Becoming a millionaire is often the ultimate bag in life but when Netflix offered award-winning executive producer, writer and actress Michaela Coel a cool $1M for the rights to I May Destroy You, she said, "Yeah, no." Sis knew her worth. With her massive success of her debut comedy, Chewing Gum, and work on three other Netflix projects under her belt, a million wasn't it.
Now I get that a mil isn't exactly normal payment for a script. We could go to Netflix today with a story idea and would be lucky to receive an offer of $10K. Sis was handed a Birkin in that aspect. But as Black women, we should never accept a company's initial offer without negotiating first, and that goes for a 9-5. We should produce our professional receipts and add in our experience beyond the minimum job requirements, major accomplishments, any press and our awards. There's usually more money on the table. Or if not, we should ask for perks. And when it comes to our art, we should definitely retain some ownership, if not all, at least to maintain integrity of our work and claim those residuals.
Besides I May Destroy You wasn't just any script. It's the 33-year-old's real-life story, based on her own sexual assault. It's also a form of her therapy, a way for her to process what happened and try to heal from it. We really can't put a price on her experience.
Michaela only asked for 5% ownership of the series. When Netflix refused, she attempted to negotiate down to 2%, eventually to 0.5%. A half of a percent. She was actually going to sign, too, but the woman on the other end of the telephone, who needed to run the deal past the higher-ups, expressed pride that Michaela was doing the right thing. The remark didn't sit right in Michaela's spirit.
"My thing is, I don't trust people. I just don't trust. I don't trust businesspeople, especially when they're parading as friends. I don't like it. I think that's all probably because of learning from my previous deals where I didn't say no, where I accepted, and so now it's made me very suspicious."
A few months later, Michaela pitched I May Destroy You to BBC, which immediately gave her everything she asked for and teamed up with HBO later to produce. A seat at the production table? Check. Full creative control? Of course. Rights to her own work? Yassss!
It's angering how women are often addressed and treated in business, though, especially in an industry dominated by white men. They assume we're not as smart and savvy as them, or we don't belong, so there's already that strike against us. But let a Black woman enter their space and have the audacity to ask her worth. Tuh! In a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, Michaela said:
"Life is tricky enough navigating being a woman, being a Black woman, being a dark-skinned woman in England on television. It's so hard."
Entire conversations are shut down before any fair negotiations begin. And to add insult to this injury, it was another woman, who probably didn't look like us, who was complicit in allowing Michaela to undervalue herself. We must do better.
Not only should we ask for what we want and deserve, we should also dismiss the outdated idea that discussing money is taboo. We need trusted folks in our fields to bounce figures off of. And we need to be willing to share when there's no blueprint or standard. When it comes to transparency on money and one-sided deals, here's what Michaela said:
"That's so cool to me because it means that people might not make the same mistakes I made. I think if you have someone that you can privately say, 'Hey, I'm in the middle of a deal with these guys and you're in a deal with them...I just wanted to know, what does your deal look like?' I think it's empowering and the way the structures are set up, we're not very empowered. I love the fact that there is a little bit more discussion, that people are having talks at the side, creative to creative."
This isn't the only major win for Michaela, who recently earned a spot as Wall Street Journal's 2020 Television Innovator earlier this month. In 2018, she also became the first Black woman in the entire 42-year history of the Edinburgh International Television Festival to deliver their keynote address, a spot usually designated for white men. If we can learn anything from this smart and stunning queen, it's how to smash some norms. But infiltrating circles controlled by another race and gender only to reject their coins like pennies because we know we can absolutely get more will always be the ultimate flex.
To read Michaela's full WSJ and W interviews, click here and click here. To listen to her James MacTaggart Keynote Speech at the Edinburgh International Television Festival, click here.
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Although this might seem like a heavy way to intro this particular topic, because the O Method is an orgasm-achieving technique that centers around housing energy, embracing the mental practice of manifestation, and the attempt to achieve the best climaxes ever — it all works together pretty well if you ask me. If you want to take your orgasms to the next level, it’s important that you get out of yourself (to a certain extent), that you see the spiritual role that manifestation plays, and that you are open to trying new things. No doubt about it.
So, let’s learn more about what the O Method is all about and how it very well could be just what you’ve been looking for…even if you didn’t know it.
What Is the “O Method” All About?
GiphyQuestion: When’s the last time you’ve had an orgasm? Not just any orgasm — I mean a really mind-blowing one (I’ll give you a second to think about it). Now, what if you could manifest that experience to the point where it wasn’t a rare occurrence but something that happened almost every time that you and your partner had sex with each other? How absolutely awesome would that be?
That is pretty much what the O Method is all about — helping you achieve the kind of orgasms (and sexual pleasure, in general) that you desire through the practice of manifestation. And since your biggest sex organ is your brain, it would make perfect sense that even with all of the tips and techniques that you might learn to do as far as your body is concerned, honing in on what you think about is super imperative to sexual fulfillment, too. And that’s just where manifestation comes in.
What If You’ve Never “Manifested” Anything Before?
GiphyBefore we get into a quick lesson on manifestation, I think it’s important to mention two things. One, for the cynics, there is a lot of truth in the fact that it’s got some solid spiritual basis to it because even the Good Book says that as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7). At the same time, that same Good Book tells us that faith without works is dead (James 2:14-26). So, while it is always a good idea to focus on good, positive, and productive thoughts, just thinking about them isn’t enough — at some point, you’ve also gotta get out here and DO something (bookmark that).
