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You Look Okay To Me is the online platform for pain and chronic illnesses.

14/10/2024

A bit of non chronic illness related news. A short documentary I directed about my grandfather is showing an official selection for the BFI London Film Festival

This of course would not be possible without the amazing and everyone who worked on it.

I should have posted this a while ago, but a lovely combination of imposter syndrome, social anxiety, and neurospicy executive dysfunction led to a late post 😂

If you take anything from the film, it’s to archive your grandparents. Record their stories in their own words.

Funding backed by

Director – Jameisha Prescod
Producer – Valery Akpojiyovwi 🙋🏾‍♀️
D.O.P – Ray Miller-Davis
Editor – Biki Gurung
Sound Design, Edit, and Composer – Idris Blac
Executive Producer – Hannah Bush Bailey
Associate Producer – Dami Adeyeye
Gaffer – Kong Wako
Production Manager – Lynette Ainie
1st AC – Recel Wynsley Tonelada
1st AC – George Pack
1st AC – Muzzammil Hashmi
D.O.P (Jamaica) – Randall Richards
1st AC (Jamaica) – Neochea Flowers-Smith
Motion Graphics – Kevin Gartland
Production Assistant – Tolga Daysal
Production Stills – Joe Dixey .joedixey
Colour Grade – Xuan Zhou
Poster Design – Sâde Poopola
Audio Description – Bad Princess Productions
Subtitles – Engine House Media Services

Locations:
Sussex Film Office –
Shutter House Studios –

Cast:
Dudley Porteous – Himself
Curtis Lewis – Party Attendee
Esther Ufomadu – Party Attendee
Kelvin Miles – Party Attendee
Leeon Jones – Party Attendee
Chioma Ejimofo – Party Attendee
Tara Richardson – Party Attendee
Misan Aviomon – Party Attendee
Owen Edobor – Party Attendee
Tola Ilori – Party Attendee
Tomi Machado – Party Attendee
James Quarcoo – Party Attendee .crossplane
Jahmel Mattis – Party Attendee

23/04/2024

I’m so excited to finally share that my film “On Black Pain” is showing at the Venice Biennale 2024. It’s included in the Crip Arte Spazio exhibition by

I remember visiting my first biennale in 2022 so it’s a great honour to have a piece of work included this year. As a Black disabled artist, this is a beautiful affirmation.

Special thanks to the three wonderful people who shared their stories with me and for their cinematography work during production.

And the people who have supported the film for the last two years

Also thank you to for the lovely write up in

If you find yourself in Venice during the Biennale, this is a must see.

Here’s more info about the exhibition and the incredible artists also in the show.

“Crip Arte Spazio is a huge, joyous, and exuberant celebration showcasing the dynamism, wit, and grandeur of the Disability Arts Movement (DAM). The DAM aligned art with the fight for rights, broke barriers, and ultimately affected changes in UK law, while making great art about doing so.

As if an electric demonstration of crip creatives have arrived in Venice, the exhibition explodes in the venue, with huge protest banners, cartoon panels, large-scale projected artist films, photography, graphic novels, and campaign merchandise.

Exhibiting artists

Exhibiting artists

Terence Birch, Tony Heaton OBE, Jameisha Prescod, Abi Palmer, Ker Wallwork, Tanya Raabe-Webber, Jason Wilsher-Mills.

Crip Arte Spazio, supported by Shape Arts’ National Disability Movement Archive and Collection (NDMAC), will also showcase archival work from the activist street photographer, Keith Armstrong (1950 – 2017), whose work catalogues the front line of the fight for rights and contextualises the exhibition.”

Image Credit for slide 2 & 4: Andy Barker

[Image Descriptions in the comments]

27/11/2023

A little essay on the loss of platonic love written as a “mammoth” for has been included in an anthology: Vreselijk Verlangen (Dreadful Desire).

I had the pleasure of finally meeting the wonderful team behind Het Moet this month in Amsterdam who gifted me the first copy 🥹🥰

What a privilege to be included amongst all these beautiful words both in Dutch and English.

[Image Description: A photo of Jameisha holding a book and looking at the camera. Jameisha is a Black person with dark brown skin wearing a bright yellow hat, a white fleece and big glasses. The cover of the book is in Dutch and says “Vreselijk Verlangen. Even verzameling smachtende Mammoetjes”

06/11/2023

Autumn baby born into seasonal changes.

[Image Description: A scan of four photo booth printer photos of Jameisha. Jameisha is a Black personal with dark brown skin wearing a black top and a dark blue patterned headscarf. Jameisha has a mixture of facial expressions in all four photos. They smile in one photo, take a sip of wine in another, smile with their eyes closed and then stare into the camera. The background is bright orange with multicolored planets]

09/10/2023

To believe yourself, your body and that your pain is real is a radical act of self care.

Throwback to last week’s filming day. We captured a reading of my chapter “Believing your pain as radical self care” which is included in a republishing of On Being Ill alongside Virginia Woolf, Audre Lorde snd a wealth of amazing writers. All this thanks to

📸

I’ve always loved autumn. Good things happen when in the transitional seasons.

More later.

[Image Description: A photo of Jameisha standing outside wearing a black coat, black overalls and a black first. Jameisha is a dark skinned Black person. Behind Jameisha is a bright blue sky and green grass.]

25/09/2023

To be ill in peace is to have the space to recover without guilt or shame.

I can’t change that my illness has no cure but I can hope to live a life that grants me the right to community care and rest. Sadly this reality isn’t available to the majority of working class, BIPOC, q***r disabled people.

[Image Description: A photo of Jameisha standing in front of a white wall. Jameisha is a Black personal with dark brown skin wearing a green tartan shirt, a black vest, black trousers and a khaki beanie. Black text is above their head that says “we all deserve the
space to be ill
in peace ”]

11/09/2023

Taking time to be sick in peace doesn’t mean I’m not worthy of taking breaks.

