We were lucky to catch up with Teedra Patrice recently and have shared our conversation below.
Teedra, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
The story behind my mission is healing. When I began to share my work, that was the only thing that I hoped to come from putting myself out there for the world to see. The healing that was taking place was personal, but once I hit publish on my first blog entry, I knew that journey would extend beyond me. My mission is to share what I’ve endured in hopes that someone, somewhere is touched enough to take action in their life if what I’ve shared is a reflection of something happening within them. My story isn’t something new. It isn’t something that’s never been heard of, but I think the transparency of it all makes for a different response. The story, my story is simple, put it all out there in the beginning and allow others to choose how/if they want to accept you. As a part of the mission, there will be rejection, criticism, ridicule, and hate but the goal is most important, and I hope that readers understand that from digesting my work. The process of healing is to become well again and by sharing my life, my stories, my wins, and also my losses, I am well on my way to that mission. The story behind the story was pain and when I first sat behind my laptop to write I had no idea what the outcome would be, I just needed to get it all out. From that birthed my journey and from that here I am healed and whole again.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am 34 years old and a lover of movies, books, and 90’s R&B. I am the oldest child of a blended family. I have been writing as long as I could hold a pencil and pen. Early on I wrote funny little haiku poems about any and everything. From there I began to write poems about love and the fairy tales that are a little girl’s favorite when growing up. I would like to think that writing has always been in me from the beginning. Up until I was about 13, I was the only child in the home so playmates weren’t something I had all the time. Because of that I had to figure out creative ways to occupy my time and keep busy when my parents were not around for entertainment. Writing allowed for me to go to distant lands and imagine great things all from the comfort of my twin bed or homework desk. I made it a habit to journal daily throughout my life, but it was not until I turned 30 that I decided to make something that I always loved into a creative space to share with the world. I think what sets my writing and my blog apart from others is that I am shooting straight from my heart. I have no one to answer to when it comes to thoughts and what I share or overshare sometimes! It’s just me and whatever crazy thing that is going on in my life at the moment. What I am writing most times is what I am feeling in real time so each post is raw, uncut, and full of emotion.
The thing that I am most proud of is that I am no longer being silenced or shamed because of what I’ve gone through. Being able to be authentically myself and create a space that allows for others to do the same is my greatest accomplishment thus far. I think the main thing I want readers to know is that it’s okay not to be okay sometimes. Our darkest moments could be the very light that shines on someone else’s issue or conflict. Never be afraid to be transparent. Our vulnerabilities is where we gather the most strengths because when we recognize these others can no longer weaponize them against us. I want anyone that visits my site to always feel at home, to draw inspiration from my challenges and wins and to come out of their shell.
Whatever stage a reader that comes across my site is in, I want the post that they indulge in to feel like a warm welcome home.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
The lesson I had to unlearn was that sharing is not a bad thing. I had to unlearn that being inside my head all the time was extremely damaging to my mental health. Learning to be open and honest with myself allowed me to in turn be completely transparent with my readers.
I think in most black households, up until recently, we are all taught not to tell everybody our business. We were taught to keep certain things to ourselves because a lot of times we had to keep up appearances. Therapy and mental health were also something that was not a hot topic at the family dinner table. Many of us were told to take it to God in prayer and that was the solution for almost anything. So growing up, I kept a great deal of things inside to not only protect myself from the judgmental eyes of other family members, but also because I didn’t want God to think that I thought coming to Him wasn’t enough to get me through.
It wasn’t until my very first therapy session that I realized just how long I had been holding my breath keeping in things that had been piled on for decades. Prioritizing my mental health was the very thing I needed to unlearn the toxic habits from my youth and step into the place that I am in now.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
As cliché as it may sound, the most rewarding thing for me as a creative is the feedback that I get from my readers about how I’ve helped them look at a situation differently or them thanking me for sharing something that they may also be dealing with or have felt. Knowing that something I have shared in my experiences has impacted at least one person is really the ultimate reward. When I started sharing my work, it was as I stated before for healing. I didn’t know then that hitting publish on my website and posting my first entry would be the start of my brand that I hope is so much bigger than I am.
Contact Info:
- Website: sipsometee.com
- Instagram: sipsometeewithme
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/229761741551705
Image Credits
Professional photos by: LaLa Spears