I started thoroughly enjoying music around the age of four, listening to Fantasia Barrino and Lee Williams. After listening to these artists for a while, I began mimicking the words and sounds in their songs. Four years later, I grew a strong interest in singing. So much so that I joined both my school and church choir. One afternoon, my school’s choir director heard my voice and encouraged me to perform a solo at the next school event. I did and I have been singing every day since then. Now, I occasionally perform at different venues. Audience members often say that I have a beautiful or soulful voice. That alone is all the motivation I need to keep going. Then, I was introduced to the band in the sixth grade. After taking the certification tests, I chose to study the saxophone. In the sixth grade, I could barely play the B-flat scale. By my middle school years, I had grown so much that I could play clarinet parts. Once I reached high school, I had become so well that my band director considered naming me the drum-major. Overall, music has been not only been influential, but an experience of growth.
Dance has been more of an outlet for me. It all began with my cousins and I dancing in my living room, which lead to me joining the praise and mime ministry at church. Because of the rush I got from it, I explored different styles of dance and stumbled upon interpretive dance, hip-hop, and drill. From that point on, I spent day in and day out watching and attempting to execute the moves of those styles of dance. Now, I use those movements as an outlet for my emotions to flow through my body. For example, when I am under a lot of pressure, I use a more aggressive style of dance to release some steam. If I’m feeling down, I’ll use interpretive dance to release the energy. At school, people will stop in front of the gym and watch. Then, they will come in and say, “I just love how you dance.” Although it is a therapeutic mechanism, I am glad other people can enjoy it as much as I do.
My writing, however, comes naturally. Because I am a firm believer in “no one can tell your story better than you can”, I write from personal experience. There are times when I can pull out a sheet of paper, start writing, and not know one word that I am writing. But by the time I put my pen or pencil down, there is an entire story on the page. I cherish every syllable, word, paragraph, poem, essay, story, and play. My discipline teacher has even stated, “I enjoy that you have taken the initiative to start stepping out of your usual writing style. It is working for you. Keep it up.” So, this must have been one of the best decisions I could have made as a writer because I am growing every day. I aspire to one day write an autobiography about my journey and upbringing. I cherish my beloved pieces of work, for it is my passion.
Author: Michael Coleman
Multi-Talented: Singer, Writer, Dancer, and Fashion King
They say if you love something, you've got to let it go.
And if it comes back, then it means so much more.
If it never does, at least you will know that....
it was something you had to go through to grow.
View all posts by Michael Coleman
