Yes, I am talking about me and you!

It has been 2 years since TheMonaLita was birthed into the world. Can you believe it? Sometimes I can’t. Thank you for rocking with me from the beginning. I appreciate every kind word, insightful commentary lended, every share, every ad click…EVERYTHING! You have been rocking with me thus far so let’s keep the partying going.

Originally this space was a fusion of beauty, lifestyle, my written word and millennial focused media. On the cusp of me creating this I knew that this platform would one day be my public diary but I was unsure when I would become comfortable being 100% raw with you. I didn’t create this blog to just be able to say I have a blog. Every post is carefully crafted with genuine content that exposes more about who I am, my experiences, and what moves my soul.

TheMonaLita is my baby! In the beginning it took me 16 hours to piece together the elements of my blog. I allowed every aspect of this blog come to me organically. The name came to me in a deep daydream one day while sitting in my old apartment in 2015 in Houston, TX. My simplistic design and color scheme have a special meaning to me. Every word, every picture is carefully placed to give you a a look into who I am.

My journey as a writer began as early as 5 years old. My great-grandmother, Ruby Davis, made sure that I knew how to read and write before I even touched ten toes down into pre-school. So when I went to school I would always volunteer to share my stories. Even then there was a part of me that found solace in being a storyteller amongst my peers.

What I knew then to be strict drills by granny in the summers would now be considered as her allowing the creative in me to blossom. Summer breaks during my elementary years consisted of me eating an early breakfast, then be pushed outside to explore and play in the front yard. At times she even locked the screen door, forcing me to use my imagination to learn how to entertain myself.

After a few hours of play I would have lunch and then I could chill to watch one hour of television. Next up I had to read the Bible and give oral or written reports on what I read. She made me read, read, and then read some more. I read encyclopedias, specifically African encyclopedias. I read children’s novels, newspapers, books about other cultures, and just about anything that she knew would unlock my imagination to allow it grow far beyond 5091 W. Monroe Street on the west-side of Chicago. Naturally this wasn’t always my favorite part of the day but I learned early on that some ish you do because you have to not because you necessarily want to. I did what I needed to do to get to my favorite part of the day, she called it the “Anything Lita Wants” hour. I lived for this!

It was within this time that I began to hone in on my creative writing skills. She let me write about any and everything I wanted. My imagination soured past the limits many 8 year olds probably traveled to. Being an only child in this setting taught me that those who read my work will always appreciate my originality. I loved being able to create stories that were unique to me and I would even decorate my stories with drawings.

I will forever be indebted to her for those years because that made me the writer that I am. My voice is uniquely mine and could never be duplicated which I have found to be a factor that attracts readers to this blog.

Let’s be totally honest, we are in a day and age when everyone wants to be considered a “creative”. Elders contribute this to the typical, “All y’all millennials are lazy and afraid of a little hard work!” In some instances like my girl Emmelie De La Cruz mentions, the path of the creative millennial who has an entrepreneurial spirit isn’t for the faint. Everyone wants to have a YouTube channel. Everyone wants to be a beauty blogger and a social media maven but true “creatives” stand out. Even with imitation being the norm for some, when your vision as a Youtuber, blogger/writer, social media maven originality and genuine intent is easy to spot in the sea of many.

There have been many-a-nights where I was up late staring at my analytics stressing trying to come up with content that would drive more traffic to my blog or Youtube. “Should I do more tutorials? Would focusing on natural hair yield better results? More lifestyle?” was what I would think. I have countless beauty blogs and tutorials that I have never posted because I just wasn’t feeling it! I mentally wrestled with that for a while, then I heard it loud and clear one day. God spoke to me one day louder than a baby mama on Maury who is 3000% sure that one guy is the father, simply saying, “Share yourself!”

As a creative you have to invest time in you, the originality of your brand, and your ability to strategically execute. It’s a true grind! It is extremely rare, if ever now with the explosion of digital creative outlets that are available, to have overnight success that will allow many to go full-time. Many of you know that I only create when moved to. I know y’all are bombarded with “fluff” pieces so much already that my goal is to only offer you real words from a real part of my soul.

I see growth in my future and God is permitting this by sending signs via the universe. So again, thank you for rocking with me! Even though I have been writing for 25 years at this point every time that someone tells me that they connected with my words, it truly touches me. People even tell me to write a book, which I am strongly considering. There are a lot of stories I haven’t shared yet, so trust any book I write would peel your eyes back like a banana, honey!

What should you expect from TheMonaLita within this next year? More honesty. More life experiences. More creativity. I don’t know what it is about being in my 30’s now but I find myself listening less to the doubtful thoughts that tiptoe through my mind. I am becoming bolder embracing each experience with an open spirit!

As always; read, comment, and share! Oh and don’t forget to click an ad. Navient is on my ass and these two degrees weren’t cheap so help ya girl out. Lol.

-TheMonaLita 💋

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