Category: Identity / Culture
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How Movies Taught Me to Romanticize Chaos (And How I’m Unlearning It)
Movies made me creative and empathetic, but they also taught me to crave emotional highs and romanticize instability. Here’s how cinema shaped my relationships, nervous system, and healing journey.
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Loving Music and Choosing Islam: A Tension I Still Live With
Islam discourages music not because sound itself is evil, but because of what it can do to the heart. In Islamic tradition, anything that distracts from remembrance of Allah, inflames desire, or pulls a person away from presence and accountability is treated with caution. Music, especially when it becomes constant stimulation or emotional escape, has…
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The Messy, Beautiful, and Confusing First Year of Becoming Muslim
For my one-year anniversary of becoming Muslim, I figured I’d finally sit down and write about what this first year has actually been like. I’m currently bored out of my mind in a cabin in the mountains of North Carolina, pregnant and feeling like this baby in my belly is about to arrive at any…
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Why I Find Japan’s Mask Culture Really Beautiful
One thing I’ve always quietly admired about Japan is how normal wearing a mask is. Not because of fear.Not because of rules.Not because someone told them to. But because it’s considerate. If you have a cold, you wear a mask.If your allergies are acting up, you wear a mask.If you’re packed into a train with…
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I’m Letting Go of the Idea of Filmmaking
I’m giving up on the filmmaking stuff. Not because I don’t love it. But because I don’t feel like I can survive it. I’ve been through a lot these past few years. More than I think I’ve even fully processed. And right now, I just feel too sad to be ambitious at the same time.…
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My 23andMe DNA Results: A Deep Dive Into My Ancestry🧬
My best friend had bought me a 23andMe DNA kit for my 27th birthday and and honestly… it was wild seeing my genetic story laid out in charts, colors, and timelines. I always knew I was mixed, but seeing the exact regions and generations mapped out felt like opening a time capsule of everyone who…
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Honestly, Vanessa 