Aryienne

Annie Lee was born in Gadsden, Alabama in 1935 and moved to Chicago as a child. She won her first art competition at age 10, but life had other plans. For decades, she worked as a clerk in Northwestern Railroad's engineering department, watching dreams defer while bills got paid. At 40, something shifted. She enrolled in Loop Junior College, determined to pursue what had been calling her since childhood.

For eight years, Annie lived a double life. Days at the railroad, nights in art classes. She later finished her undergraduate degree at Mundelein College, all while clocking in at her day job. That grinding routine became her muse. Her most famous piece, Blue Monday, captures a woman dragging herself out of bed for another workday. It was painted from lived experience, from someone who understood that Monday morning feeling in her bones.

At 50, Annie had her first gallery show in 1985. She eventually opened Annie Lee and Friends Gallery, and her work became a staple of Black home décor, featured on The Cosby Show and A Different World. Thousands of families had her art on their walls without knowing her name. Annie proved that creative careers don't expire at 30. She painted her way into cultural history while working full-time, going to school at night, and starting over at an age when society tells us it's too late. She passed in 2014 at 79, leaving behind a legacy that timing is everything, and sometimes everything happens right on time."

Ballerina Aesha Ash danced through the streets of Rochester in her tutu and challenged generations of stereotypes about who belongs in ballet. The image of a Black ballerina performing gracefully in the middle of an everyday neighborhood carried a message far beyond dance — it became a powerful symbol of visibility, representation, and possibility.

For centuries, ballet has been shaped by narrow standards of beauty and tradition that often excluded Black women from being fully seen within the art form. The issue was never a lack of talent, but limited access, unequal opportunities, and long-standing systems that failed to imagine Black women at the center of classical ballet.

Aesha Ash refused to wait for those systems to completely change before claiming her place. Wearing the iconic tutu — one of ballet’s most recognizable symbols — she brought the art form directly into the community. Not onto a grand stage or inside a concert hall, but onto sidewalks and neighborhood streets where children could witness something transformative with their own eyes.

What those kids saw was a Black ballerina moving with elegance, confidence, and world-class skill. They saw someone who belonged in that space without apology. For many, it was the first time seeing themselves reflected in an art form they were rarely encouraged to imagine as theirs.

The response online was filled with admiration, emotion, and gratitude from people who understood how powerful representation can be. Aesha Ash didn’t just dance through Rochester — she expanded what young people believe is possible for themselves.

Some of the children who saw her that day may carry that image for the rest of their lives. And for some of them, it may become the moment they realized their own dreams belong within reach too.

Candace Cameron Bure urged believers to push back against spiritual oppression and reject the lies that fill their minds with fear and despair. “Tell any evil spirits to get out,” she said, encouraging Christians to rebuke loneliness, shame, regret, worry, anxiety, depression, and darkness.

Bure said those voices from the enemy whisper lies such as “you’re not good enough, you can’t handle this, you’ll never change, you’ll always fail,” but insisted they do not have a hold on God’s people. “They don’t have a hold on you,” she said. “They don’t have a hold on me. Because I belong to God the Father.”

She also encouraged believers to open the windows, let the light in, put on praise and worship music, and fill the room with the Holy Spirit. Her message was direct: call on God, reject the lies, and remember that the Lord loves you, is with you, and changes everything.

🎉✨ "A big “THANK YOU” to our amazing community! We are thrilled to have serviced over 1,000 incredible clients. You ladies and guys have been with me through the highs and lows of the PMU industry! I am truly thankful for everyone that has trusted me with their permanent make-up and eyebrows!

Thank you to everyone that stuck beside Arys Brows through it all! All the laughter all the tears all the joy all the encouragement, not only from me to Client’s, but from clients to me! Your support, love and trust mean the world to us! Here’s to many more perfect brows and P.M.U together!

As a show of gratitude, Arys Brows has taken $50 off several of our services! Screenshot this post or mention this post and get $10 off of your next service basic services not included!
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