We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kristine Streett Brooks a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kristine, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
Resilience has been a recurring theme of my existence. I’ve come from a long line of strong, resilient women. After watching each of them go through the many trials of life with dignity and grace, it set the bar very high for how I viewed living life in the face of adversity.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
My mother always told me to make the most of what I have. Even if you have nothing, you can make something. In 2019, those words were more relevant than I could possibly imagine. My world came to a complete halt on Thanksgiving of 2019. Little did I know that the holiday would change the rest of my life, and it was only the start of a series of things that would change my story forever. My mother was killed in a domestic violence incident. Domestic violence had disrupted my life in previous years, but I never thought it would be the thing that ended my mother. Shortly after her passing, another blow to my world that I never saw coming. The big C. Cancer at age 31. I was not ready to take on advanced-stage Melanoma, especially while processing my mother’s passing. At that moment, my mind and soul checked out. Before you know it- not only me but the rest of the world had to experience the long, strange ride of the pandemic. Regardless of your mental or physical strength, being a part of a worldwide lockdown was not beneficial for anyone. Little by little, my mother’s voice returned to me, giving me that nudge, push, and inspiration to do something. I no longer could stay stagnant, and I was in control of myself and what I chose to do with what I had… And even then, I had nothing, or so I thought. The first thing I started to do was paint. I’ve always been creative, a musician, and an artist, but along the journey of grief, I seem to lose sight of the things I had with me all along. Every day, I made it a point to paint, some days a little or a lot. After that, I restarted a project I worked on in my business, Beautystreett, called Social Graces. Social Graces was a program my mother created in the 90s, helping underprivileged youth in Baltimore City have a safe space to come to after school and learn to cook. I took the name, created an extension of my website, and dedicated it to local artists, musicians, and other creatives with the same social grace. In doing this, I also started to write again. Writing has been a passion of mine my entire life. It has been a big part of my healing process. Sharing my story through poetry and short stories seemed to resonate with others. I began getting feedback and messages from many people in my community and online, encouraging me to continue this journey. I started volunteering for NAMI, the National Alliance for Mental Illness. I have been training with their “Families in Crisis” program, which works closely with the Baltimore City Police Department to better understand mental health crisis response. I am also a Helpline phone representative taking phone calls to provide Marylanders with local resources for mental health. I teamed up with NAMI for their NAMI Walks campaign, “Creativity Connects,” and was featured as a local artist. They used my art for promotional newsletters, and we raised money for the cause during our walk that helps end the stigma against mental health. So, at the end of the day, the arts, music, and the passion for giving back all go hand-in-hand. I have since re-enrolled in college, pursuing an associate degree in Criminal Justice and Police Science to help seek justice for my mother and other victims of domestic abuse. Regardless of the path I am working on, whether singing in one of my bands, sharing my art, volunteering, or doing your hair and makeup, each involves human connection. Sometimes, all one needs is a listening ear or words of kindness, and in today’s society, we could certainly use more social grace. As I continue strengthening and healing, I have expanded my ventures into designing my artwork onto T-shirts and other apparel representing different causes that I sell in an online store. Once a year, I will take a portion of the sales and donate to the appropriate organization. Three of my biggest focuses are the things that have touched my life significantly. Mental health, domestic violence, and Melanoma, especially in adolescents. Anything and everything that can be done for the greater good, if you can, should always be done because, in all actuality, the only thing it takes is time, and time is the only thing we have that is free, yet it is the one thing we can never get back. My most recent collaboration has been very inspiring and definitely fits into the mold of what I believe in. My career started with two of my favorite things. Beauty and music. One of my biggest influences in a combination of both worlds is Gwen Stefani. Gwen Stefani recently launched a new makeup line called GXVE, pronounced give. The basis of the makeup line is clean, vegan, sustainable makeup that she shares and has collected a team of ambassadors. I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the founding ambassadors. After the pandemic, it was realized that many people in the artistry business lost so much. In the past, Gwen was a makeup artist who made little to no commission and continued the job anyway, just for the love of the art. Gwen graciously and generously decided to pay her ambassadors a commission higher than most retail shops or salons to give back. Hence the name GXVE. So, in the big picture, beauty, music, art, expression, resilience, and love are all things that have gotten me through all of the bad days, and no matter what, tomorrow is always a new day to start again.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Communication, resources, and humor are the three most important things you need to succeed. These things are typically at your fingertips if not already a part of you, but having the confidence to use them is vital. I have learned some the hard way, but I am happy I did. You need to be vocal about what you want and what you need. You may not always get it all, but you will only know if you ask. Look for help! There are resources all around. Depending on your needs, with a bit of time and effort, you can get the support you need with the proper resources. Never be ashamed to look for help If you need it. Finally, humor and laughter are the best medicine. Don’t get me wrong; my circumstances are far from funny, but not sweating the small stuff and finding that tiny ray of light through the darkness will get you through. I laugh as much as I can, and please believe, a lot of the stuff is, in fact, small stuff.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
It is so easy to get overwhelmed and stressed with everyday life. Life often gets in the way of life itself, so setting aside time for yourself is important. We all are guilty of distractions, whether social media scrolling, texting, or television, but think if you took away just five minutes for absolutely nothing. I have found that mindfulness and meditation have been very helpful when I am overwhelmed. I am not perfect; I do not meditate for 30 minutes every day or have a set regimen, but I do take at least five minutes of my day, usually when I first wake up and just do nothing. I take that five minutes and take a much-needed brain break to clear the clutter of my mind from the previous day, all of the flooding thoughts of the day to come, and then end it with gratitude for all of the blessings that I do have so I can start the day with a better outlook and a positive mind.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://beautystreetttans.wixsite.com/rubyindy
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kbstreett/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beautystreetttans
- Other: https://socialgracesandmore.etsy.com
