MAGAZINE
MAN OF THE MONTH
QOSMIC QADENCE
+ LESS STRESS,
MORE JOY
YOUR HABITS MAKE THE SHIFT THE HEART OF SACRIFICES
ISSUE 29 | DECEMBER & JANUARY 2018
www.AutumnMagazine.com
POEM: OLD FASHION CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS ON THE SCREEN GOD'S PURPOSE IN YOUR PASSION GRIEF DURING THE HOLIDAYS
Love, Faith, and Purpose in Life
MASTHEAD ISSUE 29 | DECEMBER & JANUARY 2018 | ISSN 2377-9128
THE
TEAM
CONTRIBUTING TEAM Every month we have a selection of external talent that helps contribute material to make our magazine what it is. We thank them and also welcome your skills at the table. Interested in contributing to Autumn Magazine? Contact us at: info@autumnmagazine.com
Owner and Editor Jayme Parkinson Jayme@autumnmagazine.com
Audio Video Director Kevin Parkinson Kevin@autumnmagazine.com
Photographers
JNCPIC (Cover)
Copy Editor
Dameta Sanders
Writers
Kacey Hartung, Joan Dance, Ivy Villaflores, Kaela McKaig, Brooke Brown, and Samantha Lorin
Image Image courtesy of Heidi Sandstorm (pg Acknowledgments 10&11), Joanna Kosinska (pg 14&15), Jex Timms (pg 18), Almos Bechtold (pg 22) Alex Munsell (pg 24), Marvin Meyer (pg 34), Joanna Kosinska (pg 36)
Senior Journalist Brittany Clark Brittany@autumnmagazine.com
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AUTUMN MAGAZINE is published bi-monthly by Autumn Magazine, Inc., Office: P.O. Box 46171, Phoenix, AZ 85063. Website: www.autumnmagazine. com. For advertising inquiries, contact: ads@autumnmagazine.com. REPRINTS AND PERMISSION: Š 2018 Golden Wings Press LLC, the writers, photographers, and artists. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any other means, electronically, mechanically, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission from the publisher.
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CONTENTS 8 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR 10 LOVE & FAMILY Less Stress, More Joy
14 ART & ENTERTAINMENT Poem: Old Fashion Christmas
18 HEALTH & FITNESS Your Habits Make The Shift
22 LIFE & ADVICE Understanding Other's Grief During The Holidays
24 CULTURE & MEDIA Christmas On The Screen
28 MAN OF THE MONTH Qosmic Qadence
34 PERSONAL NARRATIVE The Heart Of Sacrifices
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THEME
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BIBLICAL REFERENCES MARK 4:22 For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. HEBREWS 13:15-16 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. MATTHEW 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. LUKE 16:10 Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. MATTHEW 6:4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
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LETTER
from the
EDITOR
+ purchase hardcopy + go to ask autumn + connect with us!
You make a lot of sacrifices through love, but your sacrifices for those you love shouldn’t feel like a burden. I use to fear to allow others to make sacrifices for me. I assumed they’d either resent me later or that I would always be indebted to them. The funny thing is, I’ve made sacrifices for the people I love, and I don’t remember feeling like that person was obligated to me or owed me for life. I now believe that when God wants me to have something, sometimes he’ll use other people. So, I don’t miss out on my blessing because having a fear of receiving is like not trusting God or the love he has given me. 1 John 4:18 reads, There is no fear in love, but perfect love cast out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. This scripture speaks volumes to me; how to receive and give love and how to not live in fear because love exists. God never intended on love with conditions nor did he want us to do unto others with expectations. I’ve always had the rule that I would not do for someone or sacrifice if afterward, I would feel anger in my heart. If I sacrifice and give my last dollar to someone; afterward I should be okay with the fact that I may not reap back what I sowed in the physical. I shouldn’t give and then talk about how much of a sacrifice it was or how that person won’t ever pay me back. First, my gifts to others should be in secret and done because I wanted and was called to do it. Matthew 6:4 reads, Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. We won’t always be rewarded for every small or big sacrifice we make but knowing that our sacrifice has helped someone should also be a little gratifying too. Have faith in the love you receive from others; cherish it. It comes from God. His arms will open wide and embrace you through the love of your friends and family. Share some love too.
