Thirty years of Art Spark Texas. Wow, time really does fly.

I’ve been trying to think of a word that would describe how I feel about Art Spark, and the only word I can think of is hallelujah. Now, that’s not because I’m a religious person. It’s because it’s the only word I can think of that can hold 14 years of experiences.

I’ve been thinking about, you know, is there one moment, one event at Art Spark that I participated in that means more than the others? And I gotta say, I can’t think of just one, because they were all really important.

Because I chased Celia Hughes down at an advocacy conference and begged her to publish my book of poetry, I was able to get involved with Actual Lives. And because I was able to read my poetry during my very first performance with my back to the audience, I was able to really become a better writer and a better performer, of course. I promise you, I did eventually turn around and really enjoy being on the stage.

But, I mean, that first book of poetry after Actual Lives, I mean, paled in comparison to some of the other things I wrote. One of the greatest pieces I think I’ve ever wrote was called “Dancing Queen.” And in “Dancing Queen,” I told everybody about my dream of becoming a dancer. And little did I know that that would actually come true thanks to Art Spark.

Because through Art Spark, I then got to meet Allison Orr of Forklift Danceworks. AndI started dancing with her and loved it so much and realized that I could be a dancer, I then started taking classes at Austin Community College and really loved that so much that that led to actually traveling to Florianópolis, Brazil, where I was able to study with Alito Alessi, who created DanceAbility. And I learned even more about dance and enjoyed it even more. I mean, I can’t tell you what dance means to me. And it was just really awesome to be able to have these experiences and to live this dream.

Art Spark has helped me meet some of the greatest artists. I’ve gotten to work with some of the greatest teachers. I feel so well rounded as an artist. Basically everything that I’ve wanted to express as an artist, I’ve been able to do thanks to Art Spark.

Let’s see, I’ve also been able—I’ve met some of my best friends thanks to Art Spark. I mean, friends that I can really say are more like my family. You know, two that come to mind that are still very important to me are Susie Angel and Juan Muñoz. I’ve had friends with disabilities before, but my friendship with these two, I mean, there are no words. I’m speechless when I think about Susie Angel because I love her so much, and being friends with Susie and Juan really enriches my life. I mean, I can’t tell you what they mean to me.

I can say, thanks to Art Spark, I mean, I guess you could call me a model. I don’t really like to think of myself that way, but I’ve gotten to work with the best photographers, travel to some of the best places. I mean, Albuquerque, New Mexico, working on Together and Apart was really, really an important experience for me. But, I mean, some of the pictures from that performance are just so beautiful, and it’s really because of the photographers that took them.

Because of Art Spark, I really feel like an advocate. It really deepened my understanding of advocacy. It helped me speak up for myself more because I had a place to do that and to feel safe.

Because of Art Spark, I’ve become a better public speaker—a speaker in general, hell, a trainer. I mean, I’ve got to tell you that my experiences with Actual Lives really helped me in a job that I have with Texas Advocates. In this job, I was training people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Because of my experiences with Actual Lives, I was able to actually come up with a training toolkit called Get the Power, and it was all role-playing based. So you didn’t have to read a book or do any kind of PowerPoint presentations. It was all based on role-playing.

For example, when we were talking about our dreams and speaking up for ourselves, I would put everybody in a circle and we made our own dreamcatcher. I had several exercises like this, but it’s important because other—like I said, other people with intellectual and developmental disabilities could actually do this training, all because you really didn’t have to read. And I couldn’t have done that without Art Spark.

So I think of all the things that I am, that I can say I am. You know, I’m a dancer. I’m a writer. I’m an advocate. I’m an awesome public speaker. I’m a model.

You know, I’ve been putting this recording off because I’ve just been trying to think of every way that Art Spark has really helped and supported me. And I think ultimately what they helped me do was they gave me permission to take risks and space to express myself. Those are the two things that I would say ultimately Art Spark helped me do.

So when I think about, you know, is there any advice or anything I would tell somebody getting involved with Art Spark the first time? And I would have to say, you know, I would say get ready. You know, get ready. Hold on, you know, because it’s going to be a ride. Your life is going to change. You’re going to laugh a lot. You’re going to have a lot of emotions. You’re going to meet a lot of friends. You’re going to do a lot of things you never thought you could do. You know, so just get ready.

Well, Art Spark, you know, thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you to all those people that I’ve worked with that have helped me throughout the years and supported me throughout the years. And I look forward to another 30 years.

So happy birthday, Art Spark. I’m ready for another 30. Let’s go.