Breathe Before You Build: A Labor Pains Project Update
I didn’t post a MetaCocoMom blog yesterday. Instead of sitting behind a screen, I made a conscious decision to head to Inspiration Point in Tilden Park. I spent the afternoon hiking, trading the digitized, industrial noise of our daily lives for a nature walk that felt more like a reclamation.
The Epstein files continue to roll out. The Trump Administration is shuckin’ and jivin’ like the convicts they are, and the rest of us deal with our daily collateral damage. In the words of Childish Gambino: “This is America.” Very little good news flows from the screen to my person these days.
As we move into the warmth of springtime, I strongly encourage everyone to take advantage of our regional, state, and national parks. Literally go touch grass. There is something fundamentally restorative about getting away from the roads and the cars—being in a space where you can actually feel and hear yourself thinking. Accessing these spaces is more than just a hobby; it’s an act of environmental justice. It’s not “white ppl sh*t”. It’s we-all-live-on-this- Earth sh*t.
In a world that demands our constant digital presence, choosing to be “away” is a necessary labor of self-care. The real kind. Not the appropriated, commercialized kind.
The clarity of the trails has helped me move the needle on several major fronts for the Labor Pains Project. Project managers talk about the peaks and valleys of a project, but we kind of skip over those periods of plateau. There aren’t fires or catastrophes. There is just stuff to do. Not particularly fun stuff. Just stuff. Trading the paper trail for the hiking trail is exactly what my brain needed to make sense of all the pieces and see the joy in the bigger picture.
First, I am incredibly excited (and admittedly a bit protective) to share that I have finalized the script structure for this summer’s performance. It is the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the birth of our nationhood. If that wasn’t historic enough, we are at a critical moment in our nationhood, globalized economy, and human history. Art ain’t coming to play this year. This piece is cutting-edge—it’s designed to hit multiple layers of the American experience simultaneously. Pop culture’s love of courtroom dramas will have a baby with American mythology to produce this script. I assure you, there has never been anything like it. (CHILLS!)
Because the work is centered on civic audience participation, I realize I can’t finish this in a vacuum. I am looking for a small, dedicated focus group of 8 to 10 people to join me behind the scenes. I’ll be sharing the script details with this group to gather essential feedback and ensure the interactive elements resonate the way they need to.
Second, that hike confirmed a reality I’ve been feeling for a while: it is time to expand the team. Right now, I am one person managing a two-person marriage (with a dope wife), three websites, four children, and five projects. I’m good, not God. While I’ve developed the systems to keep everything tracked, the physical labor of executing it all is a heavy lift.
I am officially looking to hire a Production Manager & Social Media Assistant. This isn’t just a “posting” job; I want someone who will become embedded in the project. Initially, this role will focus on managing our digital presence—ensuring links are live, spreadsheets are updated, and the story is being told consistently. However, once we move into the production phase, this person will transition into a traditional Stage Manager role, coordinating logistics, operations, and calling cues during the performance.
We are building something massive, and I want to make sure the foundation is as strong as the vision.
How to Get Involved:
- Support the Fundraising: Our immersive performance fundraiser, Vigilance: An Underground Railroad Experience, is coming up on April 25th. Tickets are now available, and I would love to see you there. Get VIGILANT
- Join the Inner Circle: If you are interested in being one of the 8–10 people in my script focus group, or if you (or someone you know) would be a perfect fit for the Production Manager/Social Media role, please use the link below to submit your interest. I’ve combined these into one form to keep things streamlined. Your Invitation!
Thank you for being part of this journey. Now, let’s get to work. 🤎✨
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