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BY KACEY HARTUNG
his is my favorite time of the year. Starting with Thanksgiving and continuing through to New Year’s, there is a special feeling in the air. There is excitement and anticipation. There is a feeling of kind-heartedness, generosity, and gratitude. There is a literal buzz in the air; a buzz that starts to shift as you get closer to Christmas Day. Feelings of stress begin to creep in. The number of days is getting smaller, and the todo list is getting longer. The pursuit of the “perfect” outdoor lights, indoor tree, Christmas card, wrapped gifts and holiday meal start to weigh you down. A few years ago, as I rushed around the mall weaving in and out of people, impatiently waiting my turn in line, it hit me – this is supposed to be fun. What happened to the joy of the holidays?
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Over the last few weeks, I have had the opportunity to lead two journal workshops where we examined how the stress, hustle, and bustle of the holidays end up taking all the fun out of it. The attendees quickly confirmed my thoughts, we had all had the feeling of getting so “wrapped up” (pun intended) in the day to day tasks of holiday preparation that it stopped being fun. As a result of my realization in the mall, I’ve made a conscious effort to remember joy throughout the holiday season. In our workshop, we started by writing down everything that came to mind when you think of the holidays. In the first column, we listed all the emotions you associate with the holidays. In the second column, we listed off all the physical things related to the holidays, like the tree, gifts, etc. After writing down everything, we compared the two lists and to see how the emotions lined up or didn’t line up, with the physical things. This led to a very open and honest discussion where we talked about traditions we were maintaining that we didn’t really enjoy. We pointed out things on our lists just because everyone else is doing them and we thought we had to follow suit. The next step in our exercise was to prioritize the emotions and the things, determining which ones meant the most to us and which ones should be eliminated. Emotions like stress and family drama were definitely on the elimination list, but how to remove led to a significant conversation. We talked about the work researcher and author, Shawn Achor has done studying happiness. His research has shown that happiness and negativity are contagious. We have far more influence on those around us than we might realize. Our mirror neurons instinctively reflect the happiness (someone smiling at you) or the negativity (someone impatiently waiting for
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a plane) around you. Our group concluded that family drama might be inevitable, but we all have a choice on how we are going to approach it. We also discussed different things that we could do to avoid letting it bring us down. At the end of the workshop, I left the group with a challenge and now I’m challenging you too - whenever you see the word “joy” pause for a minute and check in with yourself. Let seeing “joy” bring a smile to your face and use it as a reminder for the reason for the season. If you are feeling stressed, take a deep breath, reset and remember. Once you start looking for it, you’ll see that Joy is all around you. Kacey is a Life Coach with a passion for helping parents be the best they can be for their children. Autumn subscribers can receive a free 1:1 session, email balancedheartcoaching@gmail.com for details.
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BY JOAN DANCE
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An old fashion Christmas would be joyful With old friends - new friends gathered near But most of all to have Christ Jesus In Bethlehem - like hearts throughout the year
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TRUSTING & BELIEVING 18 | AUTUMNMAGAZINE.COM
ISSUE 28: AUTUMN MAGAZINE
BY KAELA MCKAIG
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emember the saying, “What’s done in the dark…?” You know the rest. Where does your imagination go when you hear this? I challenge you today to look deep inside yourself and apply this lesson to your own life. This is not a new phrase coined by screen writers and television producers of the 21st century. In the book of Mark, in the Bible, Jesus taught many lessons, one of which was about a lamp. Jesus described that when a lamp is brought into a room, it is not to be placed in a closet or hidden under a bed. It is to be put on a stand so that all can see. He then said, “For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light,” (Mark 4:22 NLT). Seems simple enough, right? So why do we not apply this understanding to the simplest things in our lives? I used to have a really bad habit (ok I still have this habit sometimes) of grabbing something during checkout at the grocery store. You know, a small package candy, maybe some cookies (luckily I actually do not like chocolate)! I would put the groceries in the back of my car and toss the bag of candy up to the front seat. Consuming the entire bag before I got home, I would stash the wrapper either in an empty cup to go in the trash, or in my purse where nobody else would find it. Nobody would ever know, right? The problem is our bad habits usually do not stop there. What we secretly put into our bodies does not secretly vanish. Have you ever told yourself, “But it’s healthy, I can have more.” Then when you put the leftovers away, you had another two spoons full before you put the lid on? Dare I mention Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners with family, leaving your refrigerator piled with leftovers and you telling
yourself, “We only eat like this during the holidays, so I need to get it all in.” Or better yet, “I’ll start after the new year.” Before you know it, your pants fit differently, you are breathing hard while walking up the stairs at work, and what happened to your jawline and collar bones? We can’t hide our secrets forever. What we do know is that hard work does pay off and habits can be changed. The sacrifices you make secretly by preparing and packing your own meals while your coworkers head out for lunch, waking up before everyone else to get in your exercise – those habits come to light too! When you say, “I’m going to lose weight this year,” how do people really know you’re serious? Think about it. Your body is your temple, and your light shines brightly. Evaluate your habits. What type of light radiates from your lifestyle? Are you allowing yourself and Jesus within you, to shine? Or are you too concerned about hiding your shortcomings, your secret stashes, and your bad habits? To many people, you are a beacon of hope, a beacon of inspiration, a beacon of healing. You can choose what you let shine for the most part but always remember, “everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open.” You deserve to be proud of what others see when they look at you. Now is the time to let your light shine – so shine bright!
