I attended the Atlanta Black Expo this year and I met some amazing writers but their was one in particular that stood out to me. I knew that I wanted to know her story and she was kind enough to accept my interview. Her name is Rava Shelyn and the name of her book is Gin,Chittlins &Blessings. She has a great story and a beautiful spirit I hope you all will be as blessed as I was to met and speak with her.
Ravá Shelyn Author, Poet, and Philanthropist tells the story of love and pain – of her African American experience. This woman of the west is a Colorado native who grew up in the Northern Park Hill area of Denver. At a very early age, she began telling the stories of her classmates and childhood friends (none of which are included in her present day works). Yet, one thing was and still is clear – her mission, predestined at conception to tell stories and create art through written words.
Please visit her website at http://ravashelyn.com/index.html
Please visit her website at http://ravashelyn.com/index.html
1. What is your motivation for writing?
RS: My motivation for writing has always been sanity. I write to make sense of it all . of this life pain and happiness. You have to understand what I am feeling inside and my job as a writer is to make you understand. I am really inquisitive (which is a polite way of saying noisy) and I want to understand myself and others around me so I pay attention. In my paying attention I pick up on all the beautiful and ugliness of life. Writing is really an art form and art reflects life, yet art influences life. So there we have it. That’s what motivates me, life.
2. Where did get the name Gin, Chittlins and blessings from? RS: Gin, Chittlins and Blessing are copying methods. During Christmas and New Years enslaved African Americans were encouraged and forced to drink among other things. But the drinking of alcohol was to associate being in a drunken state with freedom. If a person drinks enough the next day is not too pretty. Thus, the psychological dependency of African Americans became strengthen. But what Gin represented is our willingness to numb our selves from the reality, yet we must one day face; same thing with Chittlins or food. Chittlins are pig intestines and once upon a time they were thrown out with other scraps but ended up in many of pots. As women we tend to want to make things better and the only thing some of our mothers had was a kitchen and a few scraps, mix that with love and do you have. A down home cooked meal or soul food. During the enslavement of our four parents so to speak, some things had to be done to survive. The diet of many African Americans is known to be deadly but yet we are still so attached to certain foods that we know are killing us. I am not telling anymore what to eat or what to not eat. Yet, the consumption of starch and meat only diet is numbing on some level. I will make the bold statement of saying substance abuse and compulsive eating is killing our community. And then there are our Blessings. Regardless of the different religious beliefs practiced in our community, spirituality is a big deal. It influences our every day life from how we love and care for each other to how we sing or hum while cooking. However, we have allowed it to divide, reject or isolate ourselves and each other. I do not have an opinion of the title as positive or negative. Maybe it’s both or neither. It’s what it is.
3. Who are your writter and Natural hair inspirations?
RS: I admire bold statements. I remember when I was a young girl making a consciences decision not to fit in with everyone else. When I got to high school I did exactly that but I came back into myself. I am really inspired by people who are marginalized by their willingness not to conform to societies mandates, if that makes any sense. I love Eryah Badu because she doesn’t give a damn; I love writers who leave their love because he or she doesn’t like something they wrote. The people that fight tooth and nail for what they believe and to attain true liberation are the people like to keep in company, the Artist, the intellectual, the hustler and the lover.
4. What has been your challenge as a writter?
RS: before you put out a book, you’re not really sure if you are a good writer or not. So I went through this period of searching for validation. My greatest challenge was to believe in my art. I mean really believe in it. Believe its worth being in a physical form as a book because it could still be an idea or a concept in my head. So I had to take some time and get clear that yeah Gin, Chittlins & Blessings is a dope book and its going to be for someone, what Home girls and Hand grenades was for me.
5. What encouraging words do you have for new writters?
RS: New Authors listen no one will promote you like you. Writing was easy because it’s what comes naturally to you but the business side you have to be on point. Take your time and do it right. And write everyday no matter what.
