Soulful Silverback Awakens!
Maybe it was the rhythmic percussions of Sergio Mendes, El Grand Combo, or The Mighty Sparrow that filled my house as a kid. Maybe it was the inflection of various preachers that delivered soliloquies throughout my formative years. Maybe is was the athletic coaches who fanned the flames of my passionate desire to always work to improve my skills. Maybe it was the reminders from my mother that, “blood was shed so you could read” or maybe it was her threats that, “you're gonna leave my house a gentleman.” Maybe it was when my career ambitions were met with the realities of my experience as a Black American. Maybe it was the painful struggle of dealing with the collateral damage of my own failed romantic relationships. Maybe is was the solitude of traveling alone to a new land in a pressurized cabin 35,000 feet above the Earth's surface. Maybe it was as I was strength training with my friends at the gym while discussing the fluidity of gender norms. Maybe it was the desire to always want to be stylish but could never - and still can’t - find clothes that fit properly. Maybe it was the measured but emotional candor in which I approached seeing a therapist. I can’t pinpoint to one thing, but somewhere along my journey over the last 30 years, the Soulful Silverback was awakened.
I'd like to introduce myself to you. My name is Neville Andrés Louison and I am a native of the East Flatbush neighborhood in the Republic of Brooklyn, NY. My mom is Puerto Rican and my dad is from the small island of Grenada, West Indies. My parents met at a party in Brooklyn in the early 80s and after 33 years of marriage they still sometimes break out in dance around the house together. However, make no mistake, they have been through the trials and tribulations of marriage. I am the oldest of their children but I'm blessed beyond measure to call three of the best human beings I know, my siblings. I stand at 6’1 with a broad muscular build and you can find me often pondering a few soulful ideas. Stereotypically, my large frame doesn't match what I am often expressing so some folks might be pleasantly surprised to hear me articulate my thoughts. Thus, the moniker, Soulful Silverback.
It's possible that we have already crossed paths or maybe you've stumbled upon this blog while surfing the web on the toilet. Nevertheless, thanks for reading! Along my journey in writing these pieces, I will likely reintroduce myself to you many times over. You see, anything that is not growing is dead and in the last five years, I've been on a quest to crystalize my identity by better understanding who I am. I explored a number of uncomfortable areas and began working to resolve those wounds. It was only after various applications of healing ointment that I was able to rediscover one of my core strengths as a writer.
Each and every one of us possesses unique strengths, abilities, and passions. Scripture tells us that King David liked to dance so much that he danced until his clothes fell off. While there likely won’t be any nudity here, I believe that honoring God is about exercising your passions. When we engage our passions, it’s a gesture to the universe that we are thankful to be alive. I initially began thinking about launching this blog four years ago when I lived in Sydney, Australia. Over the years, as I began to more boldly express my truths through my writing the feedback from my community of friends has been humbling and encouraged me to muster up the courage to finally launch this blog. So if you liked a post, commented, messaged me a kind word, or resonated with a piece but “ghost liked” my post, thank you!
As fate would have it, today is my 31st birthday and in a way I am celebrating two life milestones. My goal for this blog is quite simple: “tell my truth.” And in the process, curate a collection of pieces that reflect my voice as a writer. In the first year, I won’t limit myself as to what I will or will not write about in order to see how my “roar” evolves. That said, I plan to publish pieces around social awareness, personal ideologies, love, faith, music, activism, travel, men's fashion, and profile a few interesting people along the way. My goal, for you the reader, is that I hope you find community, understanding, authenticity, and encouragement in these pieces. We live in a time where we're exceptional at putting external filters on everything even though we might be depressed internally. Soulful Silverback is an attempt at removing those filters by sharing reality instead of fantasy. After all, fantasy is what people want but reality is what they need.
In a world of instant gratification, I ask for your patience as this Silverback continues to practice his roar in a gesture of gratitude to the universe.
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