Dear Beautiful Black girl. You are the descendant of survivors. Everyone in your lineage has overcome insurmountable odds to make your existence so, and therefore your presence is a blessing. The blood that runs through your veins has been carefully curated by God and circumstance. There is trauma in your DNA, but there is also magic. Keep your heart and eyes open (all three of them) because your destiny is already written in the stars, and I promise you that it is as beautiful as you are.
Love, T
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In a society that so often sends us messages that we are less than or unworthy of, it is important to send ourselves love letters that remind us of our truth and our ingrained resilience. Creator and producer, Tatianna Mott, has been sending herself a love letter at the start of each week ever since losing the love of her life to Sickle Cell complications and getting fired from 3 corporate jobs after leaving the theater industry. Tatianna is no stranger to picking herself up and coming back stronger than ever, after allowing herself time to grieve, evaluate, and move forward. These love letters have helped her so much throughout this journey, that she’s compiled them into her hit podcast series “Take Each Moment” which encourages listeners to take time to self-assess and learn from each of the moments in their lives.
“When I first decided to leave the theater world, I was confronted with a lot of skepticism from well-meaning friends and colleagues that felt I was giving up on my dreams,” she says. “In acting conservatory, our instructor once said, ‘If you have a plan B, your plan A will fail. 1 in 10 actors are able to make a living in this industry, look around, are you one of them?’ Being the overachiever that I am, I declared on that day that ‘yes, I am. I WILL be successful in theater, and I will do whatever it takes to prove that I am indeed that 1 in 10.’ I was determined to make it to Broadway and fulfill my purpose of positively impacting the social narrative. I wanted to dispel the lies that we’d been told about our past and our present. I wanted to tell stories that would remind people of their magic in a world that prefers to hide it in a closet. Over the years, I began to realize that the few sassy best friend roles I had been booking didn’t typically fulfill that goal, and weren’t bringing me as much joy as I thought they would. When I asked myself why I kept going and beating my head against that wall rather than trying something different, I remembered that day in conservatory when I vowed to not have a plan B. But see, the fallacy in that thinking is that there’s no such thing as Plan A and Plan B. We’re constantly forced to set up new plans based on what circumstances life throws at us. There aren’t enough letters in the alphabet to accurately count how many plans we’re already following and have previously followed. The key is that each of the actions we take within those plans work toward a particular purpose and goal. My goal was to educate, inspire, and uplift people while obtaining the power of financial stability and consistency. My Plan A was to get up at 4 in the morning every day, pray to get seen at an audition, stress about whether or not I’d get a callback, and work 13 side jobs to keep me afloat until one day Broadway would call. Turns out that plan didn’t have the capacity to help me reach my goal, so I reevaluated and tried a different plan. And then when that plan hit a wall (a.k.a. I got let go from my first corporate job), I tried a different plan. And then that plan inevitably hit a wall, so I tried another plan…and another. Some of those plans completely fell in my lap in the form of an unexpected relationship, a perfectly timed job opening, an unfortunately timed job termination, the death of a loved one, being diagnosed with chronic illness, or a chance encounter with a stranger. Throughout it all, I’ve picked up new skills, new perspectives, new strength, and new faith. Today, I am working as the lead producer/ project manager of the much anticipated Rising Musical Family Debut at the legendary Apollo Theater featuring sibling music group Infinity’s Song and Victory Boyd, hosted by Jon Batiste. I am also finding new and exciting ways every day to work on educating, inspiring, and uplifting others including through ‘Take Each Moment Podcast,’ my new single ‘Cycles,’ and more.
If you find yourself stuck or unsure of your purpose, think about your goals. What do you want to receive out of this life, and what do you want to give into this life? What impact do you want to have during your time here, and what will you need to do to make that impact? What are your particular skills and strengths that will allow you to do that? What resources and knowledge will you need to acquire? How will you obtain said resources and knowledge? And while in pursuit of it, how can you still fulfill that purpose even with what you already have? After recently losing the job of a lifetime working alongside someone I idolized, I was upset yes, but more so, I was hopeful. Life has taught me that low moments don’t last forever, and that I ALWAYS come out with my crown a bit more polished afterward. I trust in the process, and I trust in the divine timing of it all. I hope you do too.”
Visit www.takeeachmoment.com to listen to Season 1 of Take Each Moment Podcast along with the accompanying specially curated Spotify Playlists of feel-good music. If you like what you hear and would like to join Tatianna on her journey, please consider becoming a sponsor through Patreon (link TBD).