Location: Lowcountry

  • Rae Weekes

    Rae Weekes

    “Pave your own path, make your own way, it can look anyway you want it to.”

    Rae Weekes works with Hearts Inclusive Arts Community in North Charleston, South Carolina.

    Interview

    Transcript

    Emma Plutnicki  00:00 

    Okay, so to start, what do you do for work and where are you currently working from? 

    Rae Weekes  00:06 

    I work for a nonprofit called Heart Inclusive Arts Community, and we are a visual and performing arts studio for adults with disabilities who want to grow as artists. And, I am currently working or, yeah, I’m currently working from my office that is in our studio building in North Charleston. 

    Emma Plutnicki  00:26 

    Amazing. And how long have you been working there?  

    Rae Weekes 00:29 

    I’ve been here since it started 10 years ago in 2014. 

    Emma Plutnicki  00:34 

    Wow. And what’s your official job title? 

    Rae Weekes 00:36 

    I am currently the artistic director. 

    Emma Plutnicki  00:39 

    Okay amazing. So, what is one thing that you love about working in South Carolina specifically? 

    Rae Weekes  00:48 

    I really don’t have any experience elsewhere. So, this is really, I’ve lived most of my life in South Carolina. I grew up in Greenville and then moved to Charleston for college, and then just have stayed here ever since, and Heart has kept me here. So, I mean, it’s, it just kind of is, I think we have a lot of opportunities here. I think what’s also special about our organization, specifically being here is that I think our state tends to lean in a direction that is not very supportive of who we work with and what we do and who we are. So, it feels good to be doing something that takes up space and lets our artists be seen in a different light.  

    Emma Plutnicki  01:39 

    Amazing. And how would you describe the local professional community in South Carolina? Are you able to collaborate with other groups? Or how’s the professional community?  

    Rae Weekes  01:50 

    Absolutely. I’d say within the creative community here, it’s pretty tight knit. We’re always trying to connect and figure out ways that we can collaborate together. I think at times, well, at times it can be, it can feel a little competitive, I guess, just because we’re all kind of trying to fight for our way to exist, but, but it all in all like we acknowledge that and realize that that’s not beneficial to anybody. And so yeah, we all try to work together as much as we can, and that opens up new opportunities that you wouldn’t really imagine or think of before, and also just kind of pulls from all different disciplines. 

    Emma Plutnicki  02:31 

    Yeah perfect. So you know, in a creative career, it can be kind of difficult to figure out what success looks like. So how do you define personal or professional success in your career. Do you have any metrics, or how do you kind of calculate that?  

    Rae Weekes  02:51 

    That’s a big question for me. I guess I would say social impact, community impact and those kinds of things, awareness. How many people can we affect? Are we changing things for the better? So I try to stay on that track, and that’s, I guess, kind of my focus for success. 

    Emma Plutnicki  03:14 

    Yeah, amazing. And did you have any fears when you were looking into a career in kind of off the beaten path, any careers that came up?  

    Rae Weekes  03:27 

    No I guess I’d say no for me personally, no, I think my parents did. I’m probably, like a lot of other folks in this field, was kind of the black sheep of the family. So was paving my own path. Was doing things that my parents didn’t really, I mean, I’m super grateful they were super, super supportive, but they were definitely nervous. And my dad gave me like a book when I was a senior in high school that said what to do with an arts major, and I probably thumbed through it once or twice. It’s like, well, I don’t know. I’m probably not going to follow any one specific path. And I didn’t. Here I am. 

    Emma Plutnicki  04:11 

    Yeah there you go. And along the way, throughout your career, and when you were looking into this career, was there any advice that you were given along the way, good or bad, either from family or mentors or anything that stuck with you? 

    Rae Weekes  04:27 

    I can’t, I guess I can’t really say any one thing that sticks out, I think, kind of at large it was to pave your own path, make your own way, and that can, that can look any way you want it to. And yeah, I think that was just comforting to be able to hear that, especially from somebody who’s older, and it wasn’t any one person that said that. It was kind of like, once I got into this field and into the arts, it was kind of like a, surrounding advice from mentors within the community, teachers… 

    Emma Plutnicki  05:07 

    Yeah that makes sense. So now, on a typical day-to-day basis, what does your work look like? What’s expected of you on a daily basis? What kind of tasks do you get into? What does your day look like? 

    Rae Weekes  05:20 

    It can differ from day to day, which is something that I really enjoy about what we do. So, I guess a typical day we would come in, everybody, all of our artists would, well, let me backtrack a little bit. So, our artists are only in our studio two days a week. The other two days we do all of the behind the scenes. We’re a very small staff. Do all of the emailing, scheduling, things like that. So that’s more of like the boring, like computer stuff, I guess, and then. But when our artists are in the studio, that’s when we all are very energetic, and personalities are just bouncing off the walls. So, I’ll talk about that kind of day. We all come in, and all of our artists just kind of trickle in for the first, like 30 minutes, hour of the day. We’re together for eight hours, and we start our day with a daily draw, which is led by a volunteer. And that kind of gets our creative juices flowing. And just kind of, it’s not expected to be a masterpiece by any means, just a creative activity to get the day started, and then we’ll jump into our main activities for the day. And that can typically start with a couple hours of Visual Arts, where everybody is working on their own, their own projects, their own ideas, brainstorming, everybody’s at different stages. And then staff is there to just help facilitate any needs or wants or thoughts or questions and help just kind of build and strengthen whatever they’re working on. And then we’ll break for lunch. And then after lunch, we dedicate the afternoon to, well, maybe, like 30 minutes of, like movement, or just kind of meditation, yoga, and then after that, a couple hours of Performing Arts, and that could be whatever we’re working on at the time. Maybe we have a small performance that’s coming up and we’re going to do a couple songs, or we have our big summer production, and we’re doing full rehearsals, but that time would be dedicated to that, and then at the end of the day, we just kind of chill while everybody’s leaving, but we do pepper in a lot of outings within our community. We go see shows and events. We go have fun and go to the beach or go to the pool. We take a family vacation every year. And so, yeah, it really just kind of varies week by week. 

    Emma Plutnicki  07:48 

    Yeah, amazing. Sounds like busy days. And so, you mentioned that there are some shows for the Performing Arts, kind of side of your days, but for the art, like portions of the days, are there ways for the art to be exhibited? Or do you have exhibits? Or do the artists take the works home with them? Are there any ways of showing their work to the community?  

    Rae Weekes  08:11 

    Absolutely, we do a number of markets throughout the year, so we’ll have, like, a vendor table, and those markets can vary as well. We’re part of an arts festival some other like holiday markets. We also have been or the past couple of years, have had an exhibition and a professional gallery, one at one in Somerville at the Public Works Art Center, which was incredible, and then one in the Park Circle gallery, we try to have an art exhibition that coincides with our show or its own exhibition at a gallery. I’m not explaining this very well. Yeah, we try to take whatever opportunity we can find, but that also puts us in the same playing field as any other artist. We don’t want to be secluded, we don’t want to be set aside, pushed to the side. We want to hang on the same walls that another artist would, and that’s important to me, personally and for our artists as well. And then we do have an online store. It’s a little messy right now, but that’s another space that we try to showcase their work and on our website, and try to make that accessible to folks who can’t physically come to our shows.  

    Emma Plutnicki  09:44 

    Oh, great, great. And so throughout your career, has there been a particular project that has really resonated with you, or one, one single moment that you really reflect on as being kind of a defining moment in your creative journey? 

    Rae Weekes  10:07 

    Oh, every single day you see something that, yeah I try to see every moment, or try to use every moment as a learning opportunity through and through. So, I mean, there’s been a lot of big moments. I mean, that feeling you get after a production. All of our productions are original, and so there’s a lot, a lot of work and effort put into it. I mean, across the board, within our gallery exhibitions as well, there’s just so much work put into it. And so I feel, I mean, I’ve never been disappointed after a show or after an exhibition, opening. Never been disappointed. We’ve been disappointed in rehearsals like, What the hell are we doing? You know, but, but everybody just shows up and shows out for everything, every performance and exhibition that we do, and I think those are just big moments that you know, you feel accomplished, you feel pride, you’re there with your people. And you can, I mean, you see it on everybody’s face, it’s oh. So, I guess collectively, those moments of just being able to take a breath and be like, Look what we just did. Look what we accomplished, and all together, we did it together. So those are, those are the moments, I guess.  

