ARTIST TO ARTIST

Today, I am sharing a very beautiful and gifted woman of God. Her name is Jasmine but most know her as jaszyfrsh. She is such a wonderful being, and I am so glad that I am able to help her out in any which way that I can, Jasmine is a photographer, one who feels as though it is very important to showcase emotion and her love for what she does throughout the body of her work. I try my best to support other artists because we all need love, and motivation in order to continue our given journey. It isn’t always easy being one who enjoys expressing themselves through a form of art. At times, it can be very overwhelming, but we as artists feel the need to create and give our supporters a piece of who we are anyway.

Jasmine is working towards becoming a full-time photographer, and although she has been working with what the Lord has blessed her to have. She is looking forward to taking her passion and overall career to a new height, so to speak. Jasmine as well as myself would greatly appreciate it if you would be so kind to sow a seed into her gofundme account to assist her in getting closer to her expected goal. This isn’t truly about the money, but more so of the vision that she feels God is leading her to follow through in.

I will be providing the link below, as well as I would like to say that even if you aren’t interested in sowing the seed, which is quite alright. We would still highly appreciate it if you would spread the word and support our fellow artists.

Jasmine’s Gofundme account – www.gofundme.com/my_vision

Jasmine’s Photography Site – www.jasminejenkins.com

Once again, I thank you for taking the time out to read this. The love and support doesn’t go unnoticed. Please, be aware of the fact that these self portraits of Jasmine, were not taken by herbeautyspeaks.

much love & peace,

– herbeautyspeaks

THE MORNING OF 8:52

Happy Friday People! I must say that God is amazing, always has been and always will be. I am not going to lie the struggle has been real. In the midst of the struggles, God has gave me the beautiful opportunity of being able to still help others along the way. The Lord has placed this liberating idea of a series that will help bring awareness of the struggles that men and women go through as a whole. I believe that it is quite important to talk about the things that hold us back as a people. Yes, I know that some things aren’t meant for everyone to know which is fine. But. I feel as though the Lord is allowing me to create this series to show that we all are the same and it is time for the love and support to be known. I too have been through some experiences that I believe the Lord will led me to speak on in due time.

I don’t really care if people still like me after I share all that the Lord is leading me to or not. I want to be used by the Lord even in the midst of the hardships, because after all you, me, we, are all human. Mistakes and decisions are going to be made that aren’t always of good conduct but as long as we look to God to overcome and for strength everything will get better. Now, I am not saying that those times will completely disappear but what I will say that those times will seem easier to bare because you have peace in knowing that God is with you every step of the way, there is no need for you to feel otherwise or feel as though you have to do otherwise.

I will be allowing the Lord to continue led the way, despite all of the bumps and waves that arise. I believe that the Lord is working always, even when we feel that He isn’t. I’ll leave you with this scripture, Romans 8:38-39,

” ³⁸ For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, ³⁹ Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

as always, please remember that I am here for you.

much love & peace,

– herbeautyspeaks

NATURE WALKS

“A collection of photographs that reflect the beauty of the world as I go about daily whereabouts.”

– herbeautyspeaks

MORNINGS WITH HIM

4 AM, was made for our skin to be underneath the softness of warm cotton sheets where we recite the lines that have been racing constantly upon our minds, where we are one, and not as though you are thinking, you know not so much sexually driven but more so us two being in a world where only you and I exist, and our souls are able to feel comfort as one another sleeps.

– herbeautyspeaks, mornings with him.

Inspired by a poem called “Cab Rides & The Morning After” written and performed by Alysia Harris

LOVE

” We are often told that we cannot love someone we don’t know, but I believe that to be untrue. I love you, merely because you exist and I find that to be more than enough for me.”

– herbeautyspeaks, in all honesty.

EARLY MORNINGS

Good Morning, I really hope everyone’s day is starting off well. It is a beautiful raining morning, down here in Atlanta, and I must say that I truly adore the rain. The sound of the rain soothes my soul and brings forth a feeling of comfort / peace. I know it’s not early well at least not where I am, it’s about 11:38 in the morning ( I know it’s not so much of an early morning, at least not for me. but hey the beauty of irony right?) anyway, I felt that nudge within my spirit to elaborate on some experiences of mine. So, last night, I happened to come across some old pieces of writing that were written last year which left me in such awe and a fleeting amount of memories. let’s look back about a year ago, I remember when the Lord placed this whole blogging idea into my mind, It was all new to me and I took as another way to reach other souls who were in need. As I still do feel the very same way today, which is a major blessing in itself. I believe the Lord allows specific seasons in our lives to occur to help us grow as the humans that we are. Most times, when the situation / situations are taking place it seems as though our world is about to crumble into a million pieces. I remember times in my life, for instance when I first started writing poetry I was about 15 or 16 years of age ( a freshman / sophomore in high school ) and during that time, I was still trying to figure out who I was. Upon those moments, which broke me in more ways than I could fully explain, I was lost, hurt, ashamed, angry, anything and everything that you could think of negatively I was.

