I will be frank in acknowledging that it is often said outright (and not so outright) that not much good comes out of Anacostia. This is a stigma that I have worked to prove wrong from the time that a friend referred to visiting Anacostia as “slumming”. Fortunately, I was raised by a loving mother who always told me to “be about what you say you are about.” I grew up on Martin Luther King Jr. Ave from the late 70’s through the early 90’s, when being an artist was looked upon as an oddity. This worked in my favor, and I was able to be left alone to explore my visions with the timely help of mentors along the way. I recall riding the bus sometimes and would run into great local artist Rod Turner, and watch him sketch people on the bus. We would talk and he gave me great encouragement to follow my vision. In retrospect, I am truly grateful, for the journey has made me who I am moving forward.
After graduating from the Corcoran School of Art in 1991 with a BFA Degree, my career took an peculiar but organic turn. Since I had been exposed to several modes of expression, I began to shift in focus from painting and sculpture to music, video and performance. My former professors encouraged me to “just be creative”, and follow my muses. From the mid 90’s through 2000’s, I recorded and toured worldwide as an improvisational lyricist with Jazz Saxophonist, Steve Coleman, pianist Omar Sosa and Hip Hop band, Opus Akoben for which I was a composer and producer. I was still painting and creating work during this time and picked up another love in 1994. Chinese Martial Arts. I have been training and teaching traditional Kung Fu and Tai Chi ever since.
I have always searched for the connection that my interests had with one another. More importantly, however, was the revelation that this was all bigger than me. I am merely a player in the grand quilt of life. None of it means anything if it is not passed on, as it was passed on to me.In 2000 I began teaching visual arts at Martha’s Table, Latin American Youth Center and Asian American Lead. I doubled as a martial arts instructor for the youth at Martha’s table. In 2004, I began teaching martial arts (and anything else that I could share) with the students at a special education school in DC called Rock Creek Academy. I was able to travel under the auspices of the US State Department throughout the Middle East and Asia in 2005 and 2006 in the American Music Abroad program. This was a great opportunity to connect young people thousands of miles away with troubled kids scarcely into their teens, many of whom, have only been exposed to life on their blocks. I taught art and creative movement to the pre K through 6th grade at Academy of Learning Through the Arts PCS in DC. I have been able to use the arsenal of creative resources that I have acquired over the years in helping adjudicated youth in an outpatient substance abuse treatment program called Federal City Recovery from 2010-2012. In this case, I worked parallel with counselors to identify alternative activities (music, art, fitness) to help our young people get out and stay out of the system. I have just completed a successful semester at my 4 year old son’s school in SE (Beers Elementary) as an instructor of martial arts for PreK and kindergarten students.
Currently, I am taking what I would call a “no holds barred”, approach to my work. I am currently writing music for a project called Thaylobleu. Thaylobleu has performed in DC, Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia and had the pleasure of performing at the 2013 LUMEN8ANACOSTIA festival.The message of social consciousness and justice that I want to communicate has driven me to move more into the video/short film. I took Thaylobleu’s first video “Amnesiah” from storyboard to screen with photo contributions from fellow Anacostia native, Deborah Terry. In Summer of 2014, I created a short film entitled “Trudge” which culminates on the banks of the Anacostia. In this piece, created the storyboard, music score and performed. It was shown last summer at the Gateway DC film festival at St. Elizabeth grounds. I am currently editing a video piece called “Get Low” which speaks to the awakening of the mind.
As I reflect on the past and look to the future my hope is simple. My goal as an artist is to be a dot on the eternal timeline of artists that have contributed to society. As I watch Anacostia experience it’s growing pains, I want to be to the next generation of creative locals what the creative heroes of my youth were to me.