I swear by this

Selfie close up image of writer Katty Janneh she is yelling into the camera. A black woman with short natural black hair. she is wearing a coral coloured cardigan and silver jewellery.

I swear like a trouper. As a kid, I was a bit ott, literally swearing after every other word. I recognised that swearing on that level, reduced the impact of my conversations. But I’ll never stop completely, because I love doing it and, it was either that, or violence.

Not actually kidding.

I have a temper and when I think something has gone ‘Pete tong’ it was easy for me to go from zero to a hundred when provoked. When met with any kind of ‘ism’ I tended to reply with a fist. I learnt in time thankfully, that I was going to get into serious trouble if I didn’t find another way to show my anger. It wouldn’t matter what the other person had done, the focus would be on the fact I used my hands.

I discovered that I could be funny and along with my love of reading, I learned the power of sarcasm.

In my Millinery work, I didn’t really swear much in my content, it tended to be when I was teaching, interacting on friendly levels, just being me. For this work though, if I’m calling this The Realness in Business, that translates to me that I have to be me. Katty who has a dutty mouth.

I’m not writing this to spark a debate, I’m sharing because I think there are many who perhaps stifle themselves because they feel they need to be a certain way to be accepted.

I can tell you now that it’s bullshit. Before I even open my mouth, assumptions are often formed from biases; being Black, a woman, curvy, wearing headscarves, then, I open my mouth with a cockney accent. People are are going to try and limit you, box you into something they think they know and understand.

But that’s not why you’re doing this work, you want to show them what you can do, what you stand for.

Swearing isn’t a hill i’m gonna die on, it’s part of my communcation and, stress relief that has always worked for me.

And it feels really good when I do it.

It can make a story funnier, a moment more memorable and then it can also be a warning to someone that if they keep trying to fuck with me, they’re gonna find out.

And you know what else? Swearing makes for a great filtration system too. From those who connect with the work, the communities I am part of, people who have a stick up their butt on decorum etc. are not going to relate to me, and that’s okay. I, you have never been for everyone and we shouldn’t try to be.

What’s the point of me not being me in order to cater for someone who wouldn’t be attracted to my work? My swearing is not the be all and end all of my business, it’s a stem of my personality. Are you hiding parts of yourself in fear of what

What’s the point of you being ‘certain way’ just in case? what the case will be is that you attract the wrong person and they prove it by how they engage with you.

So what’s your thing? Is there something about you and your work you think you shouldn’t share (don’t get it twisted yeah, i’m not saying be an open book)

Do yourself a favour, and trust your process. You have to believe you will connect to the people you do your work for and be ready for when they visit your little corner of the world.