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BY IVY VILLAFLORES
W
ith the holidays upon us, it’s easy to get into the spirit and spread love and joy – but for those who are grieving, it can be an extra sensitive time of the year. It would be nice if we could quickly wave a wand and make everything better for our friends and families who are going through grief during this time, but since we can’t, we can bring extra comfort and thoughtfulness to them. Here are some things to keep in mind. 22 | AUTUMNMAGAZINE.COM
IT’S HARD TO BE JOYFUL The thing about the holidays is that people who aren’t Christian or even religious tend to be in a much happier, friendly mood – it’s just the nature of society. But for someone who is going through loss, or still heavily grieving, it’s hard to be genuinely happy. Christmas and New Year’s are special times of the year, where memories can come back to mind, stirring up a mix of emotions. Please remember that it’s not that easy to “get into the spirit of things.” We know that it should be a joyful and warm celebration, especially Christmas, but sometimes we just can’t be as merry as others. WE MAY NOT WANT TO BE SOCIAL We love that you’re thinking of us and extending invitations to family get-togethers, ugly sweater parties, Christmas work events, etc. – we truly do! But please don’t take offense if we just don’t feel like going. It’s nothing personal, but it’s hard to be happy around people when we need our quiet moments. Sometimes seeing others with their husbands, wives, children, etc. can be painful. For some, being around others is helpful, while for others, it’s just not something we would like to be around.
WE DON’T NEED FIXING Again – don’t take this the wrong way – kind gestures are so very much appreciated! We do love that you saved us some Christmas cookies at the department party, or that you’ve brought over your mom’s famous casserole. Acts of love are wonderful, but we don’t need to be ‘fixed.’ Kind words or just letting us know that you understand that this could be a difficult time is more than sufficient – it means a lot! Just remember that we are humans who aren’t broken, we are humans who are deeply missing a loved one.
GRIEF IS NOT TEMPORARY Christmastime isn’t the only hard time of the year, though it can be easily harder than other times for a lot of people. Grief is an ongoing cycle that never truly goes away; it ebbs and flows with different levels at different times. Birthdays, the day of loss, anniversaries and other special events are going to be equally hard for us, too. Remember to keep in mind that while some days are going to be harder than others, we’ll also have our good days, too – be keen to these days and be sure to celebrate the gift of life with us on those days!
LOSS IS UNIQUE FOR EACH PERSON The holidays are easy for us to say, “Cheer up! It’s Christmas, and everyone goes through hard times.” While the sentiment seems thoughtful, please be mindful that every loss is different for every single person. We don’t all grieve the same. Treat us as the individuals we are and not as a member of the “grieving friend/ family member” category. The more personable you are to our situations, the better we’ll feel – and it also shows you care.
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BY SAMANTHA LORIN
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ho says Halloween is just for kids?! You are never too old to be creative and embrace all that Halloween has to offer. Though there is so much you can do on Halloween as an adult, the list only gets longer as you get older, here is a list of 15 things one could do during this season:
1. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) A classic story line that has been redone many times, “It’s a Wonderful Life” tells the story of George Bailey who wishes he had never been born. After his wish comes true, he soon realizes his impact, and he takes viewers on a journey of self-acceptance and love, as he rights his wrong.
