Personal. Development.

As long as I can remember, I have always marched to the beat of my own drum. I was different right from the start and I always knew that. I was adopted from Texas and grew up in New York with two white Jewish parents, my real biological brother and I were one of maybe four Black kids in my town. From a very early age I have expressed myself through art, music, and observational studies. Together, I always found these interests to be a helpful collective in being an objective observer of society while still maintaining a complete understanding of myself. I can recognize and appreciate what other people enjoy while still appreciating my own uniqueness. And when I mean unique—I mean unique.

Right before Middle School, I started to explore my inner desire to be different and independent by trying to break away from the social constraints of suburban living. I’ve worn bright silver pants David Bowie would have been jealous of and t-shirts with strange, ironic phrases (before that trend even existed) and I listened to music that complimented my alternative yet thoughtful lifestyle. From Sneakerpimps to Sublime, or Bob Dylan to the Deftones, I’ve listened to everything and always enjoyed finding new musical and artistic influences.


Teaching myself writing and drawing from an early age, I invited artistic creativeness from all areas. Salvador Dali and the abstract movement cultivated my desire to think outside of the box, while literary icons such as Kurt Vonnegut and Chuck Palahniuk heavily influenced my writing style—making it a much more personal undertaking. Often times I would get lost inside my own head and the consequences were pages dipped in madness, sorrow and hilarity.


Still enjoying my creative pastimes today, I find that I have evolved in such a way that I have become more open and aware of the world around me, both culturally and socially. I'm pretty sure this was a response to being an uncomfortable, restless youth and trying to find my place in the world. For example my fashion sense these days no longer ascribes to just one style and nor should it. Instead, it is an eclectic combination of fashion and functionality that borrows bits and pieces from various aspects of life. As for the musical side of my mind, it does not discriminate against but instead invites genres from around the world—rock, reggae, rap, punk, pop, electronic, trip-hop, trance, folk, funk and everything in-between. I like to think that I am an individual who has forged my lifestyle from the fusion of many ideas. Most recently I have been exploring my creative side even more. In high school and college I participated in bands, fashion design, literary groups and psychological research that has only added to my understanding of the world and the appreciation I have for it.