I was born June 3, 1975. I was raised in Cleveland, Ohio. Art has always been a major part of my life. I fell in love with music from the first note I heard. I loved to sing all the old songs my parents used to play on their record player. When I started school, my favorite classes were art and choir. My art teacher said I was quite the abstract artist, because I didn’t quite believe in coloring inside the lines. There was just so much open space to color outside the lines. I would also sing my heart out in the school choir and earned myself a few solos. Then one day I picked up some of my parents magazines, Ebony and Jet and I was in awe. I spent hours looking at the beautiful and glamorous women. Always thinking that this is what I want be like when I grow up.
I started my modeling career by attending Barbizon Modeling School in downtown Cleveland. By the time I was a teenager, modeling had become my focus. I lived, breathed and dreamed about being the next Jane Kennedy. Then my dad surprised me and arranged for us to meet and I got her autograph. I started getting a few local jobs and building a portfolio. I took the runway at a few Barbizon fashion shows and appeared on The Big Chuck and Little John show. I loved being on the runway with the bright lights and the flicker of camera flashes. I was having the time of my life and it felt like a dream come true. But being young and naive, I allowed others and life to detour me from my dream. And I felt lost.
I joined the Navy right after High School and had the opportunity to see the world. I took thousands of photos while sailing around the world. I had an abundance of great experiences while serving in the military. What stands out the most is how much I loved capturing those special moments in photographs. I have forever preserved memories that I might have forgotten. I also started writing while in the military. Poetry, short stories, songs and just my thoughts. I found that I could still express myself creatively. In 1996, I received an honorable discharge. I put my plans to return to modeling on hold to have my first daughter Chanell. I worked a full time job, went to Cuyahoga Community College and raised my daughter. I transferred to Cleveland State University where I got a B.S. in Accounting/ Business Management.
Life was good but I felt something was missing. So, I moved to Las Vegas in 2000. I was drawn to the bright lights and opportunity. I ventured out and tried cocktailing and bartending, but always found myself back in accounting. I have worked various accounting jobs over the last 15 years, but no matter what I accomplished I still felt a void. It took some time for me to realize that accounting is what I do, not what I love. And at that moment I realized what had been missing. I had put my love for art and my creativity away like a bad memory. I decided it was time to explore being an artist and expressing my creative spirit. So I started creating new memories. Life without doing what I love is just existing. I have an all around love for anything that allows for creative expression. And its only when I allow myself to explore that creativity that I truly LIVE. Writing and performing Spoken Word was the initial vessel for my creative reemergence. And now photography and modeling are not only my passion, but my profession as well.
My life experiences have prepared me for the life I live today. I have achieved much success along the way. I am blessed to be a mother, a wife and a business owner. I am also grateful to understand that I will forever be a work in progress; always improving.