Beyonce at the 2023 Grammy's - Photo Credit Los Angeles Times
Although she is the winningest artist in Grammy history with 32 gramophones, I truly felt that Beyonce should have earned another Grammy for Album of the Year with her masterpiece, “Renaissance.” I do not stand alone. Various music editors, Spike Lee who inspired the title of this blog post, and even Bey's husband Jay-Z agreed.
This, however, is not the first time individuals have felt like Black artists, specifically, across multiple creative mediums, did not receive their due accolades.
Can we unpack our feelings for a moment?
When Beyonce curated her last album, do you think she crafted that album solely to win a Grammy? Or, do you think it was to empower and uplift?
According to Wikipedia, Beyoncé conceived and recorded Renaissance during the COVID-19 pandemic, seeking to inspire joy and escapism in listeners who had experienced isolation and to celebrate a club era in which marginalized people sought liberation through dance music.
Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world,” Beyoncé wrote. “It allowed me to feel free and adventurous in a time when little else was moving. My intention was to create a safe place, a place without judgment. A place to be free of perfectionism and overthinking. A place to scream, release, feel freedom. It was a beautiful journey of exploration. - Beyonce, explains why she created ‘Renaissance’
Beyonce aside.
What about the general population of individuals who identify as Black in a rather anti-black society? From their particular part of the multiverse, whether in their homes, at work, at school, riding on the train, coming from the park, celebrating with their friends, and pushing for a better life, there is a natural human desire to belong and to be accepted. I believe this is the tricky territory of validation that hinders, exhausts, and often distracts us from the intent of our soul assignment.
Validation
Dictionary.com defines validation as the act of affirming a person, or their ideas, feelings, actions, etc., as acceptable and worthy.
How often do we allow the need for validation to drive our efforts?
How often do we allow the validation of others to impact how we perceive and affirm ourselves, our ideas, feelings, and actions?
As a Chief Architect of Intent and Purpose, having spent almost two decades working in various organizations, overseeing Human Resources - I can tell you validation reigns supreme. Validation, belonging, and others' opinions of ourselves are often more important than our own. This is a recipe for disaster, especially for Black people who strive for a standard that an anti-Black society leverages and quickly moves the invisible goalpost.
How can one keep up?
Better yet, why should we desire to keep up?
And, more importantly, how does this validation impact our health?
Shifting Behaviors
I would strongly consider that as Black people, we consider life coaching.
As a life coach, I understand the lived experiences of people of color, specifically individuals who identify as Black. If we go back to Hay's understanding of lived experiences and their correlation to heart conditions, we can see how the narratives play out within the tricky territory of validation.
As a life coach, my aim is to aid clients in fine-tuning the rhythm, or soul assignments, of their hearts and how to enact sustainable practices that are authentic to them. Our health is at stake.
Your dreams are at stake but the validation and approval do not have to be set to anti-black standards that squeeze the joy out of you, your life, and your values. You do not have to do this work alone.
Minority Business Summit
After seeing the impact of the Grammys on people of color and how personal individuals took Beyonce's Grammy snub, my team and I went back to the drawing board and edited the Minority Business Summit to expand the theme to Living Authentically. You do not want to miss this dynamic half-day seminar with local minority business owners. Click here to learn more and register.
AllProfitHR Can Help
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AllProfit HR recognizes the impact of coaching in creating an environment where individuals can grow and thrive inside and outside of their careers. It is never too late to reset. Click this link to learn more about AllProfit HR and schedule your complimentary discovery call for corporate or personal life coaching today.
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Did Renaissance deserve to win a Grammy as Album of the Year?
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