Hi! It's Doyin (D.Show) here. For the people who don't know, I'm the founder and creative director of this brand that you love.
I'm currently sitting on my balcony as I write to you. The sun is gentler now than it was this morning, and the air is quiet, making everything feel softer - thank goodness! Because the heat in Lagos has been quite scary. We really need to plant more trees babyyyy but that's not why I'm here today.
There's something about a quiet evening that makes you want to be honest with yourself. This year, I made a promise to myself to show up more in every area of my life and one of the ways I'm keeping that promise is to share some of my thoughts through The DiaRae. The vision has always been largely clear, even in the days of very humble beginnings. The OG Raenna Girls, who have been here for a long time, can testify that as a brand, Raenna has always been that girl.
But can I share a secret with you? Regardless of all the success that Raenna has had, I sometimes still find it a bit discomforting to put myself out there with Raenna and in other areas of my life. I tell myself that I'm shy, introverted and not really about that life. Those things may be true to a certain extent, but even some of my excuses should be questioned. Why would I label myself shy when shyness isn’t a fruit of the Spirit. I once heard Emma Grede say, “you can’t be a shy founder” and that hit me like a ton of bricks. Why am I holding myself back from walking and settling into the fullness of who I am?
I'm always trying to hide from the spotlight, taking pride in building quietly behind the scenes. For the longest time, I didn't give myself the permission to fully be a light set upon a hill that can't be hidden. And because of the fantastic work that I do, it's very easy to hide behind the fact that my work speaks for me - but my work isn't the light. I am. The great work that I do is simply an expression of the great light that I am.
Lately, I've been thinking a lot about how easy it is for us to shrink from our own gifts and calling. In the ways we hesitate to let people see the person behind all that we're building. In the way we don't own the praise from the work we've done. In the way we don't give the world the chance to experience us and the full expression of all God instructs us to build per season.
I've realized that truly nothing is holding us back more than ourselves. What others recognize as gifts in you becomes meaningless if you don't see them in yourself. It's a huge disservice to withhold expressions of yourself that God has already given you permission to release to the world.
I hope you develop the grit to let yourself do uncomfortable things - to allow your life to be bigger than you ever thought it could be, and to do more than you ever thought you could. Most of all, I hope you stop hiding - even when, especially when, God has called you to step out in faith.
I'm cheering you on.
Love always
D.Show 🤎