6. Why is writing your divine path as you stated in your blog? RS: It’s important for everyone to find their divine purpose in life. The very thing you were born to do. Hollywood would have you thinking you need to be an actor or rapper or someone that fits their script. Then we would all be acting rapping and singing and no body will teach the babies or nurse the sick people. A team works when everyone plays their own position and 85 south is relatively safe when everyone stays in their own lane. I feel so powerful and connected and disconnected all at the same time when I am writing. Its funny sometimes I read the things I write and I say to myself damn I wrote that. Which sounds pompous as all out doors but I am really taken back because I may not remember writing something that I later find dope. It’s what people call being in the zone, I guess.
7. I loved what you said about never placing your dreams aside For the sake of security can you elaborate on that?
RS: In May I decided to quit my job and move to Atlanta, get my own place and write for a living. I meet so many people who worked twenty or thirty years at a job that they absolutely hate. I don’t intent on using my divine energy on something I hate. I understand that sometime you got to do- what you got to do- to get that money and go ahead baby. But for me I am going to dream and when I feel like making a move. I mean really feel it in my heart and soul then I going to do it with out looking back. This summer I saw a lot of grasshoppers I don’t know if it was because I was just paying more attention to grasshoppers this year. But the thing with grasshoppers they can only jump in one direction forward, they don’t think oh this spots really nice I think I’ll stay here for ever. No they explore the world before them taking changes with every hop.
8. How long have you been natural?
RS: My senior year in high school I kind of played with going natural. I didn’t have a perm but I was still getting my hair pressed. In my first year of undergrad, I went completely natural; I gave up the press and curl. I braided my hair for a while then I went through a period where I just didn’t comb my hair at all and my own rebellion against society and physical judgment. Then I had a big Afro then I progressed into growing loc’s. Loc’s aren’t really for everyone, hell natural hair may not be for everyone but I can’t imagine myself with out them. Hair is significant and insignificant all at the same time. If some one was to pull one of my strains of hair, that one strain of hair would tell you who my ancestors are, what tribes I belong to, what I’ve eaten, if I’ve done any drugs, if I’ve been under stress. In a sense our hair is who we are. But then if you cut all the hair on body off it will grow back. Not a big deal right! I don’t knock how anyone chooses to express themselves. Everyone has a right to express themselves freely. It’s important that we don’t become oppressed with our free expression. You know?
9. Were your family members supportive of your book? And going natural?
9. Were your family members supportive of your book? And going natural?
RS: My family was very supportive of my writing the book. I would say I am a one woman team but my family has put in a lot of work with helping organizing events and helping move the books out of my apartment. However, when I decided to go natural there were a lot of jokes and a lot of ‘what are we going to do with your hair’. I am talking about people in my immediate community. I think Africans in American are very much assimilated in to European culture much more than ever in history. So there is still a lot of back lash for identifying too strongly with Africa. I have a shirt that says ‘I love Black people’ and Black people would tell me they are offend, go figure. Everyone talks about multiculturalism as long as you’re not too African, you could have loc’s but keep them neat and don’t wear red, black and green. I have you noticed that anything remotely Black is considered ghetto ignorant and poor. As Africans in American we strongly try to identify with everything out side of Blackness. Its real deep I could go on for hours about it. But to answer your question many people feel some kind of way about my hair, I am guess they got over it or they just keep their comments to them selves. I don’t twist my hair unless I feel like it and I died it red because I had a dream. So there you go.
