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To me, Mz. K was always so much more than a teacher. They made class feel like more than just a class, and taught me so many valuable lessons beyond the classroom.

If you saw me before I had the privilege of having Mz. K as my teacher, you might mistake me for a turtle. I never came out of my shell. I was a girl scared of others’ opinions of me, too scared of them to ever try new things. I was insecure. Then I met Mz. K. I picked the guitar back up, started singing — which I found a new love for!! — and started trying new things.

It was more than just singing and playing guitar. It was learning to love myself again. Not fearing what others thought of me, finding security within myself, and learning what fun meant. They taught me it’s okay to be me, the imperfectly perfect version of me that I am today. It was always more than just a music class. It was where I learned exactly who I am and who I want to be.

I know I am the business owner, and you already heard all about me, but what I want you to know about my story is that art and creativity are essential for me. I’ve been through a lot of hardship that has impacted the way I think about myself, in ways that have changed me both positively and negatively. Whenever I needed a moment to soothe my heartache, music and performance has always been there for me. I have incredibly fond memories of getting to learn and play with my friends on the stage playing instruments, singing together, and acting out characters while cracking up in rehearsals. Therefore, performance art has also impacted the ways in which I interact with my community. There’s so much room in this world to look someone in the eye and tell them that you will walk beside them through their own heartache and perform for that hurt until it feels processed and resolved. That’s what I want from my creative spaces, and it’s something I am proud to share with you all.

I have had to confront my own artistic intentions throughout my younger years of performing and into my older years of performing, with infinite room for that intention to change as I age into various chapters of my life. When I was in middle school, my intentions for performing were rooted in self-soothing and in proving to others that I am good enough. As I carried more experience and knowledge into high school, this goal of proving that I am good enough took over, and suddenly my life was dominated by auditions, working for professional companies, and constantly working. This was harmful to my college experiences, which pulled a shadow over performance art. I realized that suddenly the over-extension of hours I worked as a performer with works of performance art that I didn’t enjoy was all for the paycheck and to prove to those who doubted me that I could do it. There was no joy involved and I was burnt out. Having been through major health related incidences and almost losing my ability to continue to be creative woke me up. Performing for me is for celebrating all that I am and can be. Performing is being able to join a collective group of individuals with similar minds to create beauty in spaces that need it. Performing is intentionally meant for adding joy, entertainment, and reflection for myself, my community, and my environments. You are all my community, and having you all in my corner to process beautiful art is the joy of my life. Thank you for being here with me.