I am a creative artist! I love, love, love the arts and the two forms that give me the MOST life are music and writing.
The first of my loves, music, I inherited from my mother who was always singing or playing music. Always. Mama had quite the music collection in a variety of genres. This love was cultivated in me and manifested in my life through my love of listening to music, singing in choirs (since age seven), playing the flute (since age 10), singing in several groups and recently, I’ve been experimenting with singing a bit in poems that I’ve written to share through spoken word.
I graduated from Jefferson High School of Performing Arts and studied Music Therapy at Howard University. I’ve played professionally in pit orchestra stage plays, community events, churches and even got to play with the great Kim Burrell once! (Now THAT was a treat Honey Chile! MmHmm) Every now and then I still toot my flute for special events like weddings and plan on playing more in this new and exciting stage of my life. Currently, I love to experience a variety of music while teaching water aerobics.
My second-but-equal love is writing. Writing? Let’s just say that writing is almost… Scratch out 'almost' and insert 'IS'… as important to me as breathing. (Why did I just Inhale and exhale? No… seriously, I did. I guess that was my body confirming my truth as I write.)
For me, to write is to breathe Honey Chile! MmHmm.
I began writing and journaling when I was nine years old. By the age of fifteen, I was writing poetry quite regularly and I haven’t stopped since. I’ve written poetry for myself, for loved ones, for countless special events at church, for speaking engagements, community functions, for individuals who wanted personalized poems for their loved ones, for family reunions...
A
...holidays and so on. You name it and I’d write about it and also gladly recite it when the opportunity came available.
Fast forward to now. I’m so excited to be sharing my words with the world through poetry, a novel that will be published soon and via spoken word and any other way that the universe opens up for me! Being a published author has been a lifelong dream that I am happy to finally be living.
You see, for the past thirty-five years and some change, I’ve been sharing my life with my wonderful husband and best friend, Alvin Johnson, aka my babies daddy, aka my chocolate. Together, we have raised three beautiful children and have also been blessed with five lovable and spirited grands.
In addition to being a wife and a mama, I have worked as a social worker for a number of years, been an entrepreneur teaching personal development and a child care owner and trainer for over two decades. I've also been that 'Yah-mahn Sista' always with 2 to 3 other jobs on the side.
I’ve also been a small business and health and wellness facilitator for a number of years.
I’ve always had a passion for inspiring and helping others and today I am doing just that through creatively blending my unique talents and skills (please see Contact form) through my businesses BeautifulEsteem.Life and poeticallyInspiringChange.com. [What about PIC Beautiful Esteem? Combining 2 business concepts into 1 biz.] I will provide professional services through writing, speaking, creative arts & life coaching, group facilitation and performance.
I will happily meet people where they are and provide support and strategies to help them to get to where they want to be.