When I was a little kid, every time we interacted with non-family members, I would get yelled at for not saying everything perfectly as an adult would have said it.  I developed such an anxiety over speaking to people that a lot of times when I spoke, no one would hear me - even the people standing right next to me…it was such a horrible feeling to speak and not be acknowledged - as if I didn't even exist.  After awhile I gave up and assumed no one would hear me or care about what I had to say.

Four years ago I was diagnosed with a speech disorder – it turns out that my voice never developed the way it was supposed to and that's why my regular voice has a very “breathy” quality to it and people have a hard time hearing me.

I've spent most of my life being afraid of speaking up…That’s one of the reasons I like art so much – I don't need to be loud and I don't need to convince anyone of anything with words… I can't always assert myself in real life, but with my art I'm doing what I want and making my own decisions.  For the first time in my life I’m admitting that I have something to say.