We recently connected with Lawdia Massaley and have shared our conversation below.
Lawdia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of the toughest things about progressing in your creative career is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?
Creating is is a part of my DNA, what I call my Divine Natural Ability. To be able to use my God-given gifts and talents to bring art into existence is a joy. But the creative journey is not without its bumps and bruises. In fact, life is a creative journey and we all expect to face problems but they still somehow take us by surprise. This is what I experienced when I learned that I had fibroids. They were large and I felt lost because I didn’t know anything about fibroids. Dealing with a physical problem that takes a toll mentally impacted my creativity because it impacted my identity. Or at least I thought it had to. For a long time, I saw myself through the lens of being a woman with fibroids. My focus shifted from having a Divine Natural Ability, a DNA, and being blessed with the ability to sing, to write, to express, to create to someone who had to constantly address fibroids. The physical toll and the emotional toll add to my struggle with anxiety. From having trouble sleeping to feeling like I had no faith and couldn’t pray, I had to stop and hit the reset button. What’s great is that I am in the midst of the reset, in the midst of a healing journey. After several years of suffering and being told I could only have a hysterectomy, I was able to have a myomectomy in June 2022 to remove the fibroids and after losing so much blood it is nothing short of a miracle that I survived. It’s wonderful to know that this is a part of my creative journey. To be able to heal, tell my story, my testimony, encourage other women, and do it creatively is a blessing. I now know that I am not my struggles and setbacks, but as a creator each setback is an opportunity to create something that will be a gift to someone else.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Hello reader! My name is Lawdia and I am a Liberian girl, raised in the church singing, speaking, writing, and creating. From a young age I’ve pursued music and I am grateful for that foundation to grow my creative skills. In 2012, I had the opportunity to compete to be Miss Liberia in the US. Though I had little, okay…I had no experience, I won! The pageant, the sisterhood, the healthy competition, the opportunity to showcase our talents, revealed something in me that I hadn’t really paid attention. Since then I’ve gone on to produce an album with my sister, Sadia-Laurene, called Queen Material (streaming on all platforms) and I started an organization for women, Queen Material, Inc, which has served thousands of food boxes to families in Georgia, provided resources to young mothers, and served students with supplies. . I’m proud to say that I love to create music that speaks to women, that is an inspiration, and gives us the opportunity to celebrate one another and be celebrated. As I continue to recover, I have had the opportunity to continue writing and look forward to publishing work that speaks to women who may feel they’re alone on their healing journey. And I can’t wait to produce more music. In the meantime, check out Queen Material Live at https://www.youtube.com/c/lawdiak and stream the album on all platforms.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
My mission is to be an encouragement to others, especially women. I believe that I’m not only a creative, but I’m called to use my creativity as a light. It is my core belief that creativity can be an act of service, an act of love, and a source of joy. Like me, there are many women who have experienced hurt, illness, anxiety, rejection, and fear. When I write, when I sing, I want to know that they are loved, they are seen, and they make a difference in this world. I want my work to feel like a personal letter to my sister.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
One lesson I’ve had to unlearn is not to make everything personal. It’s okay to let an experience be just that…an experience. I found myself drowning in the emotions of minor situations. I started recognizing this early on in marriage and realized it was something I’d been doing in life. If my husband made a comment or stated a fact, I could internalize it and twist into a way I would then label myself. This is just one example. But the beauty is that when we unlearn such things we gain freedom by taking personal responsibility for how we respond to things. We take the burden off of others to say things perfectly, which is impossible. We gain new life experiences just by thinking differently and unlearning can make a great difference.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.iamlawdia.com
- Instagram: @iamlawdia
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/lawdiamassaley
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/lawdiak
Image Credits
Co the Photographer Ahmad Barber Lea Raymond