    Emma Plutnicki  11:31 

    Yeah, that’s very sweet and I’m sure when you know performances happen, that’s taking up a lot of time in your life. So how do you manage the life-work, balance? And you know, just have space for personal creativity, while also managing that in a professional setting? 

    Rae Weekes  11:49 

    I wouldn’t say I’m a poster child for work life, for a healthy work life.  

    Emma Plutnicki  11:54 

    Why not? 

    Rae Weekes  11:57 

    Because, I mean, I’m getting, I’ve gotten better over the years, but I think a big thing that defines my life is my work and because we’re so close knit, we consider ourselves a family. So it’s, I mean, I hang out with some of our artists outside of our studio hours. We go to shows together. We go to dances together. So, it’s not necessarily all work. I also feel it’s kind of difficult to get things done when our artists are in the studio. So, anything like, we’ve done the computer, I could be like, Yeah, well, I’ll just do that later tonight, or, like, I’ll look up that later tonight. I can do it on the couch. And I also, I mean, I’m a single person with a dog living alone, and so I have, I mean, I’m able to do all those things, and it doesn’t really affect my life too much, but also it’s all kind of I know, but that’s okay. And then in terms of personal creativity, it really is just whenever it strikes me, it’s not a regular thing that happens. Because we’re so creative all the time in our studio, I feel like I do get that creative—that scratches that creative itch very quickly. By just being here. I tend to get more personal work done, I guess, around the holidays and stuff, because I make most of my gifts. So, when there’s a need for a gift or something like that, I can get a little bit more creative and get more work done. But really, if I other than that, if I’m out, or if I’m inspired by something, or if I want to try new material, like I’ll do it pretty quickly, and then it’ll just kind of sit on my coffee table for a while, and then I’ll pick it up again, and then I’ll put it away. So, it just varies. But I think everything’s kind of intertwined for me. 

    Emma Plutnicki  13:45 

    Yeah, no makes sense. So just as we wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to add, or anything else you may have wished that I asked that I didn’t? 

    Rae Weekes  13:54 

    Not that really comes to mind. Remind me, how are you guys using these interviews again? So, I know you’re pulling the information for folks who want to, like, maybe gain some insights and things like that. But is it going to be like, written or like, our video is going to be posted? 

    Emma Plutnicki  14:15 

    Yeah, so it’ll be a little bit of both. Mainly, we are having a professional directory on the Uncharted initiative of the Creative Career Studio, and then I’ll send you the link to the South Carolina Arts Commission Creative Career Studio website. It’s very cool, very intuitive, and offers a lot of great information, but we’ll be collaborating with that, kind of cross-referencing the interviews that we’re doing here with them, so there’ll be a little bit of back and forth on their website. And then we’re also starting a podcast and having video guides to just give more information for young professionals. So, getting the word out there,  

    Rae Weekes  14:54 

    Yeah, it’s so awesome.  

    Emma Plutnicki 14:59 

    Yeah, no, it’s a great resource. And everybody we’ve been talking to has been amazing. So, I really hope that a lot of young kids are able to utilize this and really work toward a future career doing whatever they want to do.  

    Rae Weekes  15:08 

    That’s amazing, exciting. 

    Emma Plutnicki  15:10 

    And is there anybody else that, either a coworker or somebody else that you know, in a creative field that you think we should interview? 

    Rae Weekes  15:21 

    I mean, I have a number, like, just like artists and teaching artists. 

    Emma Plutnicki  15:27 

    Amazing, yeah, I can send you a follow up email. We’ll we ask for, like, a headshot of you. And then also just sign-up permission form, and then I’ll also send a nomination link. If you think of anybody, you can put them there! 

    Rae Weekes  15:44 

    Well, thank you so much for doing this. I know I, when I found out about the—sorry reminder—the Creative Career Studio, I immediately send it to my mom, because I was like, I think this would have just been so helpful for you guys, just to feel like, okay, look at all this, the variety of opportunity that people can have, and because they just could, you know, they’re creative, in a sense, but like they probably wouldn’t consider themselves like creatives, and so they just were so unaware. And my mom was also a guidance counselor after I was in school and everything. And I just think that would be such an important tool for all of those people to have who are guiding young people, and especially, yeah, just families, parents who are scared that, like, you can’t make a life out of something like that. And it’s so, so not true. Collecting all this data and information and having real people, real voices is, it’s really important stuff you’re doing. So again, yeah, just super great. It’s awesome.

  • Sisi Garland

    “When you’re looking ahead into your future and you’re thinking you can do anything, keep that. You can do anything. You can always do anything, so go ahead and do it.” 

    Sisi Garland is the Executive Director of Heart Inclusive Arts Community, based in North Charleston.

    Interview

    Transcript

    Lexi Raines  00:02 

    Awesome. That voice is always a little shocking at first, a little loud and jarring. Yeah, yes, yes. It is okay. So first, just give a little introduction of yourself. What do you do from work and where are you currently working from? 

    Speaker 1  00:20 

    I am Sierra CeCe Gartland. I’m the Executive Director of heart inclusive arts community, and I am working from my office, my pink office, here at the heart art studio. And I’ve been with heart for five years now. I just celebrated my fifth anniversary as the executive director. Yeah? So, um, yeah, did that answer all of those? Yeah, 

    Lexi Raines  00:47 

    tell us. Tell us a little bit about the Hearts initiative. 

    Speaker 1  00:52 

    Heart inclusive arts community is an art studio for adults with disabilities, and we are multi-disciplinary. So, we do perform arts, visual arts, any kind of creative endeavor that we want to get our hands into. We take it on 

    Lexi Raines  01:07 

    That’s awesome. That sounds like a just a really fun and meaningful thing to start. So, where in South Carolina are y’all based? 

    Speaker 1  01:23 

    We are in North Charleston, South Carolina. We started 10 years ago in downtown Charleston. Have moved into the North Charleston area about a year ago, but yeah, so we’re in the low country. We have members in our studio who are from all over the Dorchester, Berkeley, Charleston area, 

    Lexi Raines  01:46 

    yeah, yeah, that’s awesome. Charleston. I love Charleston. Such a such a 

    Speaker 1  01:50 

    good area. Yeah, it’s beautiful here. It 

    Lexi Raines  01:53 

    really is so kind of on that note. Like, what’s one thing that you love about working as a creative in South Carolina. 

    Speaker 1  02:03 

    There’s lots of inspiration here, for sure. Visually, it’s stunning, especially in this and bias from being from Charleston, but especially in this Low Country region, it’s just gorgeous. You have so many places and parks that you can go to and create. But outside of that, there’s also such a rich culture here, and so many different cultures coming together, especially in this downtown area, there’s just a lot to take in, and a lot that you can be inspired by. 

    Lexi Raines  02:38 

    I completely agree. I’ve like, been in Charleston a lot. I used to have family who lived there, and I feel like there’s just so many different likes, areas blended into one. Like, I feel like you can go to like, one side of Charleston, and it’s completely different from the other side of Charleston. So, 

    Speaker 1  02:57 

    yeah, absolutely it’s it makes it pretty clear why a lot of Hollywood productions want to come out to Charleston and South Carolina, because there’s yes, a lot to offer here. 

    Lexi Raines  03:10 

    Yes, for sure. So, what do you think South Carolina does offer like, what do you think it brings to your work compared to anywhere else? 