5. Scrooged (1988)Using Charles Dickens', "A Christmas Carol" as inspiration, "Scrooged," tells the story of Frank Cross' journey away from his selfish, cynical nature to someone unrecognizable. After three, hilarious, encounters with spirits on Christmas Eve, Cross can see the meaning of the holiday and impact of his actions.
2. A Miracle on 34th street (1947) "A Miracle on 34th street," tells the story of Kris Kringle, the real Santa Claus, as he inspires the skeptics around him.
6. National Lampoon Christmas Vacation (1989)"National Lampoon Christmas Vacation," tells the story of one man, Clark Griswold's, desperate attempt to have the perfect Christmas. Countless unplanned events and obstacles later, Griswold soon realizes that is not how you celebrate the holiday that is important, but who we celebrate with.
3. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)Full of familiar animated faces, in "A Charlie Brown Christmas," Charlie Brown decides to direct a Christmas play; in an attempt to raise his spirits. Though things start out tricky, he gets teased. Eventually, Charlie Brown and his gang, end up learning the true meaning of Christmas and the power of friendship. 4. A Christmas Story (1983)Based on Jean Shepherd writings, this classic Christmas film takes viewers on the journey of a determined kid's efforts of getting his perfect gift. This wacky film, at its core, is a story of perseverance and self-acceptance.
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7. Home Alone (1990)A staple holiday film of the 90s, "Home Alone," tells the story of a young boy's, Kevin, unexpected adventure when he is left home alone. As he protects his home from two zany con men, he learns the importance of love and family; a message he passes to his family when they finally return home. 8. Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)The creepiest film on the list, "Nightmare Before Christmas," tells the story of Jack Skellington, the pumpkin king of Halloweentown, and his efforts to take over as Santa in Christmastown. A creative, and haunting film, it helps viewers realize that things often work out the way they are meant to. 9. The Santa Clause (1994)A classic film about a man who is forced to become the new Santa Claus, after he accidentally "injures" Santa; "The Santa Clause" is a unique story during the holiday season. This movie highlights the importance of being true to one's self. 10. Jingle All the Way (1996)Another classic comedic Christmas film from the 90s, “Jingle All The Way” tells the story of a father’s extreme efforts to get the desired gift for his son. What started out as a journey to show his love for his son, through buying a gift, becomes one of him discovering what truly is important during the holidays: family. 11. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)Starring Comedic actor, Jim Carrey as the titled role, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” tells the story of the social out cast, and Christmas hater, the Grinch. The Grinch seeks revenge on the people of Whoville during the Christmas holiday. What starts out as a film of mischief becomes one of 26 | AUTUMNMAGAZINE.COM
acceptance, and love during the Christmas holiday. 12. Elf (2003)"Elf," tells the story of Buddy, a human adult, who was raised in the North Pole. He sets off on a journey of self-discovery and shows how the love of Christmas can last a lifetime.
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Q Q Qosmic: Crazy, driven and human.
Brittany: So, why would you describe yourself as crazy, driven and human?
QOSMIC QADENCE
CRAZY. DRIVEN. HUMAN
“Love is sacrifice. You know love is dedication. Love is commitment. Love is action and not just talk. You know love is a lot of different things; Beautiful but many faceted. I think there are a lot of times we lock ourselves into an idea what love should look like instead of embracing everything that comes as a result of loving. ”
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Qosmic: I’m a crazy, driven, human. It makes perfect sense as I think about. I always tell people I’m admittedly crazy and I know that there are multiple definitions on people who are crazy and you’ll probably say it when I’m done. I’d say crazy because I am crazy enough to believe that I can achieve and accomplish anything and I take those steps toward doing so. And driven kind of ties into the crazy, where because I’ve seen a thing in my head, I believe that I can come to pass. So I’m driven to literally manifest the things that I’ve seen visions of; the things God has to show me. You know that’s where there’s probably a difference between myself and other people. I’m not afraid of the things that I see. Instead of being like no I don’t want it. I’m like oh I’m going for it. And then human because I’m flawed. I’m a flawed individual. I feel. I hunger. pain. I love. I do all these things. I’m a father. I’m all of these things. But a human being overall. First a human being and not just my flesh. I’m literally doing these humanitarian things to love and draw people in and create a community and those are the things that make me human. Brittany: Would you say that you know what your purposes are as a man? Qosmic: I’m glad you asked that question. Because I always knew. I think at eight years old God showed me a vision for my life and the vision included me standing on stage in a sea of people. I remember seeing myself and shrinking at the vision. I was saying no. I literally told God no. Like I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to lead people. I don’t want to speak to people. I’m shy. I started telling myself all these different things like that’s not me (just making excuses). And you know oddly enough, I knew at that moment that my life was supposed to be one of service to those around me; Leading, advising, counseling and comforting these people. I was doing it already at eight years old for my family. I would walk into a room and I would just start divulging all these family secrets
or whatever was happening. How are you, became like a counseling session. They would just open up and start telling me stuff. Then, they would catch themselves saying, oh my gosh, I have to remind myself how old you are. You’re so mature for your age. So I already knew that. And then, the influence that I had over my friends. You know I’m settling arguments all the time. Brittany: A lot of times I feel like people that go after their passion or their dream, can tell it if something is supposed to be for you or not. Usually, there’s isn’t a lot of money involved.
