Felecia Causey's Blog

Written By: Felecia Causey and Samantha Photos Provided By: Samantha As a fellow mother to a child with eczema, I remember all the late nights crying and the scratching my daughter did until she made herself bleed. There isn’t a mother that wouldn’t do anything to stop the discomfort or pain of their children. As you watch people, teachers , or kids not understanding what is going on or think it’s contagious is heartbreaking. After many doctor visits and visiting specialists, hope was hard to find. As a mother I realized that I must continue to fight for her, as well as never giving up.  With there being thousands of companies on the market that say that their products help with eczema, that can become really expensive trying to try them all.  My daughter, now 16, still has flare ups, but with her dad and I researching home remedies that worked for us, things have gotten a lot better. She still has scars from the scratching and the flare ups. I remember I had a family member making a j

Photos Provided BY: Jennifer Volcy   Please share with my readers a little about yourself.           My name is Jennifer Volcy. I am a visual artist from Toronto, Canada. However, I am currently based in Southern California. I specialize in oil and acrylic portraiture. When I’m not painting, I’m busy being an attorney.     Tell me what inspired you to start doing art? ·         I have loved art my entire life. It was always my favorite class in school because I loved creating things. However, I started painting a lot more during law school. I found that because law school could be so rigid, I needed a creative outlet to balance everything else out.     How long have you been painting? ·         Since childhood. However, I started sharing my work publicly and selling my work around 2015.   In your opinion, what was the hardest part of putting your artwork out there? ·         Sometimes it can be a little nerve wracking because you never know how someone will react to your work. When

Written By: Felecia Causey Photos By: Felecia Causey Models: Keena and Makhia Sankey   I came across a viral video, where a little girl thought she was ugly and she cried. It absolutely broke my heart. As a mother to a daughter I make sure that she knows that she is beautiful and I love her everyday.  We live in a world where girls are being criticized about their hair, the color of their skin, and their body from not only strangers, but also family and friends. With a world that constantly teaches women that your skin should be a certain color or your hair must be straight, and curly or twisted. Colorism is a very big thing that plays a role in a lot of families, in which most times it’s a topic that is never brought up. Why have a child feeling like their skin isn’t beautiful because it’s not what you feel fits into your perfect family? She grows up questioning why she doesn’t have hair and skin like someone else, instead of teaching her to embrace the “unique” person she is. “Am I u

Written By:Felecia Causey Photography By: Felecia Causey Model: Jennifer Williams   Most people are excited about a new baby. They want to be a part of the events, and be the first to know every detail around the birth. Everyone around is waiting for the announcement of who will be the godparent(s) to the child.  It’s one of those titles that shouldn’t just be given to just anyone. Just because a person is a good sister, co-worker, friend, aunt, or uncle, doesn’t mean they will be the best at being a good godparent. I know many people that volunteer themselves into the title, and since no one else was interested, the parent most likely will allow the person to do it.  The role of being a godparent to me is more than having that name when it comes to my kids. I need someone I can trust to be there for my kids when I am not available. I want to be able to trust that he or she will love and protect them the way I do.  The relationship must be able to go on even when the parents are not ta

  Written By: Felecia Causey If I recall I have never told anyone to get over something that made them upset, angry, or hurt.  It’s not my place to tell them .I don’t know their healing process, and it's really not my business or anyone else's. Some emotional hurt recovery doesn’t happen overnight.  I recall someone telling me the story of how their mom left them at a young age because of a man. She never called, sent money, or helped their elderly grandmother pay bills or purchased any food.  The young person told me how even though her grandmother did her best, they still struggled and emotionally she was completely broken. She continued to question was she enough or was she that bad that her own birth mother could leave her so easily. Well fast forward to present time, and the mother needs a place to stay and wants to be in the grandkids’ lives. When confronting her mother, the mother always responds that it's time to move from the past. The young woman wanted my opinion

  Written By: Felecia Causey Photography By: Felecia Causey We live in a time, where people switch up personalities, change friends, and betray the people they claim to love like it is nothing. Most times it’s sad to say that we allow temporary people to be a part of special moments. Brides and grooms are so quick to allow folks to stand beside them at their weddings, moms allowing friendenemies to be in the delivery room while giving birth, parents giving the title god-parent to those that don’t even live up to the name, and inviting people into your home that is jealous of you.  I have many brides that have told me they regret the wedding party they selected. One bride shared that her maid of honor acted so ugly, the moment she found out they were engaged. She didn’t smile in any of the photos, and wasn’t even interested in any of the bridal activities. Several brides told me they don’t even talk to hardly any of the ladies that stood beside her that day. These were people she had kn

Written By: Felecia Causey Photos By: Felecia Causey   What I know is there is no love that compares to a mother’s love for her child. You can hear someone describe the emotions and love you will feel, but there isn’t anything like the day you lay eyes upon him or her. There are many books out there that give you the idea of what a mom is supposed to be. There are articles from therapists and behavioral specialists that believe they have come up with all the answers and directions of being the best parent.  There is no clear road map on this journey of motherhood.   As we watch television of the perfect suburban moms who have it all together. There is no such thing as the perfect parent. Where are the books and the photos posted on social media of the mother crying because she’s exhausted or the only breaks she has is when she goes to use the bathroom, take a shower, or when the kids go to sleep? They don’t tell you how to embrace a broken hearted child from being hurt by a family memb

Felecia: Please share with my readers a little about yourself.   Courtney: I wear many hats. I am a Brooklyn native. I am also a middle school Special Education teacher. I am a writer. I am a mixed media artist. My work mixes painting, digital art, and collage with Afrocentric realism. My paintings are centered around themes of self-love, mental health awareness, and what it means to be a Black woman in America. I like to accentuate the lips and noses of African American women, while regularly amalgamating parts of their bodies with elements of nature to make a statement about the origins of life, the tribulations embedde d into Black history and the purity present within us all. Much of my work is dedicated to revealing the beauty and power of Black women. I used the word “reveal” because Black women are not only underrepresented in art but also misunderstood in American society. As Black women, we have to journey to discover our worth and strive to make our mark. My art is part of th