    Speaker 1  03:21 

    South Carolina has this incredible way of feeling like a sort of small town where you know everyone, and everyone knows what’s going on with you and what you’re doing, and you just have a lot of familiar support. But at the same time, it also has this broader, bigger feeling to it as well. Like it has a lot of resources, it cares a lot about the arts. It’s It was immediately surprising to me how much South Carolina actually does support its arts and artists, while still feeling very tight knit community as well, 

    Lexi Raines  04:07 

    and that’s amazing to hear, obviously, because that’s like, what we’re trying to do here is just spread that word. Because so many people I feel like, especially young students in like, middle school and high school, I feel like they really think that they have to move out of South Carolina to pursue a creative path, which definitely isn’t true at all. So that’s amazing to hear. Yeah, 

    Speaker 1  04:32 

    absolutely. My niece is in high school now, and she’s thinking about a creative career. She’s an actor, and so she, you know, is starting to do the search for school programs and things that she can get to when she graduates. And she’s dead set in New York. She’s got her mind fixed that she’s going to go to New York. And I’ve done the New York path. I’ve moved there for, uh. Little over two years and worked there as a stage manager and an actor, primarily as a stage manager, if we’re being honest, but, but it’s so hard to break people of that idea that you have to go to these you know, like New York especially, or Chicago, if you’re an improper or if you’re in film and television, that you have to move out to LA and it’s just not true. And in a lot of ways, I think that being go going to those big places, especially for your education in the arts, before becoming a career professional, it can be a little too daunting, or it can be a little too unsupportive, because if you’re not coming there with a network or with a confident background, then it’s going to its going to feel so overwhelming so quickly. So, I’ve been trying to steer her in other directions, to find something a little bit more friendly to the younger, to the greener people, before hitting the big cities. 

    Lexi Raines  06:10 

    Yeah. Well, if she does get accepted there, maybe, like, I feel like New York is obviously an awesome place, but maybe, maybe she’ll miss home. 

    Speaker 1  06:21 

    Maybe. I’m originally from Delaware, and she still lives in Delaware as well, so it’s only three hours away. It’s yeah, 

    Lexi Raines  06:28 

    yeah, that’s not that bad at all. So how would you describe like the local professional community in Charleston, 

    Speaker 1  06:38 

    supportive? That’s the first word that comes to mind. We are so lucky to have a lot of professionals around us who are not only interested in what we’re doing and want to be a part of it, but that will rally their support around us. Whenever we do things, they’re coming to shows they’re supporting each other’s shows they’re just getting involved amongst everyone and not just creating this insular individual attitude where it can’t all exist together. 

    Lexi Raines  07:17 

    I feel like that definitely is something that does happen in a lot of bigger cities, because I feel like things start to get, like, so niche that it’s like you have to be in one specific group or interest. So, I feel like that’s definitely an amazing thing. 

    Speaker 1  07:33 

    Yeah, yeah. I saw that a lot in New York, which is and it bizarrely, you know, for being such a big city and everyone be millions of people living there, you still ran into the same people all the time. You’d be in auditions with the same people, or you’d end up like in productions with somebody else’s show running at the same theater. And so, to still have that sort of competitive mindset and attitude toward things. It made it so much more difficult, because on one hand, you’re talking to each other so chummily and or, you know, whatever it is, but then you’re still feeling like you have to compete with those people for the same resources. And so, it just nothing ever felt very secure, whereas here it feels like you you have friends, you have supporters, you have people that you can turn to, and they’re not going to hoard their information or their experiences and ideas. They’re going to share with you, because that inspires them as well. 

    Lexi Raines  08:42 

    Yeah, that’s something I’ve heard a lot across all interviews, is that it’s really, is South Carolina, really is such a community. Everybody is willing to support everybody. Everyone wants to, kind of, like, hold a handout for everyone who’s trying to get in who’s trying to grow all that stuff, and I feel like that’s it’s just such a beautiful thing. Yeah, so kind of shifting gears here. How would you define professional or personal successes in your creative endeavors or in your career? 

    Speaker 1  09:19 

    As far as in my career, it’s kind of easy, I guess, to define for me, because being Executive Director, I’m sort of responsible for the overall wellness and health of the organization, and so as long as the nonprofit is still going, then I feel like we’ve succeeded to some degree, but as far as in our creative endeavors, if we have reached even one person who hadn’t seen us before, or who was touched by something that we did, or inspired by it, or felt something from what we were doing. Sounds so cliche, I know that’s probably like the creative cliche, but it does mean something, and it does feel like a success. If you’re presenting a gallery in a new space, and someone has walked in and they had no idea what heart was or who our artists were, and they come in and they see a piece, and they just are in awe of it. That’s so successful and so meaningful to us. So that’s creatively how we know we’re doing something. Yeah, 

    Lexi Raines  10:31 

    that is, it is really awesome. And do y’all have your showings in North Charleston? How often do y’all have those shows? We don’t have set 

    Speaker 1  10:43 

    shows or exhibits necessarily. We put on a musical every year. Tends to be an original musical that we’ve written ourselves every year, that we might be exploring different avenues in in that and outside of that, we do a rock concert at the poor house in Charleston every year, in the winter, we do performances all over the place, like we’ve been invited to perform in Myrtle Beach for some professionals convening there, we were just invited to perform at the State House in Columbia for our advocacy day. Yeah, performances were canceled because of the thunderstorms. 

    Lexi Raines  11:32 

    This weather’s been crazy lately. 

    Speaker 1  11:35 

    It’s it cannot decide what season it is around here. 

    Lexi Raines  11:41 

    So what was your you mentioned that you were an actor. What was your biggest fear when you first decided to pursue the arts professionally, 

    Speaker 1  11:52 

    the fear that you won’t succeed, that you won’t survive the biz. I guess you know, I like I said, I came from Delaware, which is a small state to begin with, but also, I came from a small farming town in Delaware. There weren’t arts really happening. We had our one school musical every year. And outside of that, there just was not a lot of exposure to the arts, so I had no real concept of what being a professional creative could look like. It felt to me at the time like you either had to be a Lister red carpet famous or a sad, struggling wannabe, and that there was not in between. And so, when I came down to Charleston, I moved here to go to the College of Charleston, and I signed up that first day to be a theater major. My father was just so worried. And I don’t know that he’s ever stopped being worried about this, but he just was like, you’re going to have to do something else. You have to have that backup plan. Everyone has to have a backup plan. And to some degree, he was right, because you know, you have to have that survival gig while you’re forming that career for some people. Some people are lucky that that career is built in for them from the beginning. But a lot of times you do have to have other things that good at, but having that creative basis, that creative Foundation, makes you good at those other things as well. So, his worry that having a theater degree was going to be completely useless the second that I graduated became also my fear, and I was so nervous about it that I was just going to be poor and struggling forever. But everything I learned being a creative and being a theater person has gone into all the work I’ve done since whether or not it’s directly a creative job, 

    Lexi Raines  14:15 

    I feel like that’s definitely a barrier that a lot of people have to work through whether it’s like you just have self-doubt, or your family isn’t supportive about it, because I know personally, I am an English major, that’s not what I was originally. I was originally a computer science major, but when I told my family I was going to be an English major did not go down well, but I feel like, if you I feel like, if you have a buyer for it, I feel like you can figure it out. And I feel like these jobs do have a lot more to offer than people think so. I feel like. Breaking down those boundaries is just so important. 

    Speaker 1  15:03 

    Yeah, and it starts with having exposure, so like this program that’s coming up, and the creative careers resources, if you don’t know those possibilities are out there, or realize how infused into everything else the arts are. Then you’re it’s if you don’t know it exists, you can’t necessarily imagine that it could happen for you. Um, so, yeah, it’s really cool. These programs that that are coming up, I 

    Lexi Raines  15:36 

    100% agree. So, can you define, like a defining moment, or describe a defining moment in your creative journey? Like, did you have a particular project you worked on that had a significant impact on you, or did something that you like produced really showcase your creativity? 

    Speaker 1  16:01 

    I think one probably the most defining moment in my career was my first time working professionally as a stage manager. I had stage managed all through college as a theater major, but I hadn’t really expanded outside of that yet, and probably mostly because of that fear and nervousness and doubt. But someone I had worked with on a production in college, they were already a creative professional. They were an actor and director, and they were directing a show in Charleston, and wanted me to become stage manager for them. And I said yes to it. Swallowed the doubts and everything, and I said yes, and came on and did it. And it was that production that connected me to the theater company that I have now been working with for almost 15 years. And it was through doing that that I realized, no matter what else I’m doing in my life, to survive or to be able to live day to day, I’m never not going to do theater as well like I have to keep this in my life. So, you it, like you said, it’s kind of, if you have that passion, or you have that fire for something, you’re going to go out and do it. It’s just a matter of how it manifests in your world. So that show brought me essentially the rest of my career, and it all came from just saying yes to somebody I had worked with in college, and he’s now on Broadway. He’s originated roles in once, and he was just in Anastasia and Amalie. Yeah, he’s incredible, and I very much. Have him to thank for continuing to do the arts even when it was scary. Yeah. 

