Creating a life as an artist and entrepreneur is a journey. Sometimes the call to sit down and write can be fraught with self-doubt, impatience, and my personal love for daydreaming and vision setting. Other times, the responsibilities of life and business are overwhelming. But with each column, project, and connection I am reminded why I chose to pursue my passions three years ago.

In February 2020, with encouragement from loved ones, I quit my job after several years of marketing and event planning. Shortly thereafter in March 2020, COVID shutdowns began. Terrified and uncertain, I started writing every day. First, thought journals and positive mantras to process my anxiety. Then, short stories, outlines, and beat sheets to explore playwriting and screenwriting. Some days, my self-doubt won over my ambition. Excitement would turn to frustration when the text on the page did not match the image in my head. But I kept at it. Self-help books inspired me to sit down, when negative thoughts had me procrastinate. Videos of authors and screenwriters remind me there are professionals who are doing what I’d like to do. This time of independent writing and research allowed me to see a new path in my career; one built on storytelling.

My inspiration to connect with other writers in community started at the Orange County Arts Commission & Eno Arts Mill. While there, I had the pleasure of meeting Chapel Hill’s first Poet Laureate, CJ Suitt. As well as sitting down with Fred Joiner, Poet Laureate of Carrboro and 2019 – 2022 and Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow. Two black male storytellers whose work spans and accomplishments span over ten years. I also collaborated in the launch of their monthly series Weave and Spin and the annual COALESCE. Launched by local writer Morrow Dowdle, Weave and Spin, is a monthly convening featuring an artist and open mic for poets, storytellers, and/or musicians. My first time at Weave and Spin I celebrated the courage of other storytellers in community. Some, creating for years with the portfolios to show; others like me, discovering what it means to “find your voice” and share with others. This inspiration was also there with COALESCE, a collaborative project between Morrow and her husband and muralist, Max Dowdle. Ten poets and ten visual artists came together to create pieces inspired by each other. The works of Samir Knego, Ann Hobgood, Max Dowdle, and more filled the gallery; while we enjoyed the words, reflections, and lyrical sounds of Soteria Shepperson, Dasan Ahanu, Fred Joiner, Gideon Young, and many brilliant writers in Orange County. In a time where the word “trauma” is often used outside of therapy to show sympathy and compassion, moments of storytelling remind me of the importance of empowerment. There is a not a mandate to say or characterize lived experience, intelligence, and wisdom as only one word when we have our stories.

Since saying to myself, “I am going to create a life for myself as an artist,” collaboration and building community with other creative entrepreneurs has been the focus. It’s simple, and sometimes easier, to stay to myself and enjoy the freedom to create without distractions or information that is not my own. It’s equally true working and learning with others is motivational and healing. As a fellow of the 2023 New Voices Program at The Ink Project, I learned alongside my cohort, the fundamentals of playwriting. Over the course of nine weeks, we met to share our vision, got to know each other in calls and over ice cream, and wrote our plays. The night of our virtual read, I experienced the excitement and nerves of seeing my work read aloud by actors including the multi-talented and multi-faceted Soteria. It was a moment to remember for an emerging writer.

Changing goals, life plans, and career is a journey, and on that journey are transferrable skills. Marketing and event planning continue to be a critical to reaching audiences, communicating vision, and engaging community. I worked with local videographer, Justin, Fuze Film LLC, to highlight the work of the Dowdles and elevate the meaning of public art in Chapel Hill and Hillsborough. In October, I’ll be joining Chapel Hill Cultural Arts Commission for our first meeting. And in November, I’ll be celebrating with 100+ black southern writers at the inaugural Griot & Grey Owl Blk Southern Writers Conference, featuring prominent black writers from across the southern region. Happy to say I continue to be inspired as I write this chapter of my story.

Events to remember:

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