What a year 2025 was. All of last year, I said that I wanted to start documenting today, and each day has gone by, each start of the month, each major news event. I haven't gotten to it, unfortunately. Ups and downs, curves. 
Highs and lows. The crooked with the straights as they say… 

 

It's a very interesting time to be in America, to be an American citizen, to be a black man in America. [And it is only getting scarier as we reach the ides of the first month.]
In this city… the one I call home... Shit ain't easy, and good shit definitely don't come easy. That means it's good most days. 
But you definitely got to work for it. So, I'm committed to documenting more in 2026 to motivate self-expression, track growth, and inspire others. I started 2026 on December 1st, 2025, as a way to get ahead of my own self-destructive tendencies and give myself grace to fail while planning for the year ahead. 

 

As I zig-zag this city, this state, this country, and hopefully this globe;
I am... narrowly optimistic. I see people waiting for the bus, on the side of the road, in 20-degree weather, at 10 o'clock at night, trying to get to wherever they need to get to; home, to a meal, to a party… a holiday situation, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, et cetera… I'm grateful for all that I have and get to enjoy—the luxury of exploring, experiencing, and taking part in this life from this perspective. With all that is going on, it's crucial to hold optimism. There is a quote from Star Wars that says, "Hope is like the sun. If you only believe in it when you can see it, you'll never make it through the night.  The bare bones optimism is stretched thin; Or is quite narrow, depending on the word phrasing you want to use… There's not much to look forward to. The Cheeto man, as someone I admire, recently referred to him as, is doing us all a disservice and doing the country a disservice. He's tearing our democracy down. Into exactly what the founders wished it not to be. It's unfortunate. 


 

But that's not why we're here. We'll save that for a different place and time. But that'll also be a part of this process. What Jaden Smith wisely said many years ago, we need to talk more about the geopolitical and economic state of the world. And when he said it, we should have paid more attention then, but we were too busy on Vine, and then came to TikTok. But now we really kind of have to. Cause the true nature of the outcomes of all these decisions being made is utter and complete disaster.

 

But why are we here? We're here because I bought a camera lens. And a camera, but mostly the lens; that is a little bit out of my budget. 
Not really. But, I do need to replenish my coffers. I need to monetize the skills that I have. The skills I've gained so far. Alternatively, I need to challenge myself in different ways.
I need to push myself up to think differently, to act differently, to move differently. To really cherish this life that we have, the people in it, this planet that we live on, the environment and nature, as it currently exists, should be documented and observed thoroughly, properly, before it all [hopefully not] disappears. 

 

Part of that is the food that we eat… The habitats that exist around us or that we’ve created, or now coexist with, that might soon not exist… Art is a major part of this, and the people who make it. I rarely call myself an artist… I don't consider myself to be an artist. I don't consider myself to have a lot of creativity.
I am a creative, though. I enjoy making things. 
All sorts of things. I've been creating some now, and I hope to share it with you. 

 

But yeah, this is just the start. I hope to create and monetize this. Not to an excessive extent, 
I'm not greedy in that way. I understand that I have seen affluence and wealth and know that I do not have that. And I do wish that for myself. 
Like I said, not to an excessive extent, moreover, I don't want to worry about how much an ambulance costs. Or if I can fill up my gas tank. Or eat out whenever I feel like it. Or see a meal and say, "Let me just go to the store and get whatever the f#@k ingredients I want and cook that meal.” And many of these things I can do to a certain extent. I am mindful of the first-world affluent issues I am speaking of. And I’ve gained more financial security in 2025, but there is more. I have a lot of ideas. Wealth should be kept, to a certain extent, not to today's extent. Not hoarded.
We should not have people with more money and wealth than 7 billion people combined. That should not happen. Everybody should be able to live in a way that they can move freely, live freely, eat freely, and create freely. 
Maybe I'm speaking of a utopia. Maybe that's. altruistic. But it is possible. 
Shit doesn't have to be like this. The world is ours to change. 


 

I'll leave it at that. I have a lot else to say. 
Looking forward to the first place I'll get to travel outside of this country. And maybe I’ll talk about how America isn't the f#$*ing best place on the fucking planet. 'Cause that's gonna be a great conversation. And hopefully, ICE won’t come for me because of it.

 

I appreciate you for reading this, seeing this, and checking out the editions page. Hope you can enjoy the art, places, and things I visit in this city, country, and the globe. Art from this latest edition is a catalogue of my favorite pictures from my recent travels and explorations over the past year. Including my favorite city in America. Another beautiful place with delicious food, terrific museums, incredible art, and a whole lot of history: Washington, D.C. 

 

More on that later, until next time!