Black Girls Pole, and Write, and Do Law...

So yesterday I had a feeling of overwhelming cushy and comfy vibes because its May 1st. It says a lot because I woke up at 2:30am PST to head to the San Francisco airport from my sister’s place in San Rafael, CA, and I stepped into my Pilsen, Chicago apartment at 4:50pm CST. It was a loooong ass day.

But I felt my power strong. I felt at home in my zodiac season. I was ready to be my most bull self. I ate delicious Chicago pizza, and me and my boo took a bubble bath together before we called it a night. I have no idea how I had the energy to draw a bath of apple cider vinegar, cbd epsom salt, bubbles, candles, incense, and the trippy universe lights that usually light up the room I pole dance in. I’m just sayin, that Taurus energy was skronggg.

Yesterday I also started an Instagram challenge. After spending a few days in the Bay at a conference related to my work as an aspiring clinical legal educator, I really became committed to creating a writing practice. Right now, I’m in a funky position at my job–where I’m doing really well but I’m in a fellowship that doesn’t have much structure in place. The skills I’m building in terms of being a practicing lawyer are lit AF. However, there’s areas of professional development that need some work…networking, being paid what I’m worth, and writing. These all go hand in hand, and this conference gave me some insight on how to take practical steps to having a writing practice.

That all said, I’ve for real struggled with writing. I always keep a journal, but what I want to write feels different and separate from that. I also never learned how to type properly, so long periods where I’m typing on a laptop can be painful sometimes. And real talk, in 2023 I’m not going to write an article or book my hand…so, back to this instagram challenge.

I’ve been pole dancing for a little over two years, and I’ve been following @BlackGirlsPole on IG from the start. I was so excited about all the ways and styles and reasons that Black women started twirling and twerking on a pole. From the strip club to the living room, I’ve always been curious about pole dancing and when covid hit and I needed a way to move in my apartment, I manifested a long term goal. Even after a couple nightmare-ish instances trying to dance at clubs when I was in college. Anywho, @BlackGirlsPole does a challenge where they encourage their followers to post on IG everyday…whether you want to gain followers, whether you’re working on making interesting content….orrrrr whether you’re using it as a framing for creating a writing practice LOL

Which is what I’m doing! One of the first pieces of information that @BlackGirlsPole shared with challenge accepted is to narrow down what you want to post about to 5ish things.

Well, I’ve been wanting to write AND post about 5ish things from jump.

• Being a lawyer for the people with a interdisciplinary background

• My somatic work (Interplay, Theater of the Oppressed, being a student in massage school)

• Weed…cuz I’m a stoner girl

• Spirituality (including my obsession with being a Taurus and the ritual I create from that energy)

• And last but not least, my journey twerking on a pole!

This challenge provided a framework for me to commit to something everyday that already aligns with a bigger goal which was challenging for me to approach…writing. So here I am writing about pole and my legal work seamlessly because all these things go together. Simply because I go together with myself. I have these sides of my life that twirl hand in hand together and I no longer want to move separating them. I want to fly on the pole, as a lawyer, and as someone seeking to have a massage business in the future as well.

What can I say, I’m a multidimensional bitch. And I have things to share! About how pole saved my life in some of my most darkest times. About the institutional knowledge that I want to share with Black lawyers coming behind me in an area of law that isn’t separate from our personal lives. About how no doctor was able to help me when I developed a chronic injury while studying for the bar, and how getting stronger doing pole and massage therapist pulled me through that time. I’m so overjoyed to be doing this, and the journey it’s going to take me on.

I learned from Mariame Kaba that we must write ourselves into history for our ancestors that couldn’t, and for those to come who need us.

I’ll be posting on my Instagram @twirl.rest.celeste (and maybe my IG @eyeheartchi2) every day in May, and attempting to write something in conjunction with my posts as often as I can muster the energy. May is birthday month, so my cushy comfy, Venusian, titties out, bad bitch energy is going strong. I’m feeling incredibly powerful, inspired, and committed to my wellness.

So here I am, writing myself into history.

I read once the magic, missing ingredient is discipline. LOL. Send love y'all.