    Lexi Raines  18:07 

    So I feel like that is, like a really positive note, but kind of going from that, what do you have, like, the worst advice you’ve ever received, 

    Speaker 1  18:21 

    the worst advice, um, I mean, you always hear the like, superficial stuff like that, you have to define Your brand or that you, I mean, I I graduated in 2009 from college, which probably sounds like a long time ago now, but even still then, when I was young, you were still hearing like things about body shaming and appearance and all of these things that you have to do, which thankfully, I feel like have kind of gone away. But it never leaves you if someone has said that thing to you about just your personal being, something that is not yourself, and they say it was such authority that you believe them, you know. And so that’s definitely the worst advice. It is listening to anybody about who you need to be and what you need to look like to do anything. It’s terrible. It’s hard not to listen to it, but it’s terrible to hear its awful advice. No one should listen. 

    Lexi Raines  19:40 

    I completely agree. I feel like everybody’s their own person. You got to love yourself exactly, yes, so what’s the best advice you’ve ever received? 

    Speaker 1  19:55 

    Again, probably a cliche, but it’s true, and I still think about it. All the time, being brave does not mean being unafraid. It’s being scared and going forward with it anyway. So being nervous about an audition or a show that’s coming up, or anything that you have coming in, or taking the leap into a new career, a new job. All of these things are really scary, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t do it and can still be brave and go forward with it, even as scary as it is, I was terrified when I took this job. I feel like I’m probably still terrified every day in this job, but it’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done, and it feels like the culmination of all of these disparate career paths and skills that I had just been doing that because I love them for so long, and now they get to come together in my job here as the executive director, but it was so, so scary. And if you know I didn’t have people telling me that it can be scary, but you can still do it, then I probably would have been like, no, it the this is telling me something I shouldn’t be doing it if I’m this worried about it, 

    Lexi Raines  21:21 

    yeah, I completely agree with that. I have. I just feel like fear is the best motivator you can have, because I feel like it goes along the lines of like, the only way to grow is to get out of your comfort zone and push yourself. So I think, I think that is like, I agree with you. I think that’s like the number one advice you can give receive anything, because that’s personally helped me a lot too, yeah, 

    Speaker 1  21:54 

    yeah. It’s hard to live it, too, though. I mean, I say that, but it’s not like I was the bravest person, just going out there, throwing myself into things, I still played it fairly safely. I’m still kind of a scaredy cat in that way. But all the good things that I’ve done were when I, like you said, stepped out of my comfort zone, went for that thing that I’d always wanted to do, and I wish I had done even more of that, especially when I was younger, especially when I just like, you know, when things felt a little bit more, not carefree, but possible. You know, when you’re looking ahead into your future and you’re thinking, you can do anything, keep that you can do anything. You can always do anything. So go ahead and do it. 

    Lexi Raines  22:43 

    That’s awesome. I think that’s just really amazing. So, can you work? Work? Can you walk me through, like a typical workday at heart? 

    Speaker 1  22:55 

    Yeah, we have sort of a dual life here. So, I have my office time on Mondays and Wednesdays, where I’m doing all of the background support work for the organization. But then on Tuesdays and Thursdays, we have our artists in the studio, and we have about 25 artists that we see every Tuesday and Thursday, nine to five, and they’re all adults. They’re all our peers and our friends and our creative partners in crime. So, I get to come to work every morning about 830 or nine o’clock, come into the studio and be greeted by everyone and just sort of like, just have that, that water cooler chat with all of my friends as we come in. And then we first get into sort of a creative but palette cleanser. It’s our daily draw. It jumps starts our day with a little bit of creative thinking, we get an interesting fact for the day from one of our volunteers, and from that, she also creating a drawing prompt that we all work on. So we do that to kick things off, we get into visual arts, which is now being led by our artistic director, Ray, and that can look all kinds of ways, depending on what we’re working on. Often, artists are working on some individual piece that they are wanting to finish and see through to its ending. Sometimes we’re doing collaborative larger pieces all together, and sometimes we’re working on a theme towards a specific gallery, but in any case, we’re all creating some form of visual arts. There we had lunch. We’re usually watching something silly or fun or creative or whatever. During lunch, I. A lot of documentaries about animals, because that’s always fun to see. Yes, and then in the afternoons, we do perform arts. So, our performing arts Director Mel is a music background. She is the musical director for all of our performances, all of our shows. And so generally, we’re working towards whatever our next performance is going to be. So lately, it’s been preparing for that state house performance that didn’t quite happen, but we were also performing at a night to shine the prom, which is sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation. We were asked to perform there at our local prom. We also have some other performances coming up, and then ultimately, we are rehearsing for that original musical that we do each year. So that goes from auditioning, writing, editing, rehearsing the production, rehearsing the musical, putting it all together with a live band, all of that jazz, and then at the end of the day, we sort of have some decompression time. We’ve got our free time where we can chat and socialize. We can finish up projects that didn’t quite get to a good spot along the way during the day or just say hi to everyone who stops in to visit on the way home. 

    Lexi Raines  26:22 

    That sounds that sounds very busy, but it sounds like a lot of fun. That sounds awesome. It is 

    Speaker 1  26:28 

    a lot of fun, but I am exhausted at the end of the day or Thursday. Yes, I’m 

    Lexi Raines  26:34 

    sure. So you mentioned that you still want to always try and include, like acting into your life, even when that’s like, not specifically what you’re doing. So how have you created, like, a work life balance where you’re still able to maintain both, like your professional and personal creativity? 

    Speaker 1  26:59 

    It’s hard. It’s very hard to especially when your career is so closely aligned to what your passion creativity is, and especially lately, since the pandemic, it was very difficult our I’m part of the acting company for the village Repertory Company, which is over 20 years old now in here in Charleston, but we had to close during the pandemic. And so that avenue of personal creativity was sort of lost to me, and at a very important time in my career as well, because I had just started working here at heart. And so, this new experience, I didn’t have that sort of old, um, reliable source of creativity to turn to. So, it is. It is really hard, but I feel like just anything that you’re doing, almost as like a self-care or just to feel good, if it’s creative, even if it’s reading a book, even if it’s going to see a show or a performance, that you’re not a part of engaging in art, whatever that favorite kind of art is to you, that is the balance, right? So, it doesn’t always have to be. I feel like sometimes creatives we can put like this burden on ourselves, that we have to complete something, or that we have to show something, we have to have something to put out there for it to count and it doesn’t. It can be whatever you do for yourself, even if that’s like writing one sentence of a novel at the end of the day, and that novel goes nowhere. Who cares you are expressing yourself. You’re doing something that you care about, and that’s all it ever needs to be. It never needs to see the light of day for it to be important to you. 

    Lexi Raines  29:15 

    I completely agree with that. I think that, like you’re saying, there is such a push to just keep putting stuff out there, but at the end of the day, you are like a person who needs to have things like just for you. So, I think that that is an amazing piece of advice. So, do you have any questions that you wish you were asked? 

    Speaker 1  29:40 

    Oh gosh, no, I don’t know that I could have come up with any questions better than what you guys already have. 

    Lexi Raines  29:48 

    Awesome. Yeah, I feel like we kind of put people on the spot without that question. So finally, do you have this is also not to put you on the spot. But do you have a creative that you’d like to nominate to be interviewed? 

    Speaker 1  30:05 

    Oh yes, I spoke with someone at arts advocacy. Oh, gosh. Okay, let me for some reason, her Instagram. Oh no, I know her name. Her name is Janelle Smalls. 

    Lexi Raines  30:16 

    Janelle Smalls. Can you spell that for me? 

    Speaker 1  30:19 

    I believe it’s j, A, N, E, L, L, E, and last name is smalls I might use for digging for her contact information to send to you to reach out to her. But she is an artist who is also a K through 12 arts educator and speaking with her at arts advocacy this week or last week, she was so passionate and was like, so full of gumption to do something for her students. I think she would be an incredible person to speak 

    Lexi Raines  30:54 

    with. That’s awesome. Yeah, she sounds amazing. Definitely, definitely, send me her information if you can find that for sure. It was so nice talking with you. I think you had such wonderful advice. And you obviously come from a place where you care so much, I 

    Speaker 1  31:14 

    I hope so. That’s sometimes that’s the only thing keeping us going, is how much we care about it. I completely 

    Lexi Raines  31:20 

    agree. So, thank you. I hope you have a good rest of your day. Yeah, I’ll be reaching back out to you just for that headshot, and then I can definitely try to email you whenever this goes live to send you the link. 

