How CultureCon Founder Imani Ellis Prioritizes Self-Care
CultureCon is one of the top conferences for creative people of color to attend to meet fellow changemakers. The event, which is presented by the Creative Collective NYC, has attracted some of our favorite entertainers as keynote speakers such as Tracee Ellis Ross, Chloe x Halle, Michael B. Jordan, and many more.
Attendees get to interact with other creatives and engage in panel discussions that cover an array of topics from entrepreneurship to branding. This past weekend, CultureCon took over Atlanta with some big names such as Kat Graham, Stacey Abrams, Kandi Burruss, and Insecure star Jay Ellis.
xoNecole caught up with CultureCon founder Imani Ellis to share her self-care routine, her tradition before every CultureCon, and advice for creatives.
How CultureCon Founder Imani Ellis Prioritizes Self-Care
Imani on Her Self-Care Routine
“My self-care routine [has to include] sleep, at least eight hours. Coffee because we need to make sure we’re awake but also water so we can make sure we’re hydrated. And then for me, I just love to eat and I know that’s not a traditional self-care but I think that you should just have lazy days where you can just eat fried catfish and grits.”
Imani on Her Tradition Before Every CultureCon
“I started this recent tradition where about a month before CultureCon, I will go on vacation for a week just clear my mind, release the stress and really prioritize everything. Then when I come back from that vacation, I hit the ground running executing everything but it just become a moment to look forward to. It’s like the calm before the storm.”
On the Best Advice to Give Creatives During Times of Struggle
“I think to just remember that there’s hills and valleys and the valleys make the hills so much more important because you had to fight and go through something to get there. I think for me whenever I’m having these moments where I cannot see how I’m gonna get through, I remind myself that the only way out is through. You can’t stop in the middle you gotta keep pushing and so the vision pulls you through it.”
CultureCon’s next stops are Los Angeles June 16-18 and New York City October 3-7. Visit their website theccnyc.com for more information.
Featured image by Derek White/Getty Images
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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ItGirl In Motion: DonYé Taylor Asked Herself This Question When Creating Her Brainchild
"Being an 'ItGirl' is all about being yourself and taking all of the elements that make you who you are and displaying them at your highest capability," creative brainiac DonYé Taylor says in the introduction of the limited video series, "ItGirl In Motion."
In partnership with Hyundai, xoNecole has unveiled the limited series in conjunction with our inaugural ItGirl 100 list. The list boasts 100 Black women who not only innovate and take up space when it comes to putting on for their cities, but also as the driving force behind brands that create impact for the culture. ItGirl DonYé Taylor is one of the 100 featured ladies who put her purpose into action.
ITGIRL IN MOTION with DONYE TAYLORwww.youtube.com
As a marketing consultant, content creator, and CEO, a driving force behind DonYé's ambitions has been to show others how she sees the world by "creating art and doing things that shift perspective." In founding her brainchild, Nüclei, which is coincidentally also home to the ever-so-chic chrome brain piggybank, DonYé briefly touched on the inspiration behind the brand. "I was like, 'What would it look like if I were to be of service to myself?' And that's what made me create Nuclei," she said.
Watch the video above to take a peek into the life of the LA-based ItGirl, the importance of Black women receiving our "flowers" while we're here, and the three things she believes are absolutely essential to any ItGirl.
See our ItGirl 100 list in full here. Click through the gallery below for some BTS moments of DonYé and our partnership with Hyundai.
CREDITS
Director: Mikkoh @mikkoh
Production Company: @30inthemorning
AD/Gimbal Op: @jeffreyrattanong
DP: @jucelandrin_
Editor: @30inthemorning
1st AC: Bonnie Delgado @bonniebellevue
2nd AC: Liz Robles @lizfatimarobles
FPV Drone Op: Kai Kevin Goh @kaivertigoh
Gaffer: Nelson Nguyen @nelson_ftw
Key Grip: Ames Hoang @mangothemaker
SLT: Jamon Tolbert @jamon.tolbert
Sound Mixer: Deyo Forteza @introducingdeyo
PA: Breyona Holt @exquisite_eye
PA: Aminah Muhammad @aminahmuhamm
BTS: Marika Belamarich @marikarosegold
Featured image by Marika Belamarich for xoNecole