Episode 9: The ULTIMATE Renaissance
If you haven't watched the Beyonce movie yet, what are you waiting on?
Hey y’all!
I thought last week would be my last newsletter, but after a week of much-needed rest, and going to the Beyoncé movie, I felt inspired! This newsletter will be a little different in format because I am thinking about, listening to, and watching all things Beyoncé, and I want to take my time with my thoughts here.
I’ve also decided that my tenth and final newsletter of the year will be a 2023 reading recap. So far I’ve finished 26 books, and I may or not try to get as close to 30 as possible by December 31st to surpass my annual goal by 10 books.
With that being said, let’s get into it!
What I’m Thinking About
Last week I went to see the Renaissance Film and was instantly blown away by Beyoncé yet again. If you didn’t get a chance to see her greatness and brilliance on display via the tour this summer, please do yourself a favor and go see the movie before it leaves the theaters! While the movie is largely the concert on full cinema display, we are granted entry into what it took to pull this massive show off. Beyoncé kindly reminds us that this is a STADIUM tour, not an ARENA tour (oop), which took nearly 4 years to design and create. To pull it off without a lot of hitches, they had THREE set designs, so while she’s performing on one stage, another stage is being built at the next tour stop. Not only that, the screens are all handmade, meaning there’s a crew risking it all on cranes and ladders to plug in each piece. Whew! We now know that the tour grossed $500M+, coming in as the number 1 tour of 2023 (sorry swifties!), but I want to know how much it COSTS! That is a lot of people on the payroll.
Anyway, I found myself thinking about Beyoncé and this movie the next morning when I woke up. I am listening to her songs on shuffle as I type this lol. What I love about this overall production (the tour and the film) is how so many of us walked away inspired for many different reasons. My friend Latesha mentioned that the film was inspiring to her because it was clear that while Beyoncé strives for excellence, she is no longer looking for perfection. My friend Nicole mentioned that Beyoncé’s films are always a reminder to prioritize what’s important - Beyoncé isn’t a machine and family comes first. My friend Dr. Amber mentioned that as an entrepreneur the movie reminded her to face and embrace her process, to get lost in the details, not be overwhelmed by them, and instead be inspired by them not just the finished product.
For me, one of the things that stood out was how if you are honing in on your craft and creating in public, your moment can and will come. A lot of people that Bey had on this tour and part of this film was found by Beyonce/her team. For example, I think most of us who are on the internet regularly have heard at least one song mashup by AMORPHOUS. He did a dope Cranes in the Sky/Plastic off the Sofa mashup that BEYONCE shared on her IG (below). His ear is undeniable, so it is no surprise that he ended up on the Renaissance tour/film team.
ICYMI: AMORPHOUS was also responsible for this U-N-I-Q-U-E breakdown in the show, as well as the Church Girl mix, the Move/Move Ya Body/The Way You Move mix, AND the Follow Me mix during Church Girl!
In the film, Bey also talks about how she discovered one of her dancers. Trinity Joy, AKA Thee Traperinna, posted a video of herself dancing when her wig slipped off. Instead of stopping, she kept dancing. Bey hired her THE NEXT DAY!
The lesson here: when you’re doing the work and perfecting your craft, you will be READY when opportunities like these arrive.
This is inspiring for me because I feel like my one big audacious goal at the moment is to write novels and get a chance to not only be interviewed by Oprah but also work with her in another capacity, perhaps making one of my books into a film or series. I’d also love the opportunity to sit with authors and interview them in the way that Oprah does. Nothing is holding me back from making these things happen - I just have to start (which I have, TBD on that). This newsletter is a great first step in creating and writing in public, and it’s giving me the outlet to be creative as well.
On another, yet similar note, there is a lesson in all of this about putting other people in on. Beyonce is clearly the queen of this, but in a recent interview with Oprah Dr. Anita Phillips talked about how your purpose doesn’t have to be this big grand thing, but it’s simply the gift you offer to the communities you’re in. My gift and purpose in this life are quite literally putting people on - whether that’s extending my network to others or helping someone get an opportunity, I am GOOD at this and do it effortlessly with no expectation of something in return from whomever I help. I find comfort in knowing right away what this looks like for me because I was pressed trying to figure out what my “next” purposeful thing in this life would be considering INTech was my most purposeful career work to date.
Additionally, as a recovering people pleaser, it was nice to hear Bey talk about how now, at 40, she finally doesn’t give a fu—. I’ve heard that this mentality comes as you get older, and I am glad that I am working on this now and establishing better boundaries. I recognized my people-pleasing as a trauma response and have worked to heal this area of myself. I say that I am “recovering” because it’s a hard habit to break and I have to give myself grace whenever I find myself stuck in a situation where I am doing something to please someone else and going against how I feel.
I was also shocked (when I probably shouldn’t have been) to hear that folks try to play in Beyonce’s face too. In hindsight, it was hella petty for her to keep this in the film, but she showed an instance of how someone on her team tried to tell her something didn’t exist, and she let him finish before telling him he was wrong because she had already checked for it. Don’t they know she is QUEEN VIRGO?! If Virgos don’t do anything else, they’re going to fact-check and do their research. I don’t know whether this brought me comfort in knowing that even Beyonce has to fight to have her voice heard, or sadness that Black women have to go through this no matter who we are and what industry we’re in. Probably both.
Lastly, my friend Janette brought up what we all need - a coffee table book and/or a museum installation of all the tour LOOKS! There were so many looks throughout this tour and I need to see them up close and read more about the designers. I’m tired of giving Bey my coins, but I’d buy that lol.
Thanks for indulging me in all things RENAISSANCE! Given the fact that I named my newsletter “Soulful Renaissance”, I felt aligned with Queen Bey. There is so much more that I can say about this body of work, but I am curious - what were your takeaways? Did you also leave the movie inspired? Comment and share with the class! (or e-mail/text me directly lol)
What I’m Listening To
I’ve literally had this song on repeat all week…
Also, I haven’t highlighted them yet, but I have thoroughly enjoyed The Scottie and Sylvia show, hosted by Scottie Beam and Sylvia Obell. They discussed their takeaways from the film in their latest episode and it summed up my thoughts well too, especially their reflection on our niece, Blue! (please go listen to or watch via YouTube, their “You Cum First, Sis” episode - it brought TEARS to my eyes lmao).