WONDER | Creative Mornings Baltimore

Every time I get the opportunity to speak, I am reminded of a note that I wrote to myself back in 2014. And in that note I wrote I want to be at the podium of life. Only those who have something to say get to stand at the podium. Only those who have accomplished something get to stand at the podium.

So my first tip for you all is to write down what you want. Write down the vision that you have for yourself.

Wonder is an inside job.

I think that the people that truly enjoy and connect with my artwork do so because they see the magic and beauty in it; and there was already magic and beauty inside them. And that is what they mean when they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Or in this case, wonder is in the heart of the wonderful.

Before I could create the artwork that you see, I had to do some serious inner work. I had to tune into my own power, into my own magic, into my own beauty. And that truthfully wasn't easy. It was a process of being in the dark and having no other choice but to look toward the light.

At that time all the music I was listening to, the food I was eating, the social media content I was digesting--all of these things that I was feeding myself left me feeling sick, alone, lost, and out of love with myself. I was depressed.

What she is says about herself is ultimately way more powerful than anything anyone else can say about her.

The same way I nurture her magic, I had to nurture my own. I had to tell my self over and over again: I am powerful, I am beautiful, I am magical, I am gifted, I am wonderful. I do that process day by day. My sense of possibility expanded. I was able to imagine and dream far and wide.

I learned that what you say becomes what you see.

I transformed my feeling of loneliness into an opportunity to focus on myself, and foster my love for myself.

I became a protector of my energy.

Because I am empower myself, I am able to empower others.

I started off only doing self portraits. Then I was able to start illustrating the power that I see in others. Because I know how magical I am, I am able to see and exhibit how magical we all are. And same thing goes for my environment. I am able to take Baltimore and see beyond the hardship and struggle, and things that need to be fixed, to create new realities filled with magic and wonder.

I see so much of our youth discounting their dreams and imagination simply because of their surroundings.

All of the positive changes in my life started with the change within me.

Your path to a more wonderful life starts with the work that you do on yourself.

I hope my artwork helps you all see how wonderful and how beautiful Baltimore is, and reminds you that we don't have to settle for the reality that we've been given. We can create our own.

You'd be surprised at the wonders on the other side of pain. I hope today you are all reminded of how wonderful you already are.