SPEAKER_00 0:00

What's going on y'all? Cope's Christian original back at it again. Today we're at Lucy's Cafe. Appreciate you for letting us have this podcast. We're here joining with Shay. Say hi Shay.

SPEAKER_03 0:07

Hello.

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Alright, Shay as an artist. This is her piece right here if you can see it. Let's she's pretty awesome. It's mixed media. We'll see if we can get a picture after and show it on there. But thanks a lot to you guys. So what's going on, Shay? How you doing?

SPEAKER_06 0:19

I'm pretty good. Yeah, just going through the craziness of life.

SPEAKER_00 0:22

You support everybody.

SPEAKER_06 0:24

I'm glad that's what you noticed. Yeah. That's kind of what I spend most of my time doing, honestly.

SPEAKER_00 0:28

Yeah, how come? I mean, are you is that how you grew up or no?

SPEAKER_06 0:31

I just do it because it feels good, it feels right. Because so being a stay-at-home mom, um I'm stuck to my phone a lot and um and I don't like it. I don't like having to be on it. So if I'm gonna be on social media, I'm gonna be productive with it and share love and show people what they want. And if I have an opportunity in my idea for that will help somebody, I've gotten over the hump of being embarrassed. Like, are they gonna think I'm weird for trying to help them with something? And then I still show them. And usually nine times out of ten, they're like, Oh, thank you for thanking to me. So it just feels good to do the right thing.

SPEAKER_00 1:03

That's pretty cool. So it's so you can consider a right thing to do, like help, like I guess supporting local and stuff like that. Yes. And obviously, you got your art going, man. Thanks a lot for this piece right here. This is amazing. This is a suncatcher. Yes, so if you shun shines on it and it just shows everywhere, like this. Oh, that's dope. That's so cool. She put the logo on there, you guys. This is awesome. So, uh, yeah, I I wanted to invite you on because I see you support me a lot, and then you support everybody else a lot, and it's just amazing to understand that there's people like you out there, you know what I mean? And I just wanted to put you in the light a little bit because you put everybody else at the end. Thank you.

SPEAKER_06 1:40

So that's really nice.

SPEAKER_00 1:41

Yes, for sure, for sure. Um, so we're I'm glad you're here. Um, is there anything you would like to talk about straight off, straight off at the go, or you want to read these questions from your friends here?

SPEAKER_06 1:50

Oh my gosh, we can do anything. I'm a blabbermouth, so if you give me a subject, I can go.

SPEAKER_00 1:55

So you mentioned you were a theater a theater kid, we'll say that.

SPEAKER_06 1:58

Um that's kind of where it started in middle school at Cullen. I was a theater kid. Um, and I loved it. Pretty much, I am the kind of person where if it's creative, I want to do it. There's no like, you know, like I like to do visual art, I like to do poetry, I like to sing, anything you can think of. The world is so big, there's so many colors, I just yeah, I don't understand why putting limits on stuff. And I'm big on making sure other people feel that they are comfortable in themselves to try new things too. Like if you're so worried about looking dumb, yeah, then you're gonna miss out on good things.

SPEAKER_00 2:27

Yeah, dude, for sure. A lot of us don't want to try stuff because of that. We're afraid whether people that people are gonna say or think and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_03 2:34

Absolutely. Yeah, that's poppycock.

SPEAKER_00 2:38

Cool, I'm learning new words here too. That's pretty cool. Uh, yeah. So, I mean, I do music, do you try? I mean, I know you support a lot of musicians, rappers, and stuff on in town. That's cool too.

SPEAKER_05 2:50

Yeah, anybody.

SPEAKER_00 2:51

Yeah, that's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_05 2:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:53

So how I mean, how much of an effect do you think like music or creativity has on our in our culture and our society?

