"A musician must make music, the artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be."--Abraham Maslow
I trust that you all had a blessed holiday season! I know I did. Between spending time with loved ones and being able to behold the extraordinary choreography of the Alvin Ailey Dance Ensemble (a dream come true in itself), I had the best Christmas of my life! I do believe it was a fitting way to end a year filled with new beginnings and substantial progress in my educational, professional, spiritual, and emotional life.
In the year 2006, I was able to graduate on time with my B.A. in Communication Arts from Utica College, even with a stressing minor in Business Management (I don’t want to see an Accounting Excel spreadsheet EVER AGAIN!) Upon graduation, I was able to venture out of New York for the first time to perform. I made it on to the Nuyorican Poets’ Café Slam team, the first goal I ever set for myself as a poet. I got a great, capital-producing, part-time job. From taping for HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, finding an EXCELLENT producer for my first CD project (Rock from Jah’Rockin Productions), and launching my new website, www.shanellegabriel.com, I’ve accomplished a lot in an extremely short period of time.
But the greatest growth I’ve seen in my life is the elevation of my mind over the last year. It took a lot for me to realize that my art is where my heart’s always been. It is funny that the person that can most hinder your progress is the person you see in the mirror, and once you let God lead your life and push all doubt out of your vicinity, the great heights you can reach! I had so many doubts even up until a few months ago, but each of us has a path to take and I believe I’ve found mine. I also learned the power of positive thinking. I learned that there is no such thing as impossible.
I recall trying to name my first chapbook. While I chose to use the first poem I ever wrote for the purpose of sharing, I also decided upon Possibilities because this book signaled the many new avenues my life can and would take. I did not know a year ago that I would be at the point I am now. I just had a notebook and a lot of cool ideas.