QOSMIC ON STAGE AT POETIC SOUL
Qosmic: I honestly believe that money is attached to our purpose. There’s this common notion of society that you have to chase your dream or you have to chase money. People always say, I’m on his paper chase. And the word Chase implies that something is running from you if you’re chasing it. So there’s that thought of why do I have to chase my dreams. My dream is suppose to be for me so why am I chasing it. That doesn’t make sense. Some of these things are semantics for me. I’m coming into the understanding of words and really taking
PACKED HOUSE AT POETIC SOUL WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22ND!
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them at face value. I’m not chasing purpose. The visions that I’ve seen are the things that happen when doors open. They’re not opening because of me. They’re opening for me and then it’s just up to me to kind of get into those spaces and navigate and do what I’m supposed to do.
provide for them and put food on the table. I have to be responsible for another person’s happiness and well-being. Love is sacrifice. You know love is dedication. Love is commitment. Love is action and not just talk. You know love is a lot of different things; Beautiful but many faceted. I think there are a lot of times we lock ourselves into Brittany: Do you feel for one an idea what love should look like to find or determine love, within instead of embracing everything your career, your family, your that comes as a result of loving. friends etc. that one must endure and overcome sacrifices? Brittany: I know in the social platform and in the community, Qosmic: I think that you do, just you are known for a lot of different because of adjustments. So, if talents: A Teacher, poet, a singer. I’m going to add a person to my How did that come about? When life dynamic then I’m deciding to did you discover that you were so bring a person into a settled space talented? that I’ve sort journeyed into. For example, all of a sudden I bring Qosmic: Probably before eight. Brittany on my journey. We’re You know what? The unfortunate going to date and fall in love and do thing is this is probably why I’m all these wonderful things. But she in such a space of openly sharing has to be a functional part of my my gifts. I realize something a life. So I have to figure out how to couple weeks ago. I’ve held on to make sacrifices now because I was all these gifts forever. I remember by myself doing these things and having my little boom box, I got those things worked for me. You for my birthday. A little Sony tape have to sacrifice to kind of adjust deck. I was so excited that I could someone else into the dynamic make my own little mix tapes. I of what you’ve been doing. That could record stuff from the radio, kind of covers the spectrum of play my record, push down at the adding someone to my life as a same time and make a old school relationship partner. mix. I remember singing into my recording device. I felt like I had a Brittany: How would you define bit of a singing voice and the ability in your own words - Love. to write. When I was introduced to poetry that was something Qosmic: Love is beautiful. Love is that was really fun. Structurally I an even better space to live in. So was able to do things with words love implies sacrifice which is what that was maybe secondary to me. we’re talking about so even if that’s When I was initially introduced to my children or another, I have to poetry in the fifth grade I really 30 | AUTUMNMAGAZINE.COM
fell in love with it. Then I held on to these gifts forever. I held onto singing until I finally had the courage to share it with a few of my close friends and go to them and say hey here’s this song. They would say, “Oh my God you are incredible. Come over here, we’re going to show you off. You’ve got to hear this. He’s going to sing.” People were embracing it and then I remember they took me to a group of kids and I just remember singing for them. I was kind of levitating at this point because I’ve been so well received from the other people. So, I sung for this group and at this point my voice is like crazy, underdeveloped like a really high pitched voice. I just remember one of the boys in the group yelling out. “Ha, he sings like a girl!” And in that moment, I remember it was almost like nails screeching on a chalkboard. In that moment I made a decision to never sing again. I literally did that until I moved to Phoenix and started to share my art like three years ago. Brittany: How long after moving here did Poetic Soul come about? In answering that, tell me how it came about? Qosmic: Ok let’s kind of go through a journey. So I moved here from D.C. Five years ago to manage operations for an entertainment company called, Premier events. We were working 16-18 hour days and it was just kind of grueling. It was debilitating. I wanted to walk away. So I eventually got into this space of wanting to quit. My
ventured around Arizona looking for open mics. I found a few that I liked and some really great communities some amazing artists and I realized how many extremely talented people there were in this general vicinity of Arizona and my perspective kind of shifted.
