Destiny Joelivia Malcolm-Anti is a young black British woman, navigating mid-20s like ‘the one where she reads the map upside-down…Again’. She is a creative business owner and member of the Creative Impact collective. : “I love the constant community support for me! I am never too far from an answer with this network, and I’m grateful for every article, every resource, and all the time put into it. It inspires me, too, to see people like Fab show up no matter what.”
Her mission is to use my creativity to encourage holistic rest and rejuvenation for us to be well, giving you permission to slow down.
About the creative journey
That is to say, I’m human, and I don’t always get it right. That’s where the heart of my mission comes in; as a creative, I have learnt the beauty of being still and how harmful it can be to live such a normalised, fast-paced life.
We’ve lost the patience to grow through our mistakes, our pain, and our joys. With this in mind daily, I share my personal experience of trying to live well, naturally, via Instagram, and will soon be expanding my resources to local events & a website you never knew you needed.
It can be tricky as I get creative overwhelm and anxiety reasonably often, just like buckets of ideas and good content being poured into your mind faster than you can churn out. I use notes a lot.
I jot down all of the ideas I have for content, make sure I always ask my audience for their desired posts, and then add them to a Google Sheet doc to start working on them.
There are a lot of content calendars out there now which can help with creative blocks. I’m also working on re-creating the content that has done well on my Instagram. Repetition deepens the impression, and I believe we need to hear an important message more than once, maybe just in a different way.
Creating content to make a bigger impact
I believe to rest is to allow healing, and healed people heal people. I have learnt the importance of slowing down not just for the mind but the physical benefits too. We only have to Google a word or two to pull up the effects of an ever-growing need for mindfulness.
It has been my passion to encourage people to move their bodies more, connect with nature, and spend more time being grateful, but as I got older, I understood how difficult these things could be.
I believe my content provides an objective lens for those who want it. It permits them to stop to smell those roses and nourish the mind, body and soul in simple and accessible ways. I don’t wish to change the world; I want to inspire others to find rest in the little things.
Lessons learned along the way
I was carrying a mountain of expectations on my shoulders. I felt like I was in a race with those who had started before me or who had more time than me. I struggled, and still do, with management, and when I feel overwhelmed, I hit burnout quicker than I can say help! I finally reached out to a friend, and she sat with me over Whatsapp Video Call for hours, going through possible ways to do this creative thing for real. That was the best day ever.
I cannot stress enough that you are not in a race with anyone, and honestly, not even yourself. As a woman with a cycle, I move through seasons, so it’s unfair to compare ‘bleeding Dest’ to ‘ovulating Dest’. Trust each process, and take your time. If REST is my message, I want to live that.
Celebrating achievements
I’d say, getting married and moving to a whole new city. I say it’s an achievement because I had to do a lot of soul work during the process! I pushed myself to get professional counselling, forcing myself to pursue a life outside of my inner-city work life. All of this is in the process of getting married and moving in a pandemic! It taught me that all things are possible and that I should never let go of my anchors, for they will always be my guide through storms and sunshine.
My husband, Daniel, has been one of those anchors mentioned. He has not supported me, and through all of my trials, he has shown me a silver lining or drawn one for me. I’m grateful for how talented and passionate he is, too, because it means he loves what he does, and I need that kind of drive around me, especially when pursuing crazy creative dreams!
Connect with Destiny Joelivia on her Instagram and her soon to be launched website. Looking for support from fellow creatives and experts? Find out more about the collective here.