    Speaker 1  31:36 

    Yeah, perfect. And if there’s anything we can do heart any of us to support this project, future projects, everything you all are doing, please, just let us know, and we’re there for you. 

    Lexi Raines  31:49 

    That’s awesome. Thank you. Thank you so much. Yeah, thanks for your time. It was a pleasure. Thank you for yours. Have a good day.

    Speaker 1 31:56 

    You too. Bye-bye.

  • Mahoganee Amiger

    Mahoganee Amiger

    “Just love yourself and talk to yourself nicely.”

    Mahoganee Amiger works in Beaufort S.C., is an interdisplinary artist in the field of music and has been a songwriter for over 30 years. Mahoganee incorporates poetry and photography into her music to produce a form of visual art. 

    Interview

    Transcript

    00:02 | Lexi 

    So first, we’re going to start, just give a little introduction of yourself. What do you do for work, and where are you currently working from? 

    00:13 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    So I am, well, I’m an artist. I am an interdisciplinary artist in the field of music. Music, Music is my primary discipline, and I have been a songwriter for over 30 years, and I incorporate poetry and photography to my music and makes me a visual art. 

    00:43 | Lexi 

    That’s, that’s amazing. So is that like your full time job? 

    00:49 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    Yeah, it is. 

    00:50 | Lexi 

    That’s, that’s amazing. So how long you said? 30 years? 

    00:54 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    Yes, I’ve been in music 30 years. How long I’ve been full time in music? I would say, let’s see. I had my last corporate job in 2010 I believe, yeah, somewhere, somewhere in there. 

    01:21 | Lexi 

    That’s awesome. Yeah. Okay, so what is- Wait, where are you based in? 

    01:28 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    I’m in, I’m in the lowcountry. I’m in Beaufort, South Carolina, in Beaufort. 

    01:32 | Lexi  

    So what’s one thing that you love about working as a creative in Beaufort? 

    01:40 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    One thing that is so I live on Saint Helena Island, and specifically I am a Gullah Geechee woman, right? This is Gullah Geechee land in Saint Helena Island is so important and pivotal in our community, and it’s a very special place, very spiritual. And so being a creative it is, in my opinion, it is a very magical portal, yes, that right, that I can tap into, and because I allow myself to be open to that I I am never, not creative. Yeah, I am never, there’s not a dry spell. 

    02:31 | Lexi 

    That’s awesome. That’s amazing. So with your, what is your you said that, of course, your heritage is tied to South Carolina. How would you describe the local creative community there? 

    03:00 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    There is a very powerful and strong creative community here on Saint Helena Island. And also, because I my my branches, you know, reach out into, you know, other areas I am able to… I live here, right? I work here, I create here, but I’m also able to reach out, literally to people all over the world and create. And a lot of people are interested in South Carolina, in the lowcountry, and the delegatee culture. And so I’m able to, I’ve done tours, you know, people have wanted to come here and visit. And my husband and I have actually, you know, put an itinerary together and really introduce people to the low country of South Carolina, to the Gullah culture.  And it’s a magical place. And people are, you know, very, very interested in it. Now, it’s a hot culture. 

    04:05 | Lexi 

    Yes, that’s such a, that’s such a beautiful thing to be able to do for others, because I feel like South Carolina does have so much to offer. You just kind of have to reveal it to people, and so you do so much creatively, how would you define both your professional and personal successes in your creative endeavors? 

    04:36 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    So the interesting thing, I believe they’re one, right? They’re just woven together, because being a culture keeper or cultural worker and all of my artistry is tied to my culture and who I am in. It’s about South Carolina. It’s about. The culture. It’s about my African heritage, so it’s personal. Is professional? Yes, right? Because when I, when I walk in, I am whether it is a professional setting or personal setting. I walk in as an artist. Yes, I’m able to just, you know, share from that perspective. So they’re, they’re definitely woven together. 

    05:25 | Lexi 

    Yeah, that is very true. So what was your biggest fear when you decided to pursue your career professionally? 

    05:41 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    You know, I have been singing literally all my life, since elementary school, and I have always done it afraid, you know, like my friends would like, I’ll give you an example. So elementary school, I believe this was fourth or fifth grade, my teacher walks out of the class and they’re like, Okay, can you sing us a song? Can you sing this song? So I go up and I sit in my teacher’s desk, and I don’t know where we got these glasses from, but I had on I put on some glasses like Ray Charles or Stevie Wonder. So to block out everybody, because I’m I’m nervous, but I’m still excited to do it, yeah, and so I think, through, through high school, I was very afraid, but I always did it, even if I had to turn my back to the crowd. So there was the fear of, I think, just being in front of people, you know, and sharing something, but the love for it really just it outshine the fear. And I think I’ve just always been able to walk like that, and until I just got to a point where now I’m nervous, I’m not fearful, the nerves are always going to be there. But I get past the nerves usually in the first, you know, couple of lines of the song, and then, and then I’m in it.  

    07:09 | Lexi 

    Yeah, I feel like that’s amazing. There’s, I feel like there’s so much that people can take from that. I feel like that’s a really good piece of advice, just to get out there and just do it. So, right, yes, do it afraid. That’s that’s a really, really good piece of advice, because I feel like fear holds a lot of people back sometimes. So can you describe, for me, like a defining moment in your journey, like was your particular project that you did that made a significant impact on you, or something that you’ve done that you believe really like showcased your creativity and talent. 

    07:53 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    I think what sticks out the defining moment, really for me, embracing myself as an artist and really embracing myself right like and what I mean by that is being able to look in the mirror and love who I see was when I moved back to South Carolina, and this was also in 2010 and I’m from Summerton, South Carolina, which is about an hour and maybe 15 minutes away from Beaufort, South Carolina. And I never knew about the Gullah Geechee culture. Growing up like it was. It was not taught in school. But once I moved back here and I started to learn about the culture, and it was as if I gained a superpower, yeah, right. The more I learn about my heritage and my culture, the more I learn about myself, the more I learn about my parents, you know, my siblings, just my ancestry, yeah, the more powerful I am. But moving back home was the starting point for that, and it just, everything else just opened up. And it’s been, it’s been an amazing journey finding myself. 

    09:20 | Lexi 

    Yes, that is amazing. And I know, I know there have been so many movements, especially like along the coast, to bring awareness to the Gullah Geechee community. And I think that is like, I think that’s just wonderful. Like, it can bring, it brings so many people together. And I think that’s just just an amazing thing. So what was the best and worst advice you’ve ever received? 

    09:48 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    You know, that’s an interesting question, because I don’t hold, I don’t retain bad advice. Yeah, so I’m not really like i. Really have to think about that one. And you know what? I think something that I remember was trying to play small and having people tell you that you’re not good enough, or you’re that the person to be in the spotlight. And what I mean by that is, I’ve been in music groups where I because of the way that I look, because of my physical attributes, I will not the one they wanted to be, the lead vocalist, and so for somebody that might crush them, you know, and it might stop them on their journey from pursuing their dreams, specifically in music, right, and in the arts and in something in the public. But for me, I just decided that, okay, that means I need to be solo on this journey, and I’m going to have to be my own advocate, right? I’ve gotta be my cheerleader. And but that’s one thing that sticks out. They were trying to put me in the background, and I was like, nah, nah. That’s this is not going to work for me. 

    11:22 | Lexi 

    Yes, yeah.  I feel like that is just something that it’s an amazing piece of advice. You just gotta Well, not that specifically, but just learning that there’s always going to PP be people that are trying to hold you down, but you just gotta move past it. Can’t, can’t surround yourself with those people. 

