

We are giving you vegan curry on rice with grilled chicken and a side of kachumbari. 

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

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. 

Recommending a non-English movie might not be the most popular thing to do, but to quote Bong Joon Ho as he received his Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film â€œOnce you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.”. 

Growth requires discomfort. 
Smooches
The LHo Team