SPEAKER_06 3:01

That would have tiers of answers. Like, there's the response that's humanity entirely, there's a response that's like family, the heart of family, small communities in our city itself. I think I have a really, really strong belief and inclination that we all have callings. So, like, we can have creative muses, muses all day, but if it feels like a strong conviction from a healthy place that you should um project it out and get it out, I feel like that does have a strong effect on the community. So, like you mentioned rap music, and I would like to help change the uh the curl, the pearl clutching of rap music because it's not always a lot of the things that's presented where it's all negativity and things like that. Uh-huh. It's poetry. And if you get the youth, like or anybody listening to um things with positive things that you align with, or even art that you align with, like it has a big impact. It's like a domino effect on the first person you talk to, the second person you talk to, and it can just go on and on and on.

SPEAKER_01 3:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 4:00

And yeah, like I could I gravitate, so I support everybody, but I don't just support them because they're local. I support people because I believe in them. And I think it is very important if you believe in someone to amplify that someone or something, you know, deep in your heart. If you know, don't don't hide it because someone needs it.

SPEAKER_00 4:19

Yeah, well, not only that, they need they need that encouragement too, because they might not hear from their family or their friends, you know, and stuff like that. So I think that goes a long way too, definitely. Absolutely, yeah, for sure. Because there's a lot of hate out there, you know. I really don't like that stuff. I mean, I I I'm I mean, I want to say I had encouragement coming up too, like for my stepmother. She actually got me a guitar.

SPEAKER_03 4:41

Oh, that's cool.

SPEAKER_00 4:42

I was like, oh, okay, I can do this, you know what I mean? Because before it was like, can I do that? But when they support that, I'm like, okay, yeah, I can, because you have that backing, you know. I guess it could discourage some people too from doing it.

SPEAKER_06 4:56

So and humans can be very easily discouraged, and like, and discourage is literally dissing your courage. So there's no need for that. Like, I like to remind people, shame and embarrassment, there's no virtue in that. Oh, if you try something and it fails, it's not a big deal. Maybe just try again. No one's great from the start. Like, like my art, I honestly do not consider myself to be this amazing phenomenal artist. Like, I could name like 10 people just here locally that do realism and all this really, really cool stuff. Like, if you asked me to do your portrait right here, it would look terrible.

SPEAKER_00 5:29

Oh, sure.

SPEAKER_06 5:30

But I just do things because it feels good and that's what people should do.

SPEAKER_00 5:33

Yeah, so you have you have you sell your art, right? Um yes. Yeah, so you sell your art. When did you at what point did you decide, hey, maybe I should start uh selling these, my my art?

SPEAKER_06 5:45

So selling, okay, so I first thought I was just a crafter. I thought I had all these really amazing ideas, but didn't have the ability to execute it. So back in when COVID happened, it's kind of sad, but I had a handful of friends take their own lives. And yeah, I know. I didn't expect to go that dark.

SPEAKER_00 6:04

Because of COVID or what?

SPEAKER_06 6:05

I think it was because of seclusion. I think a lot of it and some of them, I think alcoholism took a play into it, but I think it's a good idea.

SPEAKER_00 6:12

Yeah, no, no, no, yeah, for it's COVID did a lot so much like to people, to societies and stuff like that. And you you you wouldn't even think of that aspect of it. You know what I'm saying? That it could do that to people. So it's interesting you bring that up.

SPEAKER_06 6:26

Yeah, and I was a stay-at-home mom, so I kind of already because my my oldest was about a year old in that time, so I was kind of understanding a little bit ahead with everyone being like, oh, what's it like to not see the outside world? Um, but I started a painting, um, it's the my anatomical heart one, and um it was basically me like feeling frustrated, and I just wanted to love dump on all these people because they were beautiful, amazing, wonderful people. So I started this art piece and then tried did little symbolisms of things that made me, you know, the good things about these individuals. And then when it was done, I was like, oh, this looks okay. Um maybe I can paint. And then I started painting and then slowly started like learning and being, I call myself an asshole because I ask all these people that I like look up to like questions. So, like like art castle, Amanda, she's the owner of it, and I asked her all these questions, like, how do I charge for prints? And she showed me, and then ever since then I've been selling prints, and then I do these to like suncatchers. If I get like tired of a painting, it still keeps me inspired and kind of jump from thing to thing.

SPEAKER_00 7:25

Oh, for sure. Yeah, like different, yeah, definitely. I'm ADD, I totally get that.