momma raised no quitter. So, I was like maybe I shouldn’t quit. Maybe I should just save money until the end of the year and then I will walk away. Literally a month later, I was at a concert and I’m careful to speak only life into existence. So I was at John Mayer’s concert and I’m like on the second row and I’m watching John Mayer perform and just in that moment I was like this dude is literally living his purpose. This is why he was put here. And I just watched him lose himself in that performance. I was like I got to quit. I can’t work here anymore. And two days later my salary was taken from me. The salary portion of my earnings was taken from me as I was just expected to work for commission. I was like I’m not doing that. So I quit. So God knows the universe and He is always listening. So, at that point I just realized that I had to do something but there was no way I could ever work at a job again.
THE BOOK OF QOS
It was toward 2015 when I hosted my first event here presenting talent called, Friday Night Lights. Few years go by before Poetic Soul was finally born. Poetic soul was born out of a situation where there was an event that I frequented that went away because of it being wildly inconsistent. So, I sort of ran that event pretty soon and for over a year said, hey bring that event back the culture needs it like we need the space.
of motivational and inspirational quotes that I just shared freely on the Internet for about five years. I realized after a while that it wasn’t important for me to go viral on the Internet. It was more important for me to get out and touch and communicate with people and POETIC SOUL - PHOENIX, AZ to connect with people. So, I
So, I ventured off at that moment to produce and publish my first book, actually it was two books at the same time. Can’t remember when exactly. I released my first two books, one is titled, Lovers of the World. It was a book of poetry and also another book titled, The Book of Qos, a play on cosmic but it was compiled of a bunch DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 | 31
Brittany: So you’ve been hosting Poetic Soul for what a year and a half ? Qosmic: So two years in April. So in April we will be celebrating the two years anniversary party of Poetic Soul. So it’s been an amazing ride so far. Right now we’re averaging 175 to 200 people per Wednesday. It’s awesome to have the community coming out in support of community and not the event. Nobody’s coming out to support Qosmic. Contrary to popular belief people don’t show up for me. They show up for the experience. I love that more than anything else. It’s community being community and they’re not just talking about it. Brittany: Let’s hear, a sample of a song or a little bit of a poem. Qosmic: I typically like to open my sets when I’m performing with this poem called, “Why are you here.” I like to do motivational inspirational pieces more than anything else. It helps get people into a conscious space of action or a space of reflection or consideration. It’s about what your purpose is here and why you’re here. Qosmic sings: I got no worries I got no pain All I’ve got is happiness and peacefulness to gain. My world is filled with sunshine. My world is filled with glee. 32 | AUTUMNMAGAZINE.COM
My world is filled with grace and endless possibilities. See I got no heartbreak I got no shame. All I’ve got is lessons earned, appended to my name. My life is filled with purpose. My life is malarkey…… I almost lose it every time I live it selfishly See I got no worries I got no pain. All I’ve got is happiness and peacefulness to gain Qosmic recites poem: In the honor of my name But why are you here? Do you think you were born to work on a nine to five? To consume all this world’s resources, Pay Bills Collect foolishness and die? It’s a bold faced lie Our purpose is conservation of life through extraordinary strides Unless the way is paid for future generations, And how the heck are they supposed to survive? We owe them our lives And I ask why? Why are you here? Brittany: One question I would like to ask since this is spiritual, lifestyle-based magazine is, do you have a favorite scripture or quote that you live by? Qosmic: Yeah not necessarily a favorite scripture. I think I’m finally getting into a place where
the scriptures make sense as applicable to my life. Letting my light shine so bright that others might glorify my Father who is in heaven is a real thing. We spend a lot of time as human beings asking God for this asking God for that. Everything in prayer seems to be ask and ask and ask. God has already given us so much you know. God didn’t only give me a voice to go into a church and sing or to sing to show people that I have this talent. I have to encourage other people who are hiding their gift to share theirs as well. People are going to talk about you anyway. Do the most. You know they are going to talk about you whether you are doing good or whether you are doing not so good. So just do it anyway. Steer the narrative. Brittany: That’s awesome advice. Now, if our audience wants to follow you on social media what platforms are you on? Qosmic: So you can find me on all of the social media platforms under Qosmic. So Q O S M I C on Instagram, it’s an underscore and then Q A D E N C E. I’m Qosmic Qadence on Facebook. Qosmicqadence.com is the website for Poetic Soul every single Wednesday night here in Phoenix. We host that event at a club downtown presently and then we’re on Thursday nights and Tucson. So for the folks in Tucson, Arizona come on to rockets on Thursday nights. We’re currently at Club Fourth Avenue.