To keep it real, to be quite frank, I honestly couldn’t see myself pass who I was then. I would say to myself “I am probably just going to think this way for the rest of my life”, I didn’t see pass the glass mirror that was reflecting heavily before me. I could sit and recollect wondering how it would feel to whole heartily love every piece of who I was meaning everything from the way I looked, to how I carried myself, and beyond. I thought of myself as worthless, as one who didn’t deserve the chance to live, and anyone who knows my story would say how crazy I was to even think such a thing. But, for many of you who may not know, I was born premature, (a baby who was born before the full term mark in pregnancy), I was 1 pound and 2 ounces, I basically lived in the hospital for 5 years, my lungs were not quite developed as a regular full term newborn, which brought forth a severity of issues. The Doctors were convinced that I wasn’t going to live to see the next hour let alone morning, BUT GOD!! God’s plan was way more important than the sayings of fellow men in long white collar coats. *begins praising baby Jesus*,  is much more to this story but I shall share the rest another day or morning/evening.

Let’s get back to the main message of this post, which is to tell you that I have been through some things. I never want anyone to think that just because I am who I am now that things were always this way because that is far from the truth. I will forever be grateful for where the Lord has brought me from, and how his precious hands have kept me from the day I was born and will continue to hold me in the palm of his righteous hands. I believe this is the mere fact as to why I take inspiring others so seriously, because I know first hand how it feels to be otherwise. I am here to inform you that your situation won’t last forever, I am a living / breathing testimony for the world to witness how great God is and how God’s plans for our life is way more amazing than our own or anyone else for that matter. If you were to ask the Destiny, 4-6 years ago, if she would be doing all that she is doing now the answer would be “NO, how could that be, I can’t even stand to see myself in the mirror let alone being able to help another being in a way that is beyond myself.”

I want the world to know that there is hope, there is hope in a man who came to die for our sins so that whosoever believes in HIM shall not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 reads ” For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. – King James Version .. I love you, I am here if you ever want to talk. I am praying for you.

much love,

– herbeautyspeaks

SEASHORES

like the oceans of the sea, I fell for you with every wave and tide within me. as the waves, were lost in control, so was I. like the warmth within the grainy sand upon my toes, you made me feel as alive as I could be. It was beautiful; you made me laugh, you lit every part of my being never once did that light crash and burn, until one day you felt the need to leave a happy home to fulfill your on going selfish ways, boy how have things changed? Now, you wish she would leave, begging me to come back, that’s funny but baby please, unlike before the ocean of the sea that is within me no longer needs you as a guide, or to feel the need of having someone like you touch the body of my shore.

– herbeautyspeaks

8:05 PM

Yesterday, I felt the need to speak on some things that were fluttering through my mind and heart. This talk was supposed to be spontaneous, but I decided to wait until today to share some thoughts of mine. Plus, I was very much exhausted if I might add. Okay, let’s get straight to the point . . . Often times, than none I feel as though too many people put too much emphasis on the equipment that ‘photographers’, or I’d like to say artists use. I am a firm believer in using what you have, especially if you do not have the means to do otherwise. I know that there are photographers out there who spend a great deal of money on their equipment which I find to be no problem with, BUT if you feel the need to force yourself to do so in order to be considered “legit or professional” than that is where I myself draw the line.

I’ve been very blessed as a kid, growing up.. who learned the definition of improvise from my grandparents. I’ve always been the type of person to use what I had available and if I didn’t, I would try my best to get what it was that I needed. But, If I didn’t, that was okay for me too. I haven’t been photographing longer than most, which has been a little over a year, but what I will say is that the world of photography and bringing visions to life through still imagery has taught me so much. Growth is real, yet challenging but very much a beautiful process/journey. When I first became interested in photography, I used my phone to capture everything, I literally mean everything. And. . . at that time it wasn’t an iPhone either. It was a Mini Droid phone, that worked beautifully for me and brought forth visions very well.

