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Daje Morris

  • come home.
  • essays + poetry.
  • photography.
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daje morris - taria person 01

taria person's book release + celebration - a photo essay

April 14, 2018 in Photography, Artfulness, Blackness, Mindfulness

There are people who sweep through our lives. Even if they are just passing through, they paint our experiences of them in sweet and lasting ways. For me, Taria Person has been one of those people.

I met she and her wife, Chanel, two years ago through poetry. Person and I were both performing as part of a collective of poets called The 5th Woman. During that time, Person shared a poem that both broke me and put me back together again. I was so moved, that I wept. That poem was called, Brick House, which she later published in her recent collection, Rainbow Elephants.

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The magic in Person's poems is conjureless. Her flow carries the kind of ease and peace that people work their whole lives for. I look forward to the day when her work might be squeezed between the mouthfeel of Nztoke Shange's verses and the pigmented vignettes of Alice Walker's autobiographical sets. When I read or hear Person's poems, I feel allowed to see myself and say "welcome home".

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Another of my favorite pieces in her book, Rainbow Elephants, is called The Essence of a Woman. Person writes of the internal and eternal parts of women that are meant to be celebrated. She writes,

"she died to be born again
giving birth to styles
spritzed up like a bow tie
an up do
perfect image of a statue
wearing haikus on her hips
(that's where the switch comes from)"

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Years ago, I asked Person to share with me some piece of wisdom that might guide my writing process. She said to me, "Go outside. Take a walk. Be in nature. Let the poems come to you. Writing isn't hard. It's the listening that we have to get better at."

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Today, Person goes by the stage moniker, The Realest Person. She is now based in Chicago, IL and may be found on Facebook and Instagram (below). To purchase a copy of her book, please contact her directly, here.

Facebook
Instagram
Tags: mindfulness, photography
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 Photo by Seed Lynn, unprocessed. April 2018.

Photo by Seed Lynn, unprocessed. April 2018.

I cannot spend my whole life running away from tension + a photo essay

April 12, 2018 in Mindfulness, Photography

I cannot spend my whole life
running away from tension;
from the tight and holy places,
where the joy is to allow.

if I run, then the earth
will croak and sing,
the sweat and sweet
without me.

and my later years
will be spent back-ped'ling
through naked "what if onlys";
childish, lonely in the dark.

no--yes, I choose the tension;
the tight and holy places,
where peace is light of knowing
all is safe here in the heart.

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Tags: mindfulness
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 Original. South Africa. January 2018. All Rights Reserved.

Original. South Africa. January 2018. All Rights Reserved.

do the thing you can't not do.

March 30, 2018 in Artfulness, Mindfulness

This letter was originally published in my monthly newsletter on Feb. 6, 2018. Sign up here.


2/6/2018 

Hey,

The truth is, I am so sick of being afraid. I am so tired of running away from possibility. I never thought that I would be editing photos in a coffee shop in South Africa. I never thought that I would be finding more ways to work outside of the U.S., documenting beauty wherever and however I can. This week, I have been focusing my energy on building a future filled with intention and abundance. Why? Last year, I made a commitment to find beauty in everything, even in the middle of a mess.

That commitment still stands.


Find beauty in everything. 

I left my secure graphic design job at Edfinancial Services last January. There were so many reasons. Primarily, I realized that the work environment wasn't great for my mental wellness. I couldn't make it through a day without intense anxiety. To cope, I stumbled upon some things that gave me life: music, poetry, and photography.

Before I left Edfinancial, I was able to secure a job at a coffee shop in Knoxville, an internship with a phenomenal studio photographer, and a long-term independent contract as Creative Director for the 5th Woman (a poetry collective based in Knoxville, TN). Even with all of the opportunities I found, I wasn't making much.  There were days when I thought I would have to go back to living in my car. There were weeks when my coffee shop salary wasn't quite cutting it enough for me to afford more than fruit, mixed greens. and peanut butter for all of my meals. I was late on rent. I ran out of gas. Not to mention, in the middle of all of this, I was quietly going through a divorce.


Elevate. Do the thing you can't not do.

Some might've looked at my life and concluded that I was close to rock bottom, but I believe that I was climbing heights. I cannot tell you how many lessons I learned, people I met, and moments I came to cherish because I decided to pursue the thing I couldn't not do: find beauty in broken spaces. 

"Rock bottom" gave me the courage to self-print and self-release a collection of poems called, On Becoming Gold. It gave me the courage to find light and share practical wisdom in  my first panel discussion on "leaning into the creative process" with some of Knoxville's most beautiful and talented creatives. My band and I found ourselves conquering our first round of festival season and taking on a two-week tour. We shared music and poetry throughout Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. We learned, loved, failed, and found resilience along the way

I have also cried with strangers and been held by them in return. I've gotten to exist among the most forgotten members of our culture. I have learned how to praise and grieve at the same time. With them, I have scraped the depths of joy to fight for an ounce of healing. Together, we have walked the tight rope of process and promise--always, always fighting to keep our eyes on hope.
 
I have nothing to express but gratitude for this process and community. We're in this together, looking ahead to the biggest hope, joy, and surprise that beauty offers us. 


Don't hold yourself back.

We are the only ones holding back our own selves. We are the only ones who have the power to keep ourselves from beauty. Beauty will always be found, as long as we are willing to find her. She may always be won, as long as we are willing to fight to see her. Beauty exists in the deeper dreams. Beauty exists in the process of knowing that this life is meant to be loved, and that the process of living it is worth it.

Don't ever stop looking for the beauty, even in your darkest spaces. She will be found. She will be found.

With my whole heart, thank you for your presence. Keep moving and loving.


Guys, life is so, so wild! I have so many things to announce and share that feel overwhelming to share all at once on social media. If you'd like to stay updated and receive more of these kinds of thoughts once a month in your inbox, fill out the sweet little form below.

Can't wait to share space with you all. Bless you.

join the community.

I'd love to share some creative and hopeful space with you!

I hope these monthly pieces find you well.

no spammies. pink promise.

Thank you!
Tags: mindfulness
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rose attea

rose attea - a meditative portrait session

March 30, 2018 in Photography, Mindfulness, Mental Health, Artfulness
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Tags: photography, portrait session
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