Stop Sitting On Greatness 🫵🏾

Every year, I tell myself I’m making real changes. But this time? I feel the shift.

So, let me tell y'all something I struggle with. I can be a bit of a perfectionist, and yes, a little judgmental. Shocking, isn't it?🤭 Not in a “look down on people” way, though. I love people. But I am a "side-eyer." Especially when I don’t understand certain life choices that people make. But here’s the kicker: that same energy has been holding ME back.

I consider myself confident, but I’ve realized there are areas where I don’t fully own my power. And you know why? Because deep down, I assume people are judging me the way I judge them. Bloop! And that’s exactly what I get! This self-judgement has kept me from sharing personal wins like my coloring books.

I took a coloring book course with an AI coach, excited to learn something new. I spent hours perfecting prompts to create unique, beautiful images of diverse Black women. It was a success. I was able to complete two books and get them published on Amazon. But guess what. The person I hired to help me get everything Amazon-ready stole my images. They used my images from both my books to create one of their own and published it on Amazon before sending me my final proof for approval. And to make it worse? When I called them out, they denied it, claiming that someone must have stolen "our" images.

I went to my Amazon KDP Publishing group for advice, expecting support. Instead? Laughter. People telling me, "They weren’t your images anyway. You used AI." Some others offered legal advice, but also told me it would be difficult because AI is so new. All I was left hearing were the negative responses about the images not being my work. So, I stopped promoting my books. I let their judgment shrink me.

But you know what? That was the old me. Those ARE my images. No, I didn’t hand-draw them, but I put in the work. Hours spent crafting the perfect prompts, tweaking words, adjusting details, just to get the AI to finally generate Black women who actually look like BLACK women. Fighting bias, reworking features, and making sure they weren’t all slim and petite with 3B hair. That was work. The graphic designer who stole my work? They knew the value of what I created. So much so that they stole it and used it for profit. And yet, I let some Internet trolls tell me my work didn’t matter? You see how crazy that sounds?

Don’t be like me. Own your greatness. Your accomplishments matter. Your work has value. The things you’ve done, the things you’ve learned, the things you’ve created? They deserve to be SEEN.

So here’s what I want you to do this weekend:

• Write down things you once loved but drifted away from.
• List the small wins you’ve kept to yourself.
• Think about that one thing you’ve wanted to pursue but made excuses for.
• Now pick ONE. And make a move.

And then? Tell the world. Post about it on IG or FB and tag me (@ingrid.ifl) so I can hype you up! Use #SheIsTheMoment so we can all celebrate together.

You ARE the moment. It’s time to stop dimming your light. Shine. ✨

Oh, and about those AI-generated coloring books? They’re still on Amazon. Still dope. Still amazing. Still full of Black Girl Magic. Check them out here.

Love you! 💛

​Ingrid​