    11:48 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    Yeah, so the other half of your question was some of the best in life. Yes. And I don’t remember who told me this, but I know I’ve heard it somewhere, and it was to when you get up in the morning and you the first thing you do is you go and you talk to yourself in the mirror, right? And you give yourself these affirmations. And it’s something that I have. I do throughout the day. I don’t write. I don’t just do it in the morning. Whenever I need to give myself a pep talk, I just go and I find a mirror and I talk to myself and because I am with me all day long, right, all the time, and So just always feeding yourself positive words. Positive affirmation is some of the best advice that I got, and I hate that. Can’t remember who told me, and I’ve heard it over and over again, and I see it often, so it’s just, it’s something that I would always tell people, yeah, just love yourself and talk to yourself nicely. 

    13:02 | Lexi 

    Yeah. That is, honestly, like, I do believe that’s one of the most important things you can do, because you are stuck with you for forever. You gotta love yourself. So can you, like, walk me through a typical workday, like, what does your process look like, and what’s what do you expect of yourself, just on a daily basis? 

    13:28 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    Right now, as an artist I am in a fellowship, and that’s also some some good advice that I would share with people, anytime you can find an opportunity to be in a cohort or fellowship or something that is really going to help you grow as a human being, as an artist, as a community leader, I would look for those opportunities because they have been very instrumental in my growth, just as a human and and as an artist and one so how my days look now. I am in a cohort, and we have meetings every month. We also have to work on a project, so and so that is also along with, if I’m having to rehearse for a show just got through writing and recording project for Zora Neale Hurston, so it’s not just one thing. I don’t have a nine to five, so my schedule is kind of different every day, yeah, and it’s but what I’ve learned is that time management is something I need to really, really work on. And as an when you are an entrepreneur or an artist and we’re. For yourself. That’s the that’s the thing that we have to work on the most, because we don’t have the the nine to five schedule where, you know, we we have to create some sort of schedule for ourselves. 

    15:13 | Lexi 

    Yes. So you said that you kind of find that you’re professional and, like personal times are, like, woven together. Like, your creativity, do you try to create a work life balance? Or are you able to maintain, like, keep those two life separate? Or do you like having them join together? 

    15:41 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    It’s all joined together because my husband is also my partner, my business, my partner in music, my partner, my my partner in life, and because we are both musicians and both creatives, it is. It’s an interesting thing balance, because there is no, you know, like I said, there’s another nine to five schedule. And my husband is a music producer and a sound engineer, so he could be working on a particular composition at 3am right? I’m sleeping. If I hear the music, I’m going to wake up. And this has happened, and lyrics have come to me immediately, right? So I get up, yes, I’ve either recorded them on my phone or I, you know, write the lyrics down. So it’s in the creative world, you have to get it when it comes. 

    16:50 | Lexi 

    Yes, right? So, yeah, go ahead. I’m sorry. No, you’re good. You can continue. 

    16:58 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    So the the, that’s why I say the balance is we make it work. Yes, the best answer I can give you is that it works for us because we make it work. And when, when the creative waves come, you have to answer to that call, and then, you know, life moves around that. 

    17:23 | Lexi 

    Yeah, so what are some habits that you have that you think would be beneficial for others, wanting to get into music, wanting to get into storytelling, just get into a creative field? 

    17:42 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    I would say, always capture the idea when it comes whether that is audio right, or whether that is writing it down. Make sure you are always in a learning mindset and just wanting to grow and always get better in your craft. And that’s why I recommended the cohorts and fellowships, any type of professional development that you can do that first helps you as a human being, and then second, it helps you to better yourself and your craft. Those are things that I, I think, have been the most important to me, especially in the growing phase, and just always be willing to learn and grow. 

    18:42 | Lexi 

    Yes, I think, I think those that’s an amazing mindset to begin like at all times in your life. So do you have any questions that you wish that we asked you? 

    18:57 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    Ah, I couldn’t think of any, that’s a really good question. And we didn’t even get through all the questions, right? I cannot think of any question that you shouldn’t have asked me, and I’m trying to think of something that I really want to leave with. People go ahead and ask me the last question, and I’ll marinate on that one for a minute. 

    Think of something that I wish I had thought of. Here’s, here’s one thing, not a question, but something that I will share. And because there’s so much noise on the internet, right, and a lot of times, people are emulating what they see, I would really tell people to dig deep and be your authentic self, because that is where the magic is, and that is what really will make you excel, because now you’re able to stand out when you dig Deep and you really find who you are and what you love, the passion and the purpose I feel will really elevate you in that authenticity, but just being yourself, and that may mean being by yourself for a little bit. You know, being away from people, being away from the noise, and not looking at anything online, because sometimes it’ll feed into your creativity. It’ll feed into who you are, and some, some self reflection time alone, just dig deep for who you are, and that’s where the light is, that’s, that’s where you’re going to shine. That is what I want to share with just everybody, just and it’s, it’s, it’s a simple phrase, be you, but it’s really a big phrase, be you. You know, yeah, that’s, that’s what I would leave people with. 

    22:45 | Lexi 

    That is, I think, really, really beautiful advice. I think that’s really amazing. So many people could learn from that. But thank you so much for your time. I’ve really enjoyed this interview. I think that you’re going to give so many people a lot to think about, a lot of good advice. And yeah. 

    23:15 | Mahoganee Amiger 

    Thank you, Lexi. Of course, I appreciate you taking the time to you know, to do this, and I love that you’re actually doing it, and you made me think of something else, because not just Gullah Geechee people, but really all people. Every every place has a dialect, right? Right. Every place has, you know, people speak differently. Words are said differently. Words mean different things in different cultures. And I want people to hold on to that, you know, because we try, not we, but the world will try to take you out of you.  

    You know the world wants you to sound a certain way. The world wants you to look a certain way. But it all really comes back to again, who you are, what you how you grew up. You know that playing might be in your voice. It may be Jamaican, right? It may be Patwa, it may be Southern, it may be whatever it is, but that’s the thing that makes you you. And I wish that someone had told me that instead of No, I need you to speak proper, you know, I need you to do this, and I need you to look this way. And all they were doing was stripping away, you know, pieces of me. And so when I got back home, I began to, you know, those scripts, I began to put them back on Me. You. And really just become myself and but when you when you said about, you know, learning people’s stories and sharing their voice, it’s like the voice can actually, actually be literal, right? And it can be your speaking tongue, and the world will try and strip that away from you. And I, and I wish that we can hold on to whatever our ancestors did, you know what, whatever our parents did, and allow that to always be a piece of you. Take the other stuff, but just keep, keep that for yourself, and it just adds to the magic. 

  • Mahoganee Amiger

    Mahoganee Amiger

    “Just love yourself and talk to yourself nicely.”

    Mahoganee Amiger works in Beaufort S.C., is an interdisplinary artist in the field of music and has been a songwriter for over 30 years. Mahoganee incorporates poetry and photography into her music to produce a form of visual art. 

  • Rae Weekes

    Rae Weekes

    “Pave your own path, make your own way, it can look anyway you want it to.” 

    Rae Weekes works with Hearts Inclusive Arts Community in North Charleston, South Carolina. 

  • Sisi Garland

    Sisi Garland

    “When you’re looking ahead into your future and you’re thinking you can do anything, keep that. You can do anything. You can always do anything, so go ahead and do it.” 

    Sisi Garland is the Executive Director of Heart Inclusive Arts Community, based in North Charleston.

  • Ronda Taylor

    Ronda Taylor

    “Take time to celebrate every achievement, because it’s huge. And your creativity is a gift. You’ve got to keep stewarding that gift.”

    Ronda Taylor is a poet, writer, storyteller, and program director of Youth Empowerment Services, a non-profit organization in Charleston. Taylor earned a B.A. in English with a minor in creative writing, as well as a Master of Arts in Writing, both from Coastal Carolina University. She published a children’s book titled Radiant Girl: Daughter of the King (2024), and her work appears in two poetry anthologies: This is the Honey (2023), edited by Kwame Alexander, and Ukweli: Searching for Healing Truth (2022) Taylor is the founder of Seen Heard Loved Publishing, LLC.

    Interview

    Transcript

    Ronda Taylor

    My name is Rhonda Taylor. I am a poet and author. I’m also a program director for a nonprofit organization called Youth Empowerment Services. So we were middle and high school girls, and I live in Charleston, South Carolina.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Perfect. And how long have you been working there?

    Ronda Taylor

    The nonprofit?

