Over spring break, I visited one of my best friends, Liza, in New Orleans. We explored the city, browsed the local shops, listened to live jazz, and ate lots of food. On my first day, I stumbled upon a piece of graffiti that captivated me. I took a picture of it. I saw it multiple times around the city. Attached was a QR code which directed me to a private site I couldn’t access. Beneath the graffiti were the words, “52 WEEKS? U SURE?” which piqued my curiosity.

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The next day, I spotted the same graffiti again in Audubon Park. The QR code still didn’t work.

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That next morning, I remembered that Google is free. I found the artist: SUPER INTRA, and their project, 52 WEEKS? U SURE? A YEAR OF SOUND + EXPLORATION.

 

“In 2024, I challenged myself to create and release a beat every single week. The goal was to foster discipline, growth, and share my art without hesitation.

 

52 WEEKS? U SURE? is the culmination of that journey—a beat tape capturing a year of sonic experimentation and personal exploration.

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Each track is a record of a blip in time—a midnight session at the beach, or the christening of my dream home studio, among many others. In a year that saw emergencies, celebrations, losses, and lostness, my practice remained consistent, yet no two beats are alike.

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52 WEEKS? U SURE? cuts across genres and techniques, from experimental minimalism to chopping samples. It captures the highs, lows, and everything in between.”

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I was floored. Without hesitation, I reached out to the artist. I found them on social media, explained how I had stumbled upon their artwork, and expected no response. But to my surprise, she replied—and not only that, we shared a meaningful conversation about self-doubt and the strength it takes to embrace risking vulnerability.

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I shared my initial reflection for Why Not You? and she told me that I was off to a powerful start and that I was asking all the right questions. I confided in her that I was scared to share my project.

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Me:

“As much as I love what I’m doing with this project, I also feel really scared to share something so vulnerable. I’ve only shared this reflection with a few of my closest friends and family, but I’ll eventually have to share it on a much larger scale.

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How do you embrace risking vulnerability when you create something so personal and meaningful?”

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Sol:

 

“To be honest, in my personal experience, vulnerability will always feel scary, but I try to remind myself that if what I’m sharing is honest and meaningful, then I’m bridging the gap between the self I’ve learned to be/contained and who I authentically am. I think fear and vulnerability is also important because it reveals a truth about yourself—and only you can navigate the path to understanding it.

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When I was about 21, my first mixtape was the most vulnerable thing I’d ever created. It was terrifying to put myself out there, but I knew I needed to say the things I’d been holding onto. I hoped that if I shared the honest, sometimes ugly, and painful truths, maybe someone who felt the same could feel less alone—because I also needed to feel less alone.

I think vulnerability is a kind of medicine sometimes; it impacts things differently depending on the situation and who’s receiving it.

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I’m 33 now and because of the few but impactful moments that both my artistic and non-artistic vulnerability was met with open arms, it gave me the confidence to keep practicing. It showed me that we’re all human and navigating similar difficulties.

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Also, vulnerability may not always be met with compassion or understanding, and I think even though it may be frustrating or disheartening—that’s okay too. Because I think the most important thing is that you were being true to yourself.

I find that the more I practice vulnerability, the more it becomes part of who I am. And trust—doubt still shows up in almost everything I do. It comes and goes and shows up after every decision I make, but this time I just have more experience and affirmations from the times I’ve shown up honestly that gives me the push I need at the last second.”

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We continued to discuss how our perceptions of how fear and vulnerability have shaped us and I thanked her for her vulnerability in sharing her story with me. A few weeks later, she reached back out to me to sample my voice for a set she was performing, and to ask my question again, to which she would recite her response at the end of her set. I happily obliged, and in turn, I asked if I could include her response in this project as well. 

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Although we are strangers who met by chance, we both seemed to take a lot away from the single conversation we shared. Enough to inspire both of us to embrace the risk of vulnerability.