Laughter and life lessons were at the forefront of the conversation as Love Now Media’s Director of Communications, Syreeta Martin sat down with Seraiah Nicole, a Philadelphia-based national performing artist, activist & founder of Seraiah Nicole Creations, LLC. Seraiah Nicole, who is just as unapologetically herself as she is creative, opened up during the organization’s virtual event series, Lunch & Love: Love Ambassador Edition. She talked about the pressure artists face to constantly produce work and the remedies she uses to center herself and her work.
While Seraiah Nicole’s resume boasts the titles of recording artist, spoken word storyteller, and actress, she has experienced anxiety caused by feeling the need to be on “go mode” in order to sustain her career. “You may achieve more when you are on ‘go’ but what do you have left? When you make the goal post, there’s always another,” she said.
Seraiah Nicole has been creating music for as long as she can remember. Having her performances featured on large platforms such as PBS, NBC, and more had come with a career-long sense of pressure to provide entertainment to her followers. It was during the pandemic when a chance to pause and reflect allowed Nicole to discover a new method to combat always being on “go mode.”
“Presence is what comes to mind as the opposite of grind culture. ” – Seraiah Nicole
Remaining present and creating routines are practices that Seraiah Nicole has used as she embraces the “soft life.” Specifically, she noted four everyday practices that really help her through uncertain times: affirmations, music, silence, and prayer are all different ways that she destresses her life and directs her passion for the arts. She often records musical tracks of affirmations as a way to practice self-motivation. “Instead of hearing a random voice, which there’s nothing wrong with, who better to hear from than my own voice?” she asked.
Self-love through her style also became part of Seraiah Nicole’s life. Having grown up in church, she had no interest in clothing and makeup due to style having been described as “a distraction.” Now, the recording artist uses clothing as a way to express herself and promote positivity. “When you put in the time to feel good and look good inside and out, other people notice it too,” she said. Her version of embracing the soft life includes engaging a stylist, doing her nails, and allowing herself to be what she describes as “dainty.” “The soft life doesn’t just have to be ‘I’m one with myself,’ it can also be ‘Yeah girl, you look beautiful,’ she said.
Seraiah Nicole plans on continuing to do that and uplift others around her. You can follow her work at www.seraiahnicole.com.
