Self Care Event Recap
Last weekend I got the chance to attend the first annual Melanin Manifestival held at 4 the Culture Studios in Dallas,TX. The festival boasted 3 days of healing, through open forum discussions with licensed therapists, education, music and fun. Centered around Mental, Physical, and Financial Health the festival was the first of its kind to target the underserved African American community in these areas.
Day 1 focused on Mental Health, providing both men and women a safe space to discuss issues, seek guidance without fear, and bond. Each group got over an hour and a half to meet and get valuable information from professional therapist. The [Men]tality session kicked off the night with at least 15 Africa American men coming together to talk about issues that plagued the community. While the gentlemen gathered, the ladies where treated to shopping with some dope local vendors, personal bar service by Tina the Bartendar, and a live DJ . When it was time for the Sister’s Circle, the counterparts traded places and each enjoyed the same amenities.
Later that evening, we all gathered in the studio to catch some chill vibes, feeding our souls with live poetry and painting. A perfect way to end a beautiful first day of Mental Healing + Self Care in my opinion and get prepared for the full day of physical health that was to follow.
Saturday’s festivities started early and unfortunately I wasn’t able to make the Meg n Knees dance fitness class (which I was so sad about btw cause y’all know how much I LOVE to dance) but from the instastories on the Melanin Manifestival page I could tell everyone who was there turned all the way up, getting down to a Megan the Stallion inspired playlist. Don’t worry though y’all I totally had to save some of that footage so I can practice on my Megan knees at home and of course to share. (Full VLOG coming later this week)
For those wanting a more relaxed physical healing experience the day actually started off with a Trigger Protection fitness class featuring yoga and a Jhene Aiko inspired playlist of course. The fellas even had thier own meditation + fitness class tailored just for them.
I arrived in time to enjoy The Music Festival Featuring dope local artist who all brought their A game! The weather was absolutely perfect that day and while the artist did perform inside the vendors where back in full force outside the venue.
Three Day Passes to the festival completely sold out just days before the highly anticipated weekend began and I can’t say that I’m the least bit surprised. The stample of the entire weekend and most coveted experience, especially by any professional looking to grow their business and/ or gain knowledge about how to properly manage their finances, was the Better Business Brunch. Held on Sunday and smartly packaged up in the three day passes as the only way to gain access to all the knowledge that was shared, the brunch hosted top Influencers, business owners, and financial planning services in the Black community.
It’s time to level up your work ethic, your mindset, your standards. No more being okay with “okay” You know that you are capable for more, so be More!
Again other sad moment in my life as I was forced to miss out do to a prior engagement, however of course I insta-stalked the festival page and the I can attest to that fact that the wealth of information I received just from the stories was so on point and helped me seriously put some things in perspective for not only my business but myself as well.
Panels from There’s Food at Home, focusing on personal finance, to Get Some Business, focusing on Start Ups hosted some of the most notable professionals in Dallas. Sabiena Harris, digital marketing expert and mobile app developer sat on a panel full of men and held her own discussing women in tech and how to be a boss in a career dominated by men. Then the knowledgeable Husband and Wife team over at The Penny Lounge came thru dropping nuggets on setting budgets and managing the money you have to pay off debt. Y’all this dynamic duo paid off over 60k in debt in just 14 months so yeah they are the for real pros!!
When I say the Manifestival was everything our community has been missing, I mean that! Having the conversation about mental health in our community is becoming more normalized but this wellness event was more about action!! Feeling safe in a nonjudgmental envirmoment with people who look like us, who know our struggle, and who will not try to downplay our pain is what we need and truly the Manifestival gave us that and so much more!!
Created, curated, and managed by two beautiful, intelligent, high achieving women, who saw a need and filled it, The Manifestival inspired us to heal, together, seek help without fear and even gave us some resources for us by us!
Toria Samone owner of 4 the Culture Studio, and ToCcorra Hill of curlsncocktails I salute you both for taking on the responsibility of advancing the culture through real healing. I am so very eternally grateful for what you all did with this amazing weekend! This is only the beginnin, so if you missed out be sure to connect with them @MelaninManifeistival and subscribe to the website www.melaninmanifestival.com to get updates on the next events
More images for the event are posted HERE and stay connected with me on IG @crystallografy_ to see the FULL Event Vlog out this week.
Until Next Time
➕〰️❤️💡 -Crys