My name is: Abrima Erwiah.
I’m known as: Co-founder with Rosario Dawson of Studio One Eighty Nine (a social enterprise that helps promote and curate African fashion), Fashion Our Future 2020 leader (galvanizing the youth vote), professor at Parsons School of Design.
My expertise is in: Luxury fashion, sustainability, social impact, marketing, strategy.
I stay physically healthy with:
I am obsessed with my farm boxes. I get them weekly from Farm To People with an incredible assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables. Lots of leafy greens and, now with fall here, also lots of root vegetables.
I love juicing. My go-to is parsley, cucumber, celery, ginger, kale and apple. I also love turmeric and ginger.
I started growing scallions, aloe vera and microgreens, as they are super easy to grow in my window.
I also found great supplements from Ritual and The Nue Co.
I am little by little figuring out my routines.
I finally found an exercise app that I am excited about, as well, so hopefully will start being better about exercising again. This includes daily meditation and stretching, which I have just started doing again recently.
I have been throw off balance with the pandemic and my life got very mixed up and I spend way too much time on digital devices, so I'm making a big effort to find more time for me.
I also have been a little better about taking short walks to take a break from my computer and excessive zoom calls.
I keep my emotions balanced with:
I try to stay away from negative energy and create a calm environment around me to help keep me balanced. I love looking out of my window and seeing trees and keeping plants and candles around me. Exposed brick and art also make me happy. I also love he work I am doing, knowing that we are giving back and supporting various people is so nice.
I have a friend who I call who is very spiritual and is a great resource for me when I need someone to talk to. I also try to listen to the universe and find my peace with God. It’s a learning process and I am certainly not an expert, but I am trying every day to be better.
Life philosophy? Rosario taught me this via a quote she likes a long time ago: “The journey is the destination.” I try to remember that. Also, I have learned to be more patient and to remember that, no matter what happens, we will get through it. We will be OK.
I’m intellectually stimulated by:
I spend a lot of time in deep thought about how we can make positive change for the future. I think a lot about where we are as a society and where we are going and I like to have these discussions with some of my colleagues and cohort that are also thinking about this. I teach at Parsons School of Design and I enjoy having these discussions and being intellectually stimulated by the faculty there, as well as the students (who have brilliant ideas and are very inspiring). I also sit on a lot of panels and guest lecture a lot and am constantly inspired by fellow panelists, moderators, audience members and students from other universities.
I listen to many podcasts, including Pivot and Michelle Obama's Higher Ground on Spotify. I read and consume a lot of information. I just ordered a few books from friends of mine on Amazon that I am interested in reading, as well, including Building For Everyone from Annie Jean-Baptiste at Google.
I am a very curious person and constantly learning.
In the last six months, the ritual that has become so important for me is:
Getting my farm boxes and opening them and spending time in my backyard.
Here’s how you can do it too:
Wake up in the morning. Drink a tall glass of water. Celery Juice. I drink espresso with oat milk afterward.
Make a list! Making lists and writing thoughts down throughout the day for me is critical. It helps me organize my thoughts, set my mind at ease and get things done.
I also make a really gorgeous salad for lunch, filled with loads of yummy veggies! And I always dance around the house. There’s always music. Music is key for me!
It helps me live my process because:
I need to achieve peace for balance.