    Emma Plutnicki

    Yeah.

    Ronda Taylor

    The nonprofit, was technically at the beginning of last year, so January, but I have been working in my different capacities since 2020. I actually was introduced to them because of my poetry. I did a poetry event at their annual Dream Girls Conference that brings in about 1,200 to 1,500 girls from across South Carolina. And then I just started serving and volunteering, and then I ended up loving it so much, that I ended up becoming program director. So.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Amazing. So, would you say that that conference really helped spark your career? Without that conference, do you think you would have ended up where you are now?

    Ronda Taylor

    I think it was a big turning point. But, I think it was always there.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Like, yeah.

    Ronda Taylor

    happens for…creativity was always there. That’s what I went to school for. So, I was always pursuing that. And then that conference just kind of solidified, is what I would kind of say. It solidified what I already knew was kind of my passion, and then being able to work with young people. It just all aligned, with what I was looking for.

    Emma Plutnicki

    That’s Amazing. So, what background did you have that specifically helped you learn that role? I know you said that you’ve had some interest in creative fields before, but what specifically in that role within your background helped you land that?

    Ronda Taylor

    So, of course, I’m alumni from Coastal Carolina University. So, I’ve always wanted to write, I’ve always kind of been creative and artsy, so I knew if I went to school, it would be for writing. And so I went to Coastal. I got my bachelor’s in English with a minor in Creative Writing. And then, I went on to get my Master’s in writing. And so I think I got introduced to the Athenaeum Press in undergrad. And I loved it so much, I continued to stay with it even in my graduate program. And so all of those things were very helpful to like, set the foundation. And then, during my college career and being a part of things like the Athenaeum Press, it just helped me refine more and more what I enjoyed about writing and what I enjoyed about my creativity. So with the Athenaeum Press, cultural things that that the press highlights, different communities, that was always important, because it felt like it was creative storytelling with a purpose. And that’s what I love. Is creative storytelling with a purpose.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Yeah, amazing. So, can you please walk us through a typical workday? What your process looks like? what’s expected of you on a daily basis, is every day the same? Does it change?

    Ronda Taylor

    Every day is not the same, which is hard to… It’s so hard to answer. Because I don’t have like a specific structure, like I go into the office, I do what I need to do, and then I leave every day. So, like, vastly different. It just depends on what each project or thing requires. And I think the Athenaeum Press kind of set me up for that too, because you could be doing a bunch of research on a computer or in a library at a research center. Or you could be in the field, visiting St. Helena Island, talking to different people in the community, like, it just depends on on what’s needed at that time. And so, like I said, I work with a nonprofit. And so we do a lot of mentoring. And so, it could look like going into schools and group homes and talking to students. We have different Summer programs and Fall programs. Sometimes, we take the kids on cultural events. The students on cultural events. And so, yes, not just one thing, it looks very different.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Yeah.

    Ronda Taylor

    Each time, depending on where my creative will is, I’ll make space to write. I’m also working on a book right now. I’m coming out with a children’s book called Radiant Girl, Daughter of the King. And so, there’s also the business entrepreneurship side of creativity. Of just figuring out, okay, how do I get this book out there? How do I market it? How do I, how do I fund this? Invest in this? Invest in my creativity. And so, when I graduated from school, one of the biggest things that I did was, I was like, I really want to pursue writing children’s books. I really want to pursue poetry. And so what I did was, I would go to different writing and author events to connect with people. And that was the big thing, is for me to network. I would go to conferences and retreats, and I created, like, some of the best networking experiences I have, like, I’m on personal levels with, with authors and illustrators that I was inspired by and I look up to. And so, that was a lot, but, I’m saying that because not every day is the same, but it’s also very exciting because you never know what the day will bring.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Yeah, and no, I love that. And so, you mentioned some projects. So, how many projects at a time do you typically work on? Are there set projects? Or is it more just whatever pops up? Or are you working on long-term projects? Short-term projects? All at the same time? And how do you juggle those?

    Ronda Taylor

    Yeah, great question. I would say, naturally, I would prefer to work on one thing at a time. But as I stepped more into this world, it’s kind of multiple things at once. So, like I said, I’m coming out with this book project. And I have to learn a lot about watching the book and getting it into libraries and getting it into stores and making sure that it’s online. And all of those parts are a lot of things that lead to kind of one. But also, within that I have a publishing company that I published through. And, the goal for that is not just to publish myself but eventually to publish future authors, to partner with illustrators, and just different people in the publishing world. And so, I have a long-term goal, which is, I really want to have a solid and successful publishing company that, you know, produces diverse. Which is really important. Diverse work, for children and for future generations. And so, I would say multiple projects, even though that’s not how I’m naturally built, it’s, it’s just a learning curve for me, and it stretches my capacity or stretches me outside of my comfort zone, but that’s, that’s also how you learn.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Yeah, I love that. And can you describe a defining moment in your creative journey? You were just talking about the book, that might be it, but, maybe a particular project that has made a significant impact on you, or something that you produced that really just was the pinnacle of your creativity.

    Ronda Taylor

    Oh, I think it’s a lot of little things, honestly, that makes it kind of grand. Because when I really look and reflect, I’ve been able to accomplish some really great things in a short amount of time. And if I don’t take the time to reflect on those little things, I’ll just be so focused on going forward that I won’t even realize my successful moment. So there’s a few I think, honestly being published, this is a big deal. I’m publishing two Anthologies, as a contributing poet. So, one of them is Ukweil: Searching For Healing Truth. And then the other one is a big one, which is. This is the Honey, edited by Kwame Alexander. Those are really two beautiful moments, especially with This is the Honey, because I’m in a work of art with, literally, poets, black poets that I grew up on and who I’m inspired by. Some who are personal friends, and also people that I’m learning about, I’m within that, that community. And that’s really awesome. And then on top of that, I’m releasing my first personal project, which is a really huge step. It’s something like if you’re a kid, and like the goal, and your dream was always to be published and have your own book, like, this is the moment where I can say, I’m going to be able to hold my own book in my hand, and other people will be able to read it, I’ll be able to share it with young girls, I’ll be able to share with children and their families, and they get to take that book home and read it and enjoy it. That’s very exciting.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Yeah, that’s amazing. That’s gonna be great. Do you think it was, has been challenging in this field? This is a very difficult field, for sure. But how have you been able to kind of face the challenges that you’ve found along the way? And conquer them?

    Ronda Taylor

    For sure. Specifically, with the writing. When I came home, I took a really big step to pursue this. And so, you never know what that road looks like, and how much it takes to get through that. And so, you do have disappointing moments where things didn’t work out exactly how you saw it in your head, but you have to take those disappointments and the rejection and just redirect.

    Ronda Taylor

    And so, that’s what I had to learn in this process is just, you had this destination, and you weren’t able to go this route, but you’re able to redirect, and you’re still getting there. And so, still, persevere, still endure. Try a different way, and know that it’s okay, and what’s for you is for you. And so that’s what I had to learn, is, I had to shift and make that change. And so, I’m still in a beautiful place, even though it took me a different route to get here.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Perfect. I love that. And can you recommend any specific skills that someone should have to increase their chances of you know, making it in this field? Are there any specific skills that you use on a daily basis that you find are particularly important in your work?

    Ronda Taylor

    I would say networking has been really important. Finding those spaces where there’s just opportunity for community has been important. So, that’s looked different in different ways. Sometimes, that looks like specific memberships, being a part of a children’s membership. Being a part of even social media, Facebook groups. You can find really great communities and opportunities for networking and mentorship. When I don’t have the answers. I ask questions. I find someone who I admire, and I see what they’re doing, and I want to do something similar, and I just shoot them an email or shoot them a message, and I don’t get a response from everybody, but when I do get a response, people take the time to pour into me, share with me their insight, and those things have been really huge. I’ve also made time just to invest in myself. That might look like a workshop or a class just learning more about whatever field I’m interested in and passionate about. And so, that’s how I pursued that. And a really helpful thing for me, because you mentioned the South Carolina Arts Commission. I received a grant from the South Carolina Arts Commission, the Artists Business Initiative Grant, and that was really huge to help me launch a publishing company. And to invest in an illustrator, invest in a website, and be able to make that dream of publishing a children’s book come true. So, that was a very helpful thing as well.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Yeah, amazing. So, for networking that you mentioned, are there any specific programs or organizations or events within South Carolina that you find particularly important for networking, or things that you’ve gone to?

