Eating, drinking, feeling | A present Place at Somi Studio

When was the last time you felt full? For me, it was about a week ago on a crisp Sunday evening when my friend, Jessica Manning, and I gathered 14 Black women at somi studio to chat about what it's like to be a Black in the creative world.

We originally got the idea over coffee while bonding over a series of familiar, but uncomfortable, situations, (i.e., what's it like to walk into a brand event and be the only Black person, what it feels like to work with a brand knowing they are trying to meet diversity quotas, and how frequently brands with zero diversity on their feed find themselves in our inbox).

We fantasized about what it would be like to create the opposite environment – a safe place for Black creators to land that is intentionally curated for us. After about a month of planning, we made that a reality.

At 5 pm on that crisp Sunday, people started filtering into a fully decorated Somi. We outfitted the room with one long and low table, surrounded with pillows, as floor seating, and reminded our guests to wear cozy socks before arriving. One by one our group of female marketers, social media specialists, photographers, content creators, founders, and beyond, made themselves at home.

What boundaries will you put in place to protect your peace and avoid overextending yourself?

The air felt warm and inviting, and seeing mostly strangers connect on an endless amount of topics was incredibly refreshing. After we gave the group time to eat, drink and get to know each other better, Jess and I proposed two questions and encouraged everyone to write down their responses in journals provided by Wild House Paper. We asked:

What will you do to show up as yourself this year in your personal and professional life?
What boundaries will you put in place to protect your peace and avoid overextending yourself?

After about 5 minutes of quiet journaling, we gave the group the option to share. The responses were vulnerable, relatable, and radically honest. People shared about things like the fear that comes with leaving a stable job, the stress of being separated from a family member, and how hard it is to just say no to things we know aren't meant for us.

I left the conversation with a few simple, but powerful lessons like the value of trusting your gut, and how confidence is a muscle we get to work at strengthening every day. But more importantly, I left the event knowing how important community is and how rejuvenating it can be to find common ground with 14 (mostly) strangers in an intimate space.