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Living Out Loud - Nicole Williams - 3.31.18
Mother Daughter Tea - Nicole Williams - 2016
I Was Here (Senior Farewell) - Nicole Williams - 2015
Orange Ballet - Nicole Williams - 2014
Late for Class - Nicole Williams - 2013
Businessman - Nicole Williams - 2012
Barefoot in Central Park - Nicole Williams - 2012
Conversations with God (Work in Progress) -Nicole Williams -  2020
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Where Do You Go for Inspiration?

When I’m looking for inspiration, I go to…. Art. My first go-to is always literature. I’m always down for a good page-turner. The characters and the settings described so lyrically. It lets your mind create and fill in the blanks for itself. You get to know the characters. You feel what they feel. Authors like Toni Morrison and Zora Neal Hurston paint such a vivid picture of a life that’s so familiar to the Black body; and celebrate the complexities of being a woman with no apology. Or Nonfiction writers, like Oprah Winfrey and Maya Angelou, have often been the breath beneath my own wings, affirming me and encouraging me to trust and use my own voice. Music also inspires so much of what I do. The right music just makes you FEEL down to your bones. Whether it’s the lyrics or the pure instrumentation… music just has a way of evoking a story deep in your spirit. If you’re blessed enough, you’ll have the means and the courage to do something with it. And other times, I’ll find inspiration in visual arts: installations, photographs, paintings… a favorite is Frieda Kahlo. The integrity of her work and the life that she lived is a true depiction of art reflecting life. I only hope to be as transparent, intrinsic, and true to self in my work as well.

Books

​Just a few of the books that have brought color, light, and perspective to my journey.

  • Sula - Toni Morrison

  • The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment - Eckhart Tolle

  • Men, Women and Worthiness: The Experience of Shame and the Power of Being EnoughBrené Brown PhD

  • Assata - Assata Shakur  (Angela Davis - foreword)

  • Love Warrior - Glennon Doyle

  • See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love - Valarie Kaur

  • Mr. Fox: A Novel - Helen Oyeyemi

  • A Promised Land - Barack Obama

  • What I Know for Sure - Oprah Winfrey

  • Letter to My Daughter - Maya Angelou

Music

Click below for the playlist that carried me through all of 2019/2020 inspired, lifted up, and affirmed.

>>>Pray<<<

Track List:

  1. Frequency - Jhene Aiko

  2. BIGGER - Beyonce

  3. Lotus (intro) - Jhene Aiko

  4. Say Thank You -  Jill Scott

  5. F**ck with Myself -  Banks

  6. I Like That - Janelle Monae

  7. Private Party -  India.Arie

  8. Ascension (feat. Brandy) - Jhene Aiko

  9. I Choose - India.Arie

  10. I Got the Juice - Janelle Monae

  11. Hi Lo (feat. GoldLink) - Chloe x Halle

  12. DNA - Kendrick Lamar

  13. Everywhere - Chloe x Halle

  14. My Power -  Tierra Whach, Beyonce, Moonchild Sanelly Nija, DJ Lag, Yemi Alade & Busiswa

  15. FRIENDS - The Carters

  16. MOOD 4 EVA (feat. Oumou Sangare) - Beyonce, Jay-Z, Childish Gambino

  17. Trip - Jhene Aiko

  18. FIND YOUR WAY BACK - Beyonce

  19. Silver Lining -  Jazmine Sullivan

  20. Here's Where I Stand - Tiffany Taylor, Aisha Dehaas, Idina Menzel & John Eric Parker

  21. Masterpiece (Mona Lisa) - Jazmine Sullivan

  22. Brand New Me - Alicia Keys

  23. Speak - Jhene Aiko

  24. BOSS - The Carters

  25. Juice - Lizzo

  26. Roses - Meagan McNeal

  27. Love - Jhene Aiko

  28. Good Thoughts, Bad Thoughts -  Funkadelic

  29. Reprise (Live) -  Erykah Badu

  30. Magic Hour - Jhene Aiko

  31. BLACK PARADE - Beyonce

  32. We Got Love (feat. Ms. Lauryn Hill) - Teyana Taylor

  33. Me - Oshun

More to Come Soon...

As I come across more inspiring media, I'll be sure to list it here :-)

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