New Life Transformation Assembly

Instead of reminiscing on my first documented experience with scissors; one that involved my 18-month-year-old self and my 3-year-old sister attempting to style my hair into a bang. Yes, thankfully it ended safely with a photograph of "The Bayang” to make sure we remembered the experience. Instead, I’m going to begin this story with more interesting childhood memories. I always had a deep connection with figuring out how things worked, the Arts, and Sciences, for they helped shape me beyond my difficulties growing up with undiagnosed ADHD, chronic food allergies, and a weak immune system.

I was an outcast pretty much through grade school but my God-given talents and passions, and amazing parents always helped me to find hope and look beyond my ailments and adversities growing up in the urban Black Mecca, Washington DC, Metro. Into my teenage years, developing and beginning to define myself and try to find purpose; through the arts, I redirected negative energy, my awkwardness, and insecurities into my creations. My art form was growing beyond the paints and drawings, Mixed-media, and learning to sew abs crochet. And because of a growing obsession with technology and learning how things worked, I started getting into crafting tools, becoming the Handywoman in the house.

Back then DIY design was taught to teens through Home Economics; but already being considered a nerd with my consistent 4.0 GPA and my head start in learning how to use power tools, my male counterparts and crushes usually ignored me or preferred to manipulate my advances to get there homework done. All in all, I was proud of my gifts and passion for knowledge but I felt lost and alone often in the value of myself and my abilities. I was faced at a crossroads, coming closer to high school graduation, I had to make huge decisions. I had to decide between pursuing a career in Engineering or Design.

What I was going to do with my future, where I was going to go to college would forever change my innocent quirky black girls' life. I had to choose between going to the dirty south to an out-of-state HBCU pursuing my virgin passion for Adult Relations and Technology - becoming an engineer. Or going to the creative artistic route to study Design and Architecture at the prestigous and costly SCAD. I made what I thought was the best choice at the time and went to an HBCU, but my choice was made mainly off of the fear and insecurities of not being good enough to compete with the many other creative Upper-class Hipsters and the Culture Shock of SCAD. I started telling myself I wouldn't make it and focused on being in an environment that seemed would be more familiar to me. But it was too familiar; after having my first child, and transferring to an in-state HBCU, and working my ass off, I obtained my Industrial Engineering degree and landed a career with the Federal Government at the age of 22.

I was hit hard with the disparities most Black women face in our society, on top of learning about my sexuality and queerness, I was struggling with myself and became more focused on how to fit in somewhere with someone. In my career, I was a success but had to work 10x harder, always taking on more than the expected, putting work before my health and family, lost in the need for praise in my Titles, and my Resume spread. After the loss of my Mother to Colon Cancer, a second child from another failed relationship, financial hardship as a Single mom of two; I felt like a hot depressed mess, confused, and was wasting away. Even though I thought my life was a trashy toxic mess, I still possessed a drive to thrive, a need to succeed beyond my circumstances. My spirit was hopeful and I begin healing my body and rebuilding my Faith, and found new rhythm in my style, studying Mondrian and De Stijl, The Beat Movement, and Basquiat to name a few,

but COVID happened and we all were forced to become aware...

A few months before the Pandemic, I had left my extremely toxic 6-figure Tech job after being diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome and debilitating chronic Food Allergies. I was now able to focus full-time on my mt start-up and Entrepreneurship. I had also become obsessed with Trash, LITTERally, but in a good way this time. Picking up trash in the community, Upcycling, Eco-Designing, and DIYing as much as possible because I had found my truth, my value in the valueless Trash that fills the streets of Chocolate City DC.

COVID-19 has not been full of despair and conspiracy for me. It has been an opportunity for me to reset and cleanse myself of toxicity. I had strayed away from passions and focus, pursuing Value through others and things. Confusing my joy and happiness in how well I could keep up with a capitalistic status quo. Trying to find comfort beyond my pain, I started getting back into my creativity again and letting God speak to me through my creations, defining my style, a new transformative Style that reconnected me to Nature. I knew I was creating and using my skills now selflessly, for a sustainable purpose. Even though my creations are birthed from things of lost value, I was blessed with another chance to prove and pursue a fulfilling life passion filled creative work, reconnecting with Source, the Environment and not being afraid to share my Voice in my community.

This is the Major switch.

With Love,

A.Minor.Art

❤️🌍♻️🚮