My trip abroad in August came with heavy guilt. It’s my first year working freelance, which has been great for my health. When my health catches up to me I’ve been able to give my body the time it needs. But then doing things makes it hard to feel worthy of taking breaks for fun rather than just for lupus.

Hopefully this affirmation serves you as it has me.

[Image Description: A photo of Jameisha standing in the Slovenian Alps. There is a beautiful expansive mountain behind them. Jameisha is a Black person with dark brown skin wearing a pink/white shirt, a black vest and shorts, and short black lots. White text at the top of the image that says “your chronic illness doesn’t make you any less deserving of a break” ]

29/08/2023

Alpine water was doing something for my skin. I miss her.

But admittedly I’m ready for autumn. I feel lost at home when the sun is not kicking my arse and triggering my lupus.

[Image Description: A photo of Jameisha standing outside. Behind them is an expansive view of the alps. Jameisha is a Black person with dark brown skin wearing a light cream pattern shirt, a black vest m, shorts and beige trainers. Jameisha has short black locs.]

17/08/2023

Sometimes I feel afraid to take breaks because I’m scared that there won't be anything left for me when I return.

It’s almost as if I need to make sure I take every opportunity available right now…or else those opportunities won’t be there for me when I come back home.
This is especially hard to deal with when you have a disability. When your productivity is called into question. When you have to take extra breaks because of your illness and feel anxious about what people think.

But I did take a break and I had an amazing time in Slovenia I apologize in advance for the spam of Slovenia, Croatia, and Italy pictures that you may find on your feed in the coming weeks.

Thank you to and .karmen for showing me more of Slovenia ❤️☺️

Image Description: A photograph: Jameisha stands outside a large green building. They are a Black person with dark brown skin, wearing a black T-shirt with a graphic print on the front and black trousers.

05/07/2023

I’ve been nominated for Changemaker of the year at the awards

You can vote for me. The link is in my bio 😎

I’ve been freelancer for almost a year (to the date). Sometimes it’s nerve wracking wondering if you’re doing the right thing. All I know is furthering my skills in creating stuff surrounding illness and disability makes me feel whole.

Massive thank you to and my management and ❤️

[Image Description: An image composition. The background is a light beige. In the centre is a picture of Jameisha. They are a Black personal with dark brown skin wearing a blue trench coat, long braids and a yellow beanie. In the top left corner is the Freefocus logo. Black text on the image says: “Changemaker, B Creator of the Year, nominee, You Look Okay To Me]

20/06/2023

Hello, hi, summer.

Only deep house and amapiano for the next few weeks thank you 👌🏾

Us seasonally depressed babes have now entered our regular depression era and it feels great.

Come see how Londoners are friendly when the sun comes out, I can attest to it.

[Image Description: A photo of Jameisha standing on a rooftop pool with Battersea Power Station in the background. Jameisha is a Black person with dark brown skin wearing a navy blue buttoned best and black slacks. Jameisha also wears satin headscarf]

HELLO SUMMER SONG LYRICS (snippet that’s used for this post)

Hello, hi, summer x8
Hello hello x4
Hello, hi, summer x8

📷

07/06/2023

…and I hate it.

I know we can’t control everything but sometimes I crave the stability of knowing I’ll likely be well enough to do the things I want in the near future.

I don’t always want my plans to factor in potentially being I’ll…but…such is life.

Do you feel this?

[Image Description: A photo of Jameisha standing in a kitchen. The picture shows Jameisha, a dark skinned black person wearing a homemade crochet black and white houndstooth vest, blue jeans and a short black wig. White text at the top left corner of the image says “planning feels pointless when a flare up could be just around the corner”

Music description: no lyrics, vibey house instrumental

24/05/2023

I made this vest all by myself 😊

Pattern by on YouTube

[image description: a photo of Jameisha standing sideways in their kitchen. Jameisha is a Black person with dark brown skin wearing a black and white crochet houndstooth vest, blue jeans and a short black wig.]

11/04/2023

Learning the power of "no" as a disabled Black person in this economy???

I struggle with no, but have realised the beautiful space in my life that it opens up.

There are so many things I don’t have the privilege to say no to, so it’s all the more important to allow my safe agency to reject the things I have control over.

[Image Description: A mirror selfie of Jameisha in an elevator. At the top of the image in yellow text with a pink outline it says "NO is a complete sentence." Jameisha is a Black person with dark brown skin wearing a green beanie, a black coat and a black mask.]

08/04/2023

East London Was Ours

My most recent piece of writing for

It’s an essay on platonic love. Find the full mammoth/essay in my stories or bio ❤️

[Image Description: An image of a city background with a white box on top with text in the middle. It says “Mammoth: There’s something uniquely special about platonic love between Black femmes. Perhaps it’s the feeling of truly being seen and understood without having to utter a word. Maybe it’s being able to talk to someone without having to prove your value. Maybe it’s just being believed.”]

29/03/2023

18 months of locs.

18 months of a hairstyle that taught me to accept my facial features. 18 months of a style that makes me feel confident while not fatiguing me.

Thank you.

Image description: a photo of Jameisha bathing their locs on a white inflatable basin. Jameisha is a Black person with dark brown skin with short black locs. ]

07/02/2023

The sweetest phrase and an embodiment of love.

[Image Description: A photo of a building outside. The wall is white with bold black text tat the top that says “if you’re reading this, I believe you.”]

26/01/2023

Oh, to choose and the desire to choose well.

[Image Description: An image of a concrete building against a clear blue sky. Written on the side of the building it says “choosing your body means missing out on things that bring you joy. You look okay to me.”]

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