DL Power Couple Podcast Dominique & Ms. Latrice

The DL Power Couple discuss how prevalent art has become and will continue to be during quarantine. A lot of Ms. Latrice's artistic engagements have become zoom calls. She has still been able to engage in the arts everyday through her freelance business. Ms. Latrice has also been able to engage in the arts by participating in virtual events with the Indiana Writers Center, Indiana Playwrights Circle, and Playback Theatre through Small Change Interactive. She has definitely remained artistically busy and emphasizes that art engages all five senses. Dominique shares that he's been writing more often and that it's very therapeutic for him. He suggests that people use art as a form of active meditation during times of stress and uncertainty. Quarantine will likely lead to a recession, and recessions make people feel insecure about their current situations. Both Dominique and Ms. Latrice want you to know that you are amazing and that you are enough. 

The DL Power Couple describes how the COVID-19 quarantine has impacted their lives. Ms. Latrice had paid performances cancelled and she even had to cancel a staged reading of her own play. Dominique was supposed to be part of an exchange program between Germany and the United States. Both Dominique and Ms. Latrice have made necessary adjustments and have adapted to "Stay Home" instruction. Both pay attention to their mental diets by avoiding the continuous onslaught of negative news broadcasting. They also focus on health consciousness and getting good sleep. The craziness surrounding COVID-19 will definitely lead to short and long term changes, but that does not mean these changes will be bad. 

Dominique & Ms. Latrice converse about being casted in a play towards the end of college where Dominique played Ms. Latrice's son. They talk about how enjoyable this experience was and how well the play was received. Ms. Latrice goes on to talk about the power of art and explains that art can change lives. Dominique emphasizes that both he and Ms. Latrice have tapped into the local art scene and that it's provided them a breath of fresh air. This has also allowed Ms. Latrice to become familiar with the auditioning process. The most important part about all of this is Dominique and Ms. Latrice engage in art together. 

Dominique and Ms. Latrice discuss how prevalent art has been in their lives. The arts actually brought them together and they have been supporting each other's artistic endeavors ever since. After meeting through a spoken word ensemble called Haraka Writers, Ms. Latrice and Dominique performed together in many shows. Most of these shows were organized by Purdue University's Black Cultural Center. Through the Black Cultural Center, both Dominique and Ms. Latrice attended research tours. These tours provided enough information for the Black Cultural Center to put on said shows. A huge highlight was the opportunity to join a group called Purdue Express. This group educated Middle and High School aged students on the possibilities of college (mostly Purdue) through singing, dancing, acting, and reciting. This episode is funny if you don't know the couple and funnier if you do! 

The DL Power Couple Podcast had its first guest! India! India and Ms. Latrice met during the summer before their freshman years of college and India was nice enough to share her knowledge and wisdom with the DL Power Couple Podcast. Ms. Latrice interviewed India about being engaged, same sex marriage, blending two families as part of the marital process, and other interesting topics. India kept it extremely real as she candidly answered questions and provided powerful examples to support those answers. Dominique chimed in when necessary. India mentions that she had no idea that family would play such a big part in her relationship with her fiancé. This was a very important topic because many people will not understand how family intersects with their relationship until they get married. 

Dominique & Ms. Latrice talk about making decisions without overthinking. Constant overthinking can make life stagnant. It also provides an opportunity to think about who we actually are and why we do the things we do. Ms. Latrice emphasizes that nothing is guaranteed and that anyone who knows what they want should go get it without hesitation. Dominique references Nikola Tesla's quote on thinking clearly verses deeply, stating that one can be insane and think deeply, but one has to be sane to think clearly. Both emphasize that children do not overthink things and that's part of why they learn so fast. There are many ideas shared and gems dropped.