What I do
I was asked to write a narrative about what I do to earn the living that I earn, but how does one define what they do by what they do? I suppose the most inaccurate, but direct reply is: I speak. I speak to audiences and individuals; youth and elderly; rural communities and urban communities; the despondent and the desperate. I speak with vigor.
I speak words of rage and inspiration. I encourage people to take hold of their days in a manner that is befitting of the very air they breathe. I speak out against the injustices that take place on the grand scales, as well as those diminutive slights that fester in the very hearts of us all. Make no mistake, my friends, my voice is used as a melodious cello, vibrating with universal sounds, often left unspoken. I speak words of alarm and words of comfort. I speak what I know to be true.
I also create. I create shows and programs and visions and implementations and passion and healing. I use movies, books, religious scriptures, music, video, knowledge, performance, and poetry. I create monologues and essays; characters and challenges; epiphanies and reminders. I fit my program to the needs of the organization that brings me in to speak to their students, employees, or participants.
I create dialogue. I want people to speak more. See more. Know more. Care more. Be more. I create a safe space for individuals to open their minds, speak about their pain, while acknowledging the hurts of others. I create a legacy that will long be remembered when I am fertilizing daffodils.
What I do is integrated with who I am. I am performer, psychologist, poet, actor, orator, writer, photographer, healer, philosopher. I am a reflection of light. I am how I was made.
What do I do? I get on stage and I bleed out. I challenge the masses to turn their pain into pearls; I tell every soul about their beauty. I hug and listen as the tears run freely. In short, I aspire to inspire others.
