Nova Scott James on consciousness and decolonizing identity

Nova Scott-James (she/her and they/them) is a filmmaker, innovation doula and community organizer from Harlem, NYC. Her childhood experiences of being flooded with the sounds and culture of jazz has impacted her creative aesthetic greatly as her work honors improvisation, altered states of consciousness, ritual and collaboration. Nova is also a reiki practitioner and dedicated intuitive worker – she uses these abilities to serve people as a director and creative coach by guiding them in honoring their creative genius. This episode begins with a discussion of consciousness as a force throughout Nova’s life. She explains how watching films as a child helped her connect with and soothe herself amidst experiences of racial and gender based trauma, and how, from her own spiritual experiences, she came to understand film as an astral projection. Nova tells us about the healing integration of childhood trauma that came from creating My Third Eye (“a silent meditation on the relationship between a little girl and the male family member sexually abusing her examines the pain of intergenerational black familial trauma, but also the gift of spiritual independence”). We explore the wisdom in viewing all of life as aspects of ceremony, and how this vision creates a strong foundation for expanding our capacity for greater and deeper consciousness. Decolonizing identity is a theme in Nova’s work. She tells us about Wild Darlings Sing the Blues, an Afro-surrealist documentary she created about a group of queer women and nonbinary people of color building a healing sanctuary together. Nova also delves into creating the workshop “Embodied Justice: How can non-black allies effect anti-racist change?” taking place July 7th. We talk about the importance of doing this work in an embodied way and the many tools that can be used, such as innovation and play. Themes of this conversation range from doing the soul work to refine the stories we want to tell; to the discomfort of looking at and moving through our biases; cultivating a willingness to do things differently; and that any break down being an opportunity for a breakthrough. I highly recommend attending the workshop Embodied Justice on July 7th! Ticket link is on her website, www.mothershipalchemy.com