    Ronda Taylor

    Yes, for me with writing, I think about independent bookstores that we have. Which are really important. So Best in Books has been a great community partnership. That’s where we did a poetry reading with This is the Honey, and that’s a great community partnership. There’s Turning Page Bookshop, which is an independent Black-Owned, Black Woman-owned bookstore in South Carolina, which is very rare. So, those independent bookstores are great communities; the Charleston Libraries, of course, are just great for me. And then different people like our Charleston poet Laureate. Formerly, was Marcus Am . He’s doing great things in the community. And now in Asia, Asian man, she’s really great as well. And so I just tried to find specific events and conferences, and people to connect to.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Yeah, perfect. So, as we’re wrapping this up. Do you have any advice for current college students or young adults who are about to enter the workforce and looking to make a start in a creative field of work?

    Ronda Taylor

    Don’t get discouraged. Definitely keep going. Definitely surround yourself with a community that will support you and encourage you. And yeah, just just keep, keep going, keep moving forward, because it will happen even if it doesn’t happen in a certain way. And take, take the time to celebrate every achievement because it’s really huge. And your creativity is important, and it’s a gift. So you just got to keep stewarding that gift.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Yeah, that’s great. Well, thank you so much.

    Emma Plutnicki

    I’ll be reaching out to you for a few more things. Thank you for sending over the headshot. That’s great. And would you be open to speaking to our team again, if anything comes up?

    Ronda Taylor

    Yes, of course.

    Emma Plutnicki

    Perfect.

  • Marius Valdes

    Marius Valdes

    “Everyone’s got their own journey, and you have to find your way. I would never discourage anyone from a journey in the applied arts or the creative arts if they have the drive and the will to do it. Because that’s the biggest part of it: just being disciplined.”

    Marius Valdes is an artist, illustrator, and professor of Studio Art teaching graphic design and illustration at the University of South Carolina. Valdes received his BFA in graphic design from the University of Georgia (UGA) and his MFA in visual communication from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Valdes is originally from Charleston and lives in Columbia.

    About

    “Being a professional creative is not for the weak of heart,” said Valdes. “You need to be patient and persistent.” He recalled the first time, as a college student, that he told his father he wanted to major in art. “I remember driving with my dad and telling him, ‘I think I’m going to be an art major.’ I was waiting for him to say, ‘What are you thinking?!’ but he just said to me, ‘Well, if you do something that you love, you’ll never really work.’ And I feel like that. I do work, but I work on things I care about. And that, to me, is one of the most important things.”  

    Valdes didn’t set out to be a university professor. After graduating from the University of Georgia (UGA), he worked as a graphic designer for several years and allowed his creativity to determine his next step. 

    “I was exploring illustration and enjoying it more than graphic design. I wasn’t very good about talking about my work, and I thought grad school would help with that, as well as allowing me to refocus my work and make myself more marketable,” said Valdes. Valdes earned a scholarship for his MFA at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), and part of that scholarship included teaching a class.  

    “I just loved it,” said Valdes. “I found that even though some of the students were in some ways more talented than I was, I knew more than them because I’d been doing it as a professional, and I really enjoyed it.”  

    In addition to teaching, Valdes works as an artist creating work for area organizations. “The past couple years I’ve been working with the Medical University of South Carolina children’s hospitals,” said Valdes. “I created some murals for them, created some kids’ activities books for therapists to use, and that’s been the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. One day, a man I work with came up and said, ‘My kid is obsessed with your frog mural. It’s made a real difference.’ So it’s sad because seeing that mural means you have a sick kid, but it’s also rewarding to know it had an impact.”  

    Media

    Marius Valdes Interview

  • Thurayya UmBayemake

    Thurayya UmBayemake

    “Your path in life won’t look like anyone else’s.” 

    Thurayya UmBayemake is the Spark Lead Actor-Teacher in support of the Arts Grow SC program at SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. She delivers literacy-based drama programming to public schools to encourage “creative thinking, divergent thinking, and overall motivation to read.” UmBayemake earned a degree in drama studies at South Carolina State University (SC State). 

    About

    Thurayya UmBayemake was an athlete in high school, doing cross country and track and field, until she hurt her back her junior year. Still injured her senior year, she decided to get involved with a newly opened African community theater in town. “I was involved in a theater that embraced me for who I was and told stories that I could truly relate to,” UmBayemake said. While she couldn’t relate to every single story, she always felt culturally connected to the theater. She became an assistant director, stage manager, and eventually, an actress. UmBayemake moved to South Carolina to study drama education at South Carolina State University, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude.  

    After graduating, she traveled the country and opened her own theater with friends: the Ma’Sue Theater in Akron, Ohio, which focused on African American stories and social justice. UmBayemake then moved to New York City, where she took a break from theater work, saying, “You have to experience life to tell stories. That’s what I was doing in New York.” 

    UmBayemake is the Curriculum Coordinator Actor-Teacher Coach for a program called Spark, which is a literacy-based drama program based in the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. “We go into elementary schools…we show students how to take stories from picture books and add drama and acting in there to show characters, to show settings, to show plot, to reinforce the literacy-based learning, but also creative thinking, divergent thinking, and just overall motivation to read,” she says. UmBayemake also works to show teachers how to take the same artistic approach to teaching, even without an artistic background.   

    UmBayemake credits her current position to her storytelling abilities and her wide variety of previous experiences. “I know some people feel once they get out of college, they should only work in their field,” she says. “But you’re missing out!” She advises those seeking a job in the arts to be patient with the process and not get discouraged if it takes time to land a dream job. She also emphasizes the importance of building a strong community. “Make friends with any and everybody, just to learn about their life experiences and what they went through. It will help you learn that your path won’t look like anyone else’s.” 

    Media

    Thurayya UmBayemake Interview

  • Ronda Taylor

    Ronda Taylor

    “Take time to celebrate every achievement, because it’s huge. And your creativity is a gift. You’ve got to keep stewarding that gift.” 

    Ronda Taylor is a poet, writer, storyteller, and program director of Youth Empowerment Services, a non-profit organization in Charleston. Taylor earned a B.A. in English with a minor in creative writing, as well as a Master of Arts in Writing, both from Coastal Carolina University. She published a children’s book titled Radiant Girl: Daughter of the King (2024), and her work appears in two poetry anthologies: This is the Honey (2023), edited by Kwame Alexander, and Ukweli: Searching for Healing Truth (2022) Taylor is the founder of Seen Heard Loved Publishing, LLC. 

    About

    Ronda Taylor said she’d always wanted to write, and her education at Coastal Carolina University was the foundation for her career. Her work at The Athenaeum Press, the student-driven publishing lab at the university, was an important ingredient of that experience, as it allowed her refine her interests, “to become involved in the area, getting immersed in its community and its culture, as we pursued creative storytelling with a purpose.” 

    Networking has been essential to Taylor’s career. She performed spoken poetry at the Dream Girls Conference in Charleston, S.C., which drew more than 1,200 girls from around the state. “That was a big turning point,” said Taylor. “The creativity I’d been looking for was there, the energy was there. That conference solidified my passion. It all aligned with what I was looking for.”  

    As a creative, Taylor said she faces challenges regularly in her career. “You never know what the road is going to bring,” Taylor said. “You have to take disappointments and rejection and just redirect. That is what I had to learn: to persevere, endure, try a different way if the first path doesn’t work out. I’m still in a beautiful place even though it took me a different route to get here.” 

    Taylor encourages students interested in a creative career to attend events, meet people, and make connections. “Networking has been really important, finding those spaces where there’s opportunity for community,” said Taylor.  “Sometimes it looks like membership, and sometimes it’s social media groups; there are many places you can find opportunities for community and mentorship.” Taylor mentioned the South Carolina Arts Commission, from which she was awarded an artist business initiative grant, which allowed her to launch her publishing company. She also noted that local bookstores and libraries can be important places to connect with people. 

    “Don’t get discouraged,” Taylor advises students. “Keep going. Surround yourself with a community that will support you. Keep moving forward, because it will happen even if it doesn’t happen in a certain way.”