Most may or may not be aware of the fact that I still am doing so. Today, you’ll most likely find me capturing the beauty of people and the world with a mobile device. For those who might be wondering, yes I own a camera, it’s a Nikon coolpix point and shoot, which works well too. But, I am currently on the move to upgrading not to be considered a  “professional” or anything of that nature, but more so because I feel as though that I’ll be able to challenge myself a bit more and  take my work to a new dimension. I am keeping an open mind, as to what I feel is best for me to get, and if this doesn’t occur I’ll be just fine.

I want to omit the stereotypical and unfair views of artists these days. There are so many “rules” that many feel we as artists should go by. In all honesty, I find it to be quite unnecessary and humorous. I want to encourage anyone out there who is considering delving into the world of photography or any other art for that matter, to use what you have until’ you can get what you deserve/want. There is so much that you could be learning about your craft as well as yourself during that time. It’s not about what’s being used, it’s all about how it’s being used. Remember, passion that you have for what you do is not in vain and will very well take you far in life. It may not happen now, but it will when it is meant for it to. Focus on the message that you want others to gather, focus on the why and how of things, focus on growth, focus on the love, the way you see things that (perception) that God has given you is for a reason, a reason that cannot be fully understood unless you put yourself out there and take a leap of faith.

I thought it would be nice, to share some of my favorite portraits of some friends, that I shot with my iPhone six. Not too brag or showoff, but to let you see that if there is love, and a meaningful reason as to why you do what you do, your work will always turn out to be beautiful despite how other people feel.

All photos are shot by herbeautyspeaks, with iPhone six.

FEATURE : THE LIGHT SKIN VS. DARK SKIN DEBATE

On January 21, 2015, I had the most amazing opportunity of being able to share my thoughts on a particular topic that is very near and dear to my heart. As most may know, the pieces that I write, and the photographs that I take serve as an aid to help inspire others no matter what gender / race that one is. Regardless of what goes on in society, I will always make sure that the beauty of others and the world is being recognized in a beautiful light some way, somehow. I really do have so much love for everyone, and as of lately I have been writing heavily for my fellow people of color, and I honestly have no shame in doing so because I feel that this is the time that calls for me to. But, that doesn’t mean that the art that God leads me to produce in (no way, shape, or form) is only subjected to people of color. I am a woman, a woman of color amongst other attributes that cannot be easily changed, however I am going to focus on what the Lord has for me to, and if I feel a urgent tug within my spirit to connect with a specific crowd of amazing souls, then I will be sure to do so. so, without further a due, I’d like to share an excerpt of mine that was showcased on a very inspiring and God-fearing page on Instagram called (daughtersofk).

” I was never too fond of this whole ordeal of “light skin vs. dark skin” , I feel as though it is quite degrading and stereotypical. I don’t think one’s behavior or overall being should be compromised or decided based upon their skin tone. I find that to be somewhat idiotic. After all, I didn’t choose the body and skin that I am in. God, knew why He created me the way He did. He took his time with me, as well as for you and those who are around you.

I do however, believe that this issue will only continue to go on if no one stands up for what they feel is right and morally correct. We as a whole, must stand up for respect, love, hope. People tend to forget that the smallest deed or action can change so much. We are all people at the end of the day, who come in so many beautiful shades, sizes, and races. I am constantly inspired by people of this world, and I allow that to be reflected throughout my work as much as I am able to. We have to stand together and keep fighting, strengthening one another, we can’t fight fire with fire. Love, is the only thing that can mend anything that is broken. Correction, the Love of God, is the source to healing of all things and people.

I find it quite disappointing that the controversy is not only continued from those outside of the black race but more so from those who are right here in our community. That seriously baffles me, and makes me truly continue to work on this character of mine, because we can’t help each other until’ we piece together the missing puzzle pieces of who we are, whole heartily. People, in my opinion mostly degrade and disrespect others because they are most likely upset or unhappy with themselves. A lack of self-love plays a major role in the way we decide to fulfill specific actions.

It is possible for us to be better and change what has been going on for years and centuries before our time. The question is, are we truly taking it seriously ? Are we making a daily change in our lives that will help us grow positively as a community? Are we willing to fight for something that has been successfully having the ability to keep us down instead of helping us to rise as one people ?

I just want to inspire whomever to be the change. We often, complain about the way the world is operating today but we need not to forget that we too, have the power from within to be a light, source of love and hope for someone else despite of the issues that come against us. We are way stronger because of the adversities that we face, and once we keep that inside of our hearts and move forward. we will have the ability to rise above the disrespect and negativity of these common issues that affect our people and beyond.”

– herbeautyspeaks.