Okay, with that mini-sermon out of the way, whether it’s in the bedroom or not, manifestation is basically about focusing on something tangible that you desire, harnessing your energy in such a way that your words and actions are directed towards that longing until what you want, well, manifests. For the record, aside from this having a spiritual backing to it, in many ways, science cosigns on manifesting, too. There is actually a scientific process known as neuroplasticity that consists of reframing your mind so that your actions ultimately end up aligning with your goals — and that is another way to look at manifestation.
So, what if you’re someone who has never set out to do a manifestation practice before? No worries. Something that’s awesome about it is there are several different approaches that you can take.
Some people manifest what they want in their lives via:
- Journaling
- Visualization/Creating vision boards
- Writing down their desires before going to bed (so that they can “download” them into their dream state)
- Creating mantras and affirmations
- Applying the 369 Manifestation Method (you can learn more about that here)
- Meditating
- Learning more about what you want to manifest (which brings forth clarity)
This is important to keep in mind because, when it comes to manifesting the types of orgasms that you want to have, as you can see, you can try different manifestation methods until you find one (or ones) that you are truly comfortable with. One that can ease you into the entire process rather smoothly is something known as sex journaling.
How Sex Journaling Can Actually Help You to Have an Orgasm
GiphyAs a writer, I’m a big fan of journaling. Mostly because it’s a way to get out some of your deepest thoughts and feelings so that you’re able to really process what is happening inside of you in a private setting. And when it comes to sex journaling, specifically, it’s all about centering yourself on the things sexually that you want to “unpack,” get clarity on or come to some revelations about. For instance, if there’s only been one partner from your past who’s been able to help you achieve the type of orgasms that you wish to manifest, journaling about what makes him different from the other guys can provide you with some solid ah-ha moments.
Or if you need help getting as specific as possible about the sexual experiences that you’re after, journaling can help to make that happen for you — because one thing that manifesting reminds us all to do is be as specific as possible.
Yeah, simply saying, “I want to have better sex” isn’t detailed enough when you want to get your energy to match with your desires — instead, describe how all of your senses should feel in the experience, along with why, that can get you so much closer to achieving your goal. Once those things are documented, you can segue into creating mantras and/or meditation that are based on them. Yeah, sex journaling really is an underrated superpower on a lot of levels (check out “The Art Of Sex Journaling (And Why You Should Do It)”).
5 Tips for Making the O Method Work for You
GiphyNow that you know more about what the O Method is and how manifestation plays a direct role in its process, let’s talk about five ways to make the O Method truly effective in your own (sex) life.
1. Focus, FULLY, on your feminine energy. What do rose quartz, amethyst, moonstone (which is a Gemini birthstone as well; yes, I’m a Gemini), selenite, and rhodonite all have in common? They’re crystals that help you to go deeper into your divine feminine energy. Traits that are associated with this include compassion, creativity, kindness, gentleness, and sensuality (feminine energy is also accepting and forgiving). If you were to study energy from a biological standpoint, it’s about producing change, responding to stimuli, and having the ability to do what needs to be done (work). So, when it comes to manifesting the kind of orgasms or sexual experiences that you want, using things like your creativity and gentleness in your thoughts and actions can play a role in bringing balance to your partner’s masculinity, which can create a profound sense of pleasure — after all, opposites do attract.
2. Don’t hold back on what it is that you desire. Whenever I interview sex therapists, something that they all say is, a huge mistake that people make as far as sexual satisfaction is concerned is, they have walls up — not just with their partners but even within themselves. Sometimes, there is intimidation, fear, or even shame around what they really want to happen during sex to the point where they aren’t able to channel their energy fully in those directions in order to manifest what they want. For the O Method to work, you can’t let those types of negative emotions hinder you; the more you are able to articulate what you want and how you want it, the better chance you have of making it happen. So yes, get graphic. As graphic as possible.
3. Make manifestation a daily practice. Repetition is important when it comes to manifestation. That’s because the more you declare what you desire (a mantra), get still and think on it (meditation), or look at the “art” that you’ve created surrounding it (visualization), the quicker it becomes a part of you. So yes, make manifestation a daily practice. For instance, if one of your mantras is, “I am going to have intensely passionate orgasms, one right after the other,” don’t just state that 15 minutes before sex is going to happen. Wake up and declare it. Then say it on your lunch break. And again before turning in. The more your thoughts are “streamlined” in this way, the easier it will be for your body to follow suit.
4. Share this practice with your partner. If you were to do even more research on the O Method, one thing that most of the articles will mention is it’s a practice that you can do alone or with your partner. Indeed. However, I just want to make sure that you get into your psyche that great sex is, in part, about good communication. And so, the more comfortable you are sharing with your partner what you are doing as far as the O Method is concerned and what you ultimately want to happen as a result of the practice, the easier it will be for him to “match your energy” — both in and out of the bedroom. And when your partner is on the same page as you? That definitely increases the chances of attaining your sexual desires — exponentially so.
5. Stay in the moment. While I was reading one article on manifestation, I really appreciated something that the author said: manifestation isn’t some supernatural power. In other words, while it can be beneficial, it’s not like you can just think of something, and it instantly appears out of nowhere. Manifesting is a discipline, and it must be accompanied by action, consistency, and patience — this means that you must also practice mindfulness. Meaning, now that you know better what you’re looking to achieve as far as sex is concerned, every time that it transpires, maintain a level of positive energy, remember what your end goal is, and then determine in your mind to enjoy the moments as they come. Remember, manifestation isn’t to add stress…it’s to cultivate clarity.
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At the end of the day, the O Method is simply a way of reminding you that your mind plays a huge role in your sexual pleasure, and when you channel it and your energy exactly where you want them both to go, you’ll be amazed what your body is capable of doing…and accomplishing.
So, what kind of orgasm are you wanting to achieve? You’ve got a tool to get you there. USE IT.
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