09/26/2026
Lately, I’ve been having a lot of conversations about community and how important it was for independent artists to have spaces where we could hone our craft and be supported. We used to make connections and simply express ourselves in our own way and were celebrated for our efforts. I don’t think we always realized just how important those spaces were while we were coming up.
Now we’re grown some of us have continued on the path of performance and creative expression while a lot of us have moved into teaching, entrepreneurship, or completely different creative lanes and these spaces don't exist as they did for us then. I think about how many of us came from places where you either found community in the streets, in academia, (especially being a big college state) sports or somewhere in between. And then there were artists like myself where I often struggled to find a space where I felt like I belonged. I felt different. I was different. And I always felt out of place and then I found the underground hiphop community and they embraced me. They supported me through my wins and my failures and gave me room to experiment and make mistakes, I had space to figure things out, and because of that I kept creating. There was something powerful about being surrounded by people who understood that you didn't have to have it all together to belong, you just needed the drive to be the best version of yourself to win.
And now I think about the artists coming up today. Individualism is everywhere, and so much of our connection happens online. I wonder what community feels like for the creative who needs human connection. feeling the energy of being in a room with other people, exchanging ideas, building lasting relationships. I really hope they have that.
I hope they find the kind of community that gives them creative confidence and a place to come back to.
Because I know what it meant for me. And now that I’m in a place in my Life where I can give some of that back I’ve been working to create spaces through Breathe Life Creative Studios for the past few years where people can build that creative confidence and experience what happens when they feel supported. I’ve seen the impact. I’ve seen it in new artists finding their voice, taking creative risks they didn't think they could take and so as I create these spaces, they aren't just events or programs to me. They are pieces of the community that I came up in and pieces of the community that I believe we still need whether we choose to admit that.
So where I'm at now is all about creating spaces where the larger than life creative can breathe and hone their craft without having to shrink themselves to fit in. Cause honestly, there's still room for us to gather. And there's still room for us creative folk to find each other again. So I hope you can join me for the next upcoming series cause I want to hear your story.
Love you all, KIki 💟
