signed, an angry Black woman
making the case for feminine rage.
I used to be angrier. Not as a default setting or even as a defining character trait, but as an emotion I allowed myself to dial to. That was long before my deep dive into self-help— the healing books, podcasts, and spiritual gurus I found on YouTube. Before evenings spent sobbing through breathwork sessions or flowing through yoga asanas to move stuck energy. Before I became an adult and absorbed the unspoken instructions on what it meant to be a lady or how unbecoming it was to be an angry Black woman.
Unbeknownst to me, society had lulled my feminine rage to sleep.
All the while, I never stopped being the girl who asked thought-provoking questions and whose facial expressions, as my creative coach once said, “have their own subtitles.” But learning to regulate my nervous system brought a level of calm that I didn’t know I could tap into. As I began to appreciate that I didn’t always have to be a high-functioning anxious person, I didn’t realize how I had started suppressing negative emotions like anger.
But this year, Sleeping Beauty has woken up.
Even before the election, I’ve been on one— holding my tongue less, speaking my truth more. I’ve had stricter boundaries, stopped letting weird behavior go unchecked, and become less willing to play the de facto “I’m the accommodating one” role in friendships. These shifts have impacted me and my relationships. I’ve been in mourning for a lot of the year— not from physical death but from parting ways with who I once was.
And then there is Trump.
The re-election of No. 45 shoves us back into a state of fuckery— women’s rights under attack, marginalized voices silenced, harmful policies that favor the rich, DEI initiatives deprioritized, and an open, flagrant call to be racist, misogynistic, homophobic, and xenophobic. I am ANGRY with my fellow Americans, and as post-election conversations unfold, I feel anger toward people I know and love for their role in putting that man back in office.
I’m not alone in feeling this anger. Those of us on the right side of history struggle to figure out how to channel these emotions or question how much we’re even allowed to feel. To that, I say: FEEL IT ALL.
Vent to your therapist or a trusted friend. Cry and scream. Go ham in your journal. BE ANGRY.
If rage demands our attention, perhaps it’s time we stop quieting her and instead give her the space she needs to be felt.
But then, when you’re ready, alchemize that rage.
Our anger needs a place to live, and the answer is not our bodies. Instead, pour it into your creative outlet— music, art, words, styling, song. Free it through dance, boxing, or your best mile yet. Channel it into organizing or advocacy at a local level. Use it as motivation to ground deeper into your purpose. Leverage it to build community and connect with like-minded souls. Whatever you do, do something.
“Every woman has a well-stocked arsenal of anger potentially useful against those oppressions, personal and institutional, which brought that anger into being. Focused with precision, it can become a powerful source of energy serving progress and change.” - A. Lorde
There have been many calls to rest, primarily for Black women. I believe in rest. I want to rest— unplug, disconnect, and maybe live out my days on a white sand beach with a lover, a French 75 in one hand and a saucy novel in the other. But until that moment, I’ve noticed that the fire being fanned has made rest challenging.
Our nervous systems do not settle when anger keeps shaking us awake.
We are living in a time of great change. The dying of the patriarchy has sparked a monstrous backlash, as those who benefit most from the existing system grow desperate to retain power. The pendulum, forever swinging, has caused a deep divide. While the truth is that many of us don’t exist on the fringes, fearmongering has driven people to fight against the natural flow of progress.
And make no mistake: we are not meant to go back. Multiple schools of thought affirm this. The astrology girlies speak about the Age of Aquarius, with its themes of truth-telling and collective responsibility. Scientists advocate for eco-conscious approaches that restore harmony with nature. Psychologists are exploring generational trauma and expanding access to mental health care. Social activists push for new systems designed to dismantle traditional hierarchies, including restorative justice and community-led solutions. Spiritual communities espouse the idea of a “global awakening,” where there is a rise in our collective consciousness.
Our forward momentum calls for equality, healing, and collective liberation.
Feminine rage is our response to the suppression of what is the natural course of human evolution.
Our rage makes sense. But what do we do with it?
This space is called A Creative Life— so it should come as no surprise that I am especially interested in channeling feminine rage into creative expressions. Alongside breathing life into my own creative projects, I am on a mission to support others who want to use their creative energy to live a more soul-aligned, impactful life.
If this moment in time is making you feel more angry and stuck than motivated and focused, and you want to discuss ways to alchemize your big emotions into a creative dream— book a 15-minute think tank session with me.
Either way, I am sending—
All the love.
[on feminine rage..]
[on my soapbox..]
Below is what I shared on IG the other day that basically sums up this entire Substack. Please forgive me for the egregious spelling errors, e.g. “shit” should be “shift,” but hey, both work.