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Doors open at 7:00. The show itself starts at 8:00 and the list is first come and signed first perform. Brittany: Before, we wrap up for tonight, do you have any last words? Do you have anything from your heart that you’d like to share? Qosmic: I’d like to say to everybody that the gifts aren’t ours. You know the gifts are not yours to hold on to. So share them. You know enrich the world around you and all of us have a responsibility to the generations coming behind us. This life that we live is far bigger than us. And if you really think about that and frame it properly you realize that right now we’re sitting in chairs inside of a building that’s air
conditioned and there’s a camera rolling in there all of these things: there are lights, our artificial lights, and we have devices like phones and even this water bottle. These things didn’t exist 200 years ago, 300 years ago, 4000 years ago. So somebody literally created those with the ingenuity from their brain, their heart, their gifts that God gave them. They acted on those visions and created these things that we literally take advantage of today. So all of us have something amazing to contribute to this world, and we should really stop being selfish and share that thing.
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BY BROOKE BROWN
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W
hen I say I’m a writer, many people may assume I have aspirations to be on the top of some bestseller list or another, or perhaps have Hollywood put one of my stories on the “big screen.” Sure, I would be thrilled to see either one of those scenarios play out, but only for the right reason. I don’t write in pursuit of fame and fortune. I tell stories to GIVE. It takes much more time and effort for me to produce an attention-grabbing story, no matter the form, in comparison to the vast majority of other creative writers, due to my physical challenges that always arise, but that doesn’t stop me. The Lord has proven time and time again that despite how tired and sore it makes me, God gave me my storytelling skills to point other people towards Jesus. I know my stories are one glimpse of Grace I can offer the world, so I choose to make the necessary sacrifices and peck away at my keyboard until the words paint an accurate portrait of His beauty. This usually means suffering through searing pain in my neck, shoulders and lower back for hours after I’m done, but the sense of purpose and gratitude I feel in my heart overpowers it all. It has been said, “if you love something, give it away” and that should ring true with our faith. The Lord never intends us to keep the gifts He gives us only for ourselves. Rather, we are called to be vessels of His love through sharing everything we have with others. As Hebrews 13:1516 says, “Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are
the sacrifices that please God." In light of this concept, every time I come out better than expected at a workshop or community event (regarding book sales), I always do my best to seek out a homeless person to feed or comp someone else’s ticket for my next workshop. Blessing someone in that way also helps me remember whatever I earn really isn’t mine. It was God’s first. My pastor made a perfect illustration of this in service a few months ago. “There’s nothing really wrong with wanting to have nice stuff,” he said. “But, if you’re going to have a big house with new furniture and all the latest tech gadgets, will you open your home to the church and your other neighbors? If you want that fancy new car, are you going to offer rides to those who need them?” He has a good point. I don’t often have a lot of money, but I can help a friend edit and publish a book. Going on a foreign mission trip may not be feasible for my wheelchair and me, but I can buy a meal for the homeless man sitting in Wendy’s. If God has abundantly blessed you, how does He want you to bless others? Let the world see your grateful heart by what you choose to give.
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