10. How have you been able to make it through life using your own coping methods?
RS: I am a writer. So if there are situations that I find difficult I write about it I have a lot of notebook and journals where I am bitching or crying or whatever. And within the last year I’ve been doing a lot of painting. I think painting complements writing very well. I use to do a lot of talking but really no one wants to hear the problems of an unemployed writer having an issue with character development. A lot of your struggles are meant to be our struggles. I think the Most High gives them to us to figure out and grow from, that’s why sometime we find ourselves in the same situation, and we are so resistant to growth through struggle
11. How does it feel to work for you?
RS: Ah it’s been really interesting. A large part of my life I have been told when to wake up, when to report somewhere, when to turn something in. But as a writer, I had to really develop self motivation. No one is going to be upset of I don’t write a word for a whole month or do nothing to promote the book. But I will be upset and in conflict. So to keep myself sane and balanced I have to work on these things. I typically don’t go to sleep until 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning and I watch up around noon. I paint before I write sometimes or I dance around in my apartment or sing really loud or meditate or whatever I feel. I had to find what works for me and different things work for different people. Since I’ve been working for myself I have development my own process for productivity so to speak.
Is there any thing else you would like to add?
RS Thank you so much for interviewing me. I don’t really know what else to say but thank you and peace and blessing to everyone who reads this and find what I have to say interesting.
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| My Wonder Woman Bracelets |
Please see my mini interview with Pura Body Naturals I did a product review of her products a few months ago please enjoy. Also pura Body Naturals will have a give away(See side notes)
1. How did you get started?
I really all began with my skin in 2007. I’ve always suffered from eczema and severely dry skin which needed steroid creams to remain under control. After numerous expensive visits to the dermatologist, I finally visited a holistic doctor who suggested I try some natural soaps and oils on my skin. I immediately went to the herb shop and realized there was a world of natural oils and plant products that were very beneficial to the skin. I started using the natural products on my skin and they worked miracles. My skin was no longer dry, itchy, and irritated all of the time once I started using natural products. Fast forward to 2008 I realized I had a complete “lab” of oils and butters because once I starting researching ingredients I would buy various ingredients to make my special concoctions. The hair care products were birthed around that time when I decided to actually keep my hair curly instead of straightening with ceramic irons so much. I realized my curly hair was a lot different from my hair that was straightened with ceramic irons. My curly hair seemed to be dry, hard, and wouldn’t retain moisture. To make matters worse, my stylist was no longer working at the salon after having her baby. At that point I realized I didn’t know how to care for my own hair. I went through the product junkie phase which only resulted in me wearing wigs or braids a lot because my hair was a mess even with the commercial products. Nothing ever gave me results for more than 2-3 days.
One day I just happen to take a class on how to make natural butters and lotions for the skin because I still have all of these ingredients that I have to do something with. After taking the class I discovered the link between skin and hair; what makes my skin soft would more than likely make my hair soft because of the triglyceride levels in oils. I would experiment with my ingredients at home, but by this time I was very intrigued by handmade hair care products from many small companies. I ordered from many of the small natural hair care companies and often enjoyed the results with the exception of none I tried would provide my hair with enough moisture.
I decided to take an assessment of my hair because I knew I wanted to use natural ingredients, I just needed to figure out what worked for my hair. I started taking notes on what my hair didn’t respond well to; mainly studying the ingredients in the products. Once I realized the ingredients my hair didn’t like I started researching ingredients to find something my hair might like. After a year of experimenting I finally found Amazonian butter and oils and started mixing them into my concoctions. To my surprise they worked better than anything I’d tried in the past.
At that point I had body and hair products; at the same time I learned to hand craft mineral make-up as well. From there the concept of the company was birthed.
2. Tell the readers a little bite about your self?
I grew up watching my mother craft things so I think it's only natural I picked up on some of her talents. Oddly growing up I really didn't utilize my creative side. My career path in life lead me to be a special education teacher because of my love for kids. I guess you can call my product line is my hobby that evolved into a business.
I officially incorporated the business in 2010, but I've been making products for family and friends for a few years. After everyone enjoyed the products so much I decided to share my creations with the world.
Ryan Leslie " I choose you"
I would first like to Thank Pura Naturals and Rava Shelyn for taking the time to share with me and my readers. I have been so inspired by both of your journeys and I pray that you both have much success. I would also like to say thank you to my readers for taking the time to become apart of this wonderful journey that God has given me. Be blessed and always stay prayed up.
