Nostalgia

Yo it is hittin’ me…

Hey friends,

I hope you all have surviving the winter weather and are hoping for warmer days just like I am. Since I have been back in the swing of things, it has been hitting me harder and harder everyday just how much I miss being in Ireland and all my travels. Don’t get me wrong… I love being back home and being surrounded by all my favorite people. But sometimes I almost have to remind myself that I spent the first half of my school year on a different continent. I sincerely miss it and ask “Did that even happen?” to my sister Megan, who had her own trip the Emerald Isle a few years back.

Have you ever realized that the time and place of an event in your life, is strongly correlated to the music you just happened to be listening to at the same time? I think one of the reasons I’m deep in the nostalgia is because of a song or rather album, that I just listened to again for the first time since Ireland, and it just brought me right back. On some rainy day in like October I think, I was doing work with my forever gal pal, Courtney and this song came on my Spotify that immediately caught my attention. It completely changed the game. The artist was Daniel Caesar, and the song was Best Part (ft. H.E.R).

One of my favorite artists ever is Chance the Rapper, and I had just discovered a video of a new unreleased track performed by Chance ft. Daniel Caesar on Stephen Colbert’s show. The song was phenomenal and is now titled “First World Problems”. While I was loving the song, I was also loving Caesar and wanted to check out his music. So while I was just listening to his songs as background music, Best Part made a lasting impression on me, followed by the rest of the album.

Anyway lol, the song came on while I was jamming out in the car with Meg and it just hit me. Damn, I really miss Ireland. I used to play the album on repeat and walk my way to campus nearly every single day.

Just wanted to update y’all lol but I hope you’ve all been enjoying life!!

P.S. Heres First World Problems for anyone who hasn’t had a listen before this.

See ya soon,

Dev

 

Steppin’ outside my comfort zone

Everyone needs a little push outside of their comfort zone right?

Hello friends,

So for those of you who know me, I’m a pretty vibrant, extroverted performer who is rather comfortable on stage or behind a camera. This past weekend I took part in S.O.C.A’s 14th annual fashion show All Around The World! and let me tell you, it was exciting.

My friend Caiti was the one who got me to audition for it with her. Though reluctant at first, I thoroughly enjoyed my time and can’t thank her enough for making me do it. She is a badass on stage and it was so fun to cheer her on. What’s really nice is that we became so much closer through this experience and she is someone I’ll always have around in my life. We are the kind of friends who listen to stories till 2 in the morning, push each other to try new things, and embrace change. Who doesn’t love that?

When I told people I had rehearsal and what not, a lot of them would say “rehearsal to do what? Walk?” and though it sounds funny, yeah we had to learn how to walk. There was so much that went into the show and the amount of time we spent learning formations was crazy. You gotta learn how to strike a damn fine pose, how to walk and turn, how to use your entire body, pose for pics, all while remembering the formation. Though it may sound super simple, it takes a minute to get it right.

The day of the show came and I’m not going to lie, I was super nervous to get up on stage.  Frankly, a fashion show can do a couple things. It can either make you feel like a Queen slaying the stage, can make you feel self conscious about the fact that people are going to be judging your every move, or it can be a combination of both. For me, it was a combo.

I was completely feeling my self up there…

*Photos by Tevin Tinto*

But at the same time, it is really hard not to pick at all my flaws at the same time. You’re standing in a dressing room trying on clothes that either fit or they don’t and staring in mirrors noticing everything that you may want to tweak and change about yourself. You compare yourself to others and maybe wish you looked a little different.

It was a tough place to be in but coming out of it, it forced me to recognize that, I really enjoy who I am. There are always things to work on but I’m grateful for the fact that I was surrounded by such a body positive group of people. Every one of those models and students I walked with were such supportive people, and would always cheer you on no matter what.

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So I walked with pride and did my thing and people cheered my name. I just felt good ya know? It was a scary, powerful, and thrilling experience… but I hope to do it again soon.

Let’s all jump out of our comfort zones, shall we?

See ya soon,

Dev

milk and honey

“The book is divided into four chapters, and each chapter serves a different purpose. Deals with a different pain. Heals a different heartache. Milk and Honey takes readers through a journey of the most bitter moments in life and finds sweetness in them because there is sweetness everywhere if you are just willing to look.”

On a bus traveling south, with a smile on my face as I recalled my adventurous weekend, I pulled out this book, and read with the setting sun. I had been meaning to read this since it was given to me as a Christmas gift from one of my best friends and now I finally had my chance. I didn’t know what to expect but what I was given, was beautiful.

As a women, I’ve experienced moments in my life that could never be fully explained in words. Heartbreak will do that to you and for my whole healing process, I couldn’t put my feelings into words. Now as I have distanced my self from the toxicity, the words don’t need to be said and so I haven’t thought of it in depth for some time.

As I turned the pages of the book, imagine my surprise when suddenly, the words I never could think to say, or ones I thought no one else would understand…were there, right in front of me.

Rupi Kaur is a Canadian, feminist poet who published this book when she was just 21. And though there were parts of her book I have never experienced, her book gave me a sense of closure for the toxic relationship I couldn’t be rid of for years.

I highly recommend this book. This book that made me write poetry as soon as I put it down. This book that made me lose my breath and tear up with understanding. We all deserve to find the words that left us when we needed them most.

So, enjoy milk and honey…

 

See you soon,

Dev

The Starting Point

The world is our oyster, right? In a sense, absolutely. We are born and theoretically we can do anything we set our minds to. Or at least we can dream. The reality is however, that no, sometimes we can’t always do what we set our minds to. We can’t for so many reasons. Finances, health, location, morals, one’s upbringing, people’s words, education, laws and rules, awful presidents who make terrible executive decisions, secretary leaders who have no clue what it’s like to work in a public school etc. The point is that for many, it is just not that simple. My problems are far less than most of the world and I’m not here to complain about that. I’m just here to talk about what it is like to be a female, an artist, and frankly just a human, in life and more specifically, during the Trump Administration.

So a little about me…the arts are a part of my life daily. I am a singer, amateur piano player, drawer, painter, dancer, movie watcher and avid music listener (except for country). First and foremost, I sing all the time. Whether it’s in the shower, kitchen, living room, with my roommate, in the practice room or even in my sleep, I am forever a singer. It is a habit I will never give up because it makes me who I am and I love it dearly.

I fell in love with the arts, specifically music, at the age of three when I was on a trip to New Orleans visiting my cousins. I was walking around Baton Rouge and a street corner band was playing in the distance. My family and I stopped to watch and before they knew it, I was in the middle of the crowd, proudly dancing to the music of Louisiana. I danced and laughed and all the musicians loved it. Then when the music stopped, I stopped at the exact same time. My grandfather turned to my father and said “That girl has music in her veins.” From that day on, I was singing every chance I got and it flourished into a passion for performing. Now it may not be exactly like it was back then. Back when it was easy to embrace everything that was new and intriguing and my passion was only growing. Now, I’ve learned some things, have experienced good, bad and in between days but through it all, the arts have always been there for me

I’m here to talk about how the arts make me feel. What the arts do to and for me. How they have shaped my life. How they will forever remain one of the most important things to me. Most importantly, how I will make sure I can do everything in my power to help sustain the notion that the arts are essential to society and the world.

So, if you’re reading this and maybe feel this way, or at least are slightly intrigued by what I’m saying, I hope you’ll stick with me.

-Dev

Jazz Showcase

Les Miserables

Footloose

Metropolitan Museum of Art