I am so fortunate to say that I get to live out my passions every single day. It is unbelievable to actually sit down and realize. My art is my life. It is my outlet, my happiness, my sadness, and my serenity. I live it through my visual art, my students, and my dancing. This week I got to explore a new chapter of my art, and teaching career, that has humbled me to the point of tears.

Because I have been surrounded by creative ventures my whole life, I never really realized that others haven’t. Today I taught my very first ballet class to adults. Now, I am very used to a room full of little faces and puffy pink tutus…not so much women looking to challenge themselves. It made me feel very unsure about an activity I have done for the greater part of my life. It is so strange how a change in energy can alter the confidence you have in your abilities. A few things, however, struck me pretty hard during the experience. Although I was 10+ years younger than these women, I was being looked up to. I was in charge, the teacher with information to provide. I learned, also, that I was capable of things that other people were not; extremely validating given creativity is almost always questioned. I want to be a teacher, of many things, as well as an artist, visually and physically in my dancing. Today I got to do just that. My time was spent sharing a gift with others that I somehow lost track of; took for granted because I have held it close my entire life.

Last week I struggled with what exactly my art meant to me and why I was doing it. There will always be someone better and who works harder, but they are not me. I will work and grow in the way that suits me. Teaching myself lessons whilst teaching others has solidified just how important creativity is to my life and my health. Today I am a teacher of both dance and art, an artist, a mentor, a human. I am built to learn and to share, while always growing; riding the storm to turn up exactly where I need to be, for myself and others. The message I would like to share with you, though, is to do something that scares you, something new and exciting, get lost in movement, in color, in literature and music. Find what speaks to you to the point where you can’t help but share it with those around you.