Robin Phelps-Ward Robin Phelps-Ward

A Penny on the Verge

I’m on the brink of something new and standing at the crux of a meaningful moment in my life—the water is about to spill over the penny. For the past several month’s I’ve been feeling like the penny in the water droplet experiment. Last year, I began to tell the world about my small, Black-owned, woman-owned business, Viola Lou Studio, the namesake of my fraternal and maternal grandmothers, and over time I worked to complete a self-published workbook for those seeking to expand their reflexive practice—Introspection. 

Pivot. Redirect. Reroute. Turn. Change course.

Each of these words represents the act of changing one’s direction. 

Now, consider these words: 

Brink, cusp, verge, edge, tipping point. 

Each of these words conjure imagery of being at the borderline of some event or occurrence. 

For the past several month’s I’ve been feeling like the penny in the water droplet experiment. Last year, I began to tell the world about my small, Black-owned, woman-owned business, Viola Lou Studio, the namesake of my fraternal and maternal grandmothers, and over time I worked to complete a self-published workbook for those seeking to expand their reflexive practice—Introspection. 

With each new action connected to nurturing my work as a creative, I could feel the molecules in me shifting. The craft fair I participated in with my mother as a vendor, the posts I shared on Instagram and TikTok declaring I was selling the Introspection workbook, and the simple acts of mailing each order at the University post office..those were the droplets. 

While I know I have much work to do as I continue to build Viola Lou Studio as a business, I feel a strong energy speaking inside of me. That energy says that I’m on the brink of something new and standing at the crux of a meaningful moment in my life—the water is about to spill over the penny. I cannot lie and say this feeling hasn’t been brewing in tandem with the worsening sociopolitical climate. With each executive order, breaking news story detailing the curtailment of anti-oppression initiatives, and conversation about how those of us in education continue to do our work within the sea of barriers, I become more disenchanted with the institution of education and more called to labor that is rooted in community, creative practice, joy, social justice, collective freedom, and flourishing.

Whether good or bad, I am open and preparing for what the future has in store. My daily practice of prayer, manifesting, and journaling our guiding me through this period as I stand at the pivot and recognize I’m on the verge of something great. I’m also taking the time to research and read as much as I can to discern how to move forward as informed and grounded as possible. Below is a list of the texts (both written and visual) I’m engaging to support my work as I navigate being the metaphorical penny: 

I share this post to declare my awareness and acknowledgement of the space I’m existing in right now emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually. This work is deeper than career, job, or hobby, this work is calling and I am dedicated to putting in the effort to make meaning of this period however dark it may feel right now as I reflect on the world and my role in the academy. 

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