mizChartreuse || redefiningSuccess

This is the home of a free-thinking, free-spirited, natural-haired, Zambian writer/creator/superwoman on the road to enlightenment in the pursuit of happiness. I’m a Gemini.

It can be difficult to define oneself, because we are all multi-faceted individuals, with infinite aspects to our beings. There’s no substance in identifying with simply one aspect (a career, or a role), because we’re dual, and fluid, and hopefully always getting better and going higher.

For these reasons, I am dedicated to redefiningSuccess: living life on your own terms. Creating your own standards. The perpetual state of being in the flow. Living according to your purpose. Self-improving at every turn. Maintaining harmony among mind, body, and spirit. Being here now.

Can we all get high?

Neither societal norms nor Merriam-Webster can define my best life for me. I take myself to school every day, whether it be immersing myself in books, ancient texts, or thought-provoking blogs. I catch a high from working on myself, whether in the gym or in meditation. I diversify my income streams, whether through freelance writing, modeling, making drinks at a bar– always creating, and looking for the next medium.

Look at yourself in this present moment. Everything you have, everything you are, right now, is a result of a series of millions of choices you’ve made from your inception through now. You’re the creator of your life; the author of your journey. Moving forward with this in mind can give you the power to make anything happen. It takes work, both inner and external work, but when you’re in the flow, doing your work takes on a whole new meaning.

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I was born in Michigan (the Upper Peninsula, mind you). My parents were born, raised, educated and married in Zambia, Africa until my father came to the States to finish his Master’s Degree at Michigan Tech, subsequently having me, the firstborn (What kind of Africans move from tropical Zambia to Upper Michigan? They must have had some great travel agents). Can you say Culture Shock?

In my younger days, sleepovers were forbidden, I couldn’t be a cheerleader because my dad thought they were all sluts, and my sister, Chloe, and I mastered the art of imitating our parents’ accents. I used to call “garbage cans” “beans,” because my parents pronounced “the bin” like “bean,” as the lovely, colonialist Brits would say. That certainly made for some interesting conversations and misunderstandings by kindergarten teachers/friends.

I lived in Palatine, a northwest suburb of Chicago, through high school. I spent a year at Northern Illinois University (NIU) studying Instant Messaging with a double minor in Acoustic Guitar Playing and Mozzarella Cheese Stick Eating. Apparently those studies weren’t part of the academic curriculum, so I went home and got a job as Front Desk Cute Girl at Sam Ash Music in Buffalo Grove.

Who can guess how many things were stolen while Allie and I were posing for pictures at work?

At 18, I ran away from the madhouse home to Chicago to live with my best friend Angelique.

I attended Harper College in Palatine for two years studying Business Administration and Marketing, then went to Dominican University for journalism school, mastering the ins and outs of the industry. I also studied abroad in Ghana, which was a life-changing experience in itself, and finally went home to Zambia, my Zion, for some time.

It wasn’t until I’d racked up an obscene amount of college education that I realized that the media isn’t what it seems to be. I didn’t want to be a slave to the system; having my style stifled and climbing my way up a worthless ladder to make someone else rich. So, I changed courses, forging a new life path. Letting institutions define and restrict me does not make any sense.

I started this website because I loved writing, and as one can see from the archives, mizChartreuse.com has gone from diary-style streams of consciousness to purpose-driven entries that think outside the box and break down the matrix.

I live in the wonderful Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago with the love of my life. We host our own podcast called Consumption Junction, wherein we have conversations about life observations.

Homegirl Ange lives less than one cigarette’s time from my front door. I write for myself; I get paid to write for other people. I make jewelry, I work out at my local YMCA, I paint and draw, I take photos, I build connections with like-minded, awoken people, and I look for the value and lesson in every incident.  Every day is an adventure, and I’m constantly observing the cycles, the full circles, and the beauty in everything. Life is good, because I make the choice to live a good life.

I do everything.

As Brandon Boyd wrote, “Make Yourself.” Don’t let ‘em fuck you. Do what you want, and live the life YOU want. YOU are in control. YOU chose the life you have right now. Don’t let it go to waste. Do what you love and don’t let the inevitable naysayers tell you otherwise.