Asking me, why I do art?, is like asking me, why do I breathe? It’s like asking me, why does the sun rise, every day, consistently? It’s like asking me, why does blood run through my veins?

I create art because art is who I be. I create art because just like the endless sea, art flows within me. I create art as a spiritual experience. I create art as the language of my ancestors. I create art to be authentically seen in a world that often speaks a language that says, I’m invisible. You see, in truth, I do not create art, art creates me.

There are times when I wake up in this space called “the world” and I find that I have forgotten who I am. I ask myself questions using art to remember the truth of me and release the illusive despair that is being spoon fed to me. I believe that my Creator lives inside of me, and if I slow down, open up and believe, then I can remember everything. This remembrance is love. This remembrance is art flowing free.

When I am in a space where I am living in fear of allowing art to flow truthfully out of me, then I feel stuck mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. When I forget that I am art, I become listless, lethargic even. There’s an hopelessness present when I forget that my Creator, divinely created me to be the art, to feel the art, to see the art, to hear the art, to taste the art, to smell the art, swirling within me and around me.

This art looks like a shy smile, feels like a comforting hug, sounds like a drum beat, tastes like my grandma’s apple pie, smells like rain. And the unstoppable pulse of art says that it can be anything, to anyone, at anytime, anywhere, and that it’s constantly changing yet remains the same. You see, art is timeless and limitless life force energy.

Art is love. Love is the truth. Therefore, each time that I create art, I speak truth to power. I speak the stories that have been written on the lining of my being. These stories have voices. These stories have faces. These stories are meant to powerfully shift time and space. Yes, the love of art, which is the love of my Creator inside of me, creates all of this infinitely.

My art is spoken word. Word is the beginning. When the word is spoken it inspires movement. Therefore, spoken word is the beginning of movement. Movement of self. Movement of feelings. Movement of purpose. Movement of passion. Movement of dreams. I was created to open spaces and use words to transform energy.

There’s a purity of the story that each Spirit carries within them. I believe in the Spirit of everything. I believe that the Spirit of a story is important. I believe that allowing the Spirit to speak freely is the blessing. It’s a birthing process. A space of renewal. Art creates an opening, a healing. Art is food.

Art is the belief in using everything for Divine liberation. Art whispers gently, as the voice of my Creator, that I am always free, no matter what I see. Art stirs, you, me, we.

Art says that we are all connected by the truth of the word. So allow the story, written below, to provide a short sample of the power of sharing art as my mirror which says, I see me within you, and I choose to share my art (me) with you, to allow the opportunity for you to see me too, and possibly see that there are pieces of me within you.

This story is called: Mirrors, By: Ahmane’ Glover

There once was this woman who was asked to take a journey.
She knew not of where she was going.
She put her mask on tightly and started out real proud.
She ran into a mirror.
And tried to break it, to get through to the other side.
She was determined.
But the mirror would not budge or break.
She sat down, turned her back to the mirror, and said proudly, “I’ll wait!”

There once was this woman who was asked to take a journey.
She knew not of where she was going.
She put her mask on tightly and started out slightly less proud.
She ran into a mirror.
Tried to laugh at it, mock it and use intimidation hoping to make the mirror shift.
She noticed a glare this time,
but she didn’t recognize the face shining back at her urging her to take a hint.
She turned her back to the mirror and said angrily,
“I’ll beat you soon, just you wait!
I know I have what it takes!”

There once was this woman who was asked to take a journey.
She knew not of where she was going.
She put her mask on tightly and started out with a humble heart
shielded by broken pieces of pride.
She ran into a mirror. And this time the mirror spoke and said,
“You’re standing in truth my child!”
She noticed herself fully for the first time.
So the mirror morphed into a gateway
and as she stepped through the mask on her face melted away,
And the broken pieces of pride transformed into a stairway for her to walk upon.
As she climbed to yet another journey unknown,
A gentle whisper said “just be still and know. All is well. Just. Hold. On.”

Come share space and time with Ahmane’ at her “Rise, Phoenix, Rise!” Poetic Prayer Showcase, Thurs. May 7, 2015 ,7-9pm at LFAC. This is just what you need to get you feeling just right!

Ahmane’ Glover is a joy seeker with a freedom fighter consciousness, mixed with a warrior spirit infused with a deep ancestral memory, living on the edge of intense creative energy. She was born in Louisiana, raised in Georgia, and is currently living and working in Chicago. She has been a spoken word artist since birth and is passionately using her life force energy to create change as a community organizer. Her recent healing arts work includes: the Peace by Piece Nonviolence Youth Group, an annual Peace is Power Giant Puppet Parade in New Orleans, and a Peace Recycled Art Curriculum for youth (among other things). She is currently a student at Inner Visions Institute for Spiritual Development and is working as a facilitator of healing arts in her own healing arts practice, Transcended Healing.