"To the East Side with Love"

"To the East Side with Love"

serves as a heartfelt tribute to my childhood, a love letter dedicated to the formative years that have shaped who I am today. Much like the ebb and flow of healing, my art mirrors the season of life I find myself in at any given moment. Throughout one's healing journey, there is often talk of nurturing and reconciling with the child within, writing letters to one's younger selves at different stages of life. For me, this show encapsulates that very sentiment.

My upbringing on the East Side of Charlotte, particularly in Pence Pond, holds profound significance as the place where the foundation of my identity was laid. It was in the brown house on the corner that my mother fostered an environment for my creativity to flourish, allowing me to simply be myself. These were the formative years, the core memories that continue to resonate with me. Pence Pond was where my earliest friendships were created, and it was during the daily commute to daycare, also on the East Side, with my father that we bonded over music, often listening to Bob Marley and other classic jams on v101.9. Our morning included stopping at the gas station, where I'd eagerly indulge in a chocolate milk and a blueberry muffin. Ms. Mo, my daycare teacher and babysitter, introduced me Mystikal and countless other cherished memories were created. The nostalgia associated with this period in my life is boundless.

Thus, I made the decision to dedicate an entire show to my childhood self because I believe she would be delighted to know that we have continued to evolve and grow. Over the past year, and since the last show, significant growth and transformation have occurred in my life, making it all the more fitting to pay homage to the child within and the remarkable journey we've undertaken together.