SPEAKER_06 7:30

I think it's a good thing to be ADD or ADHD.

SPEAKER_00 7:32

Oh yeah, dude, seriously, bro. That that's a really great topic to talk about because we're led to think, oh, you can't you can't have all these ventures or you can't be like that. But it's like that's the thing I love about artists. Like, artists are they're so bright, and their creativity shows like on their like like on their clothing, what they wear, and it's just I love that about artists and stuff like that. Do you have do you have your art at any of the galleries in town or no?

SPEAKER_06 8:01

But I would like to. Um, I should. So I don't know. Like I just do stuff, and then so people have convinced me not to sell my originals, and I'm glad they yeah, and I'm glad they have convinced me to do that because now that I've over time I kind of have understood my worth a little bit. So like now I'm I think now, like by January, I think I'll be happy to start selling some originals. But um, I don't know. Like, I like this one specifically, I do want it hung somewhere, whether I sell it or they just hold it. I want it seen just because it's like reflective in the prints. You can't see all the sparklies and all the fun.

SPEAKER_00 8:36

Um yeah, we gotta take a picture. Definitely, it's definitely mixed media.

SPEAKER_06 8:40

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:41

Like you want to see the back of it, like glass shards.

SPEAKER_06 8:44

Well, I like beaded everything, so it looks all crazy.

SPEAKER_00 8:49

That's inside.

SPEAKER_06 8:50

It took me a long time, and that's because my hands shape too, and I was like, no, I must do this.

SPEAKER_00 8:54

So mostly so, most of your material materials, do you get it like locally or get it online and stuff? That's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_06 9:01

I'm a hoarder. A lot of my stuff is stuff I've had from like 10 years ago, and I just put it on stuff like this from our first communion at our church, and I just put it in my pocket when they were all taking the trash. I was like, this is mine, and like, yeah, like these are my grandma's bird, herb bird feathers that shed, and everything has a little story. Like um, these broken pieces. I went to Smokewalk and the day after I had MMA class, and I was like in a rush. I forgot I had all my art stuff from there the night before. I opened the trunk and a bunch of my stuff fell out and broke and shattered, being some of these pieces and some of the beads, and I was really bummed out. Uh yeah, and then Freak actually suggested, like, what if you like make something with it and then raffle it off? And I was like, Oh, that's a cool idea. Yeah, but now it's one of my favorite pieces because it ended up being big, and now cool. I don't know if I want to do that.

SPEAKER_00 9:50

That's what's up. That's awesome. Let's see. We got some questions from uh from your fandom. Woo! Rihanna says uh Rihanna Stevens says, What does she say? How has the healing power behind making the art you make helped you show up more for those around you? Ooh, that's a good question.

SPEAKER_06 10:08

I like that. Um the healing power of making art. How does that help me show up for others? Kind of like following that antenna we all have to like whatever messages that come to us. That's kind of what art is. You can answer to um darker sides or you can answer to lighter sides. Um, I think it helps me show up for people because nine times out of ten, my art is actually in gratitude and inspiration for people and things and environments I've met in life. Most of the time, my paintings aren't even about me. Sometimes they're completely about somebody else.

SPEAKER_04 10:42

No, sure.

SPEAKER_06 10:43

And but people are inspiring, and I think it helps the community because I'm very big on trying to encourage other people to try something. And don't worry if it looks good or not, or if it just if it felt good, and then like sometimes you might even make something and think, oh, this looks terrible, and then you pick it up five minutes later and you're like, why didn't I like this? So so you know, nobody throw away your stuff, just have to be a little bit more. Don't throw away a joke.

SPEAKER_00 11:06

Yes, yes, yeah, healing power, that's very interesting.

SPEAKER_06 11:10

It is.

SPEAKER_00 11:11

So do you think there is healing power in create in yeah?

SPEAKER_06 11:16

I think so. I think we're in a way here to create, but to create with integrity. Because humans create a lot of stuff that create a lot of stuff with materials given to us, and they try to make things better that are already okay, and it actually makes destruction. But if you create with the thought of helping humanity or just like opening something within someone that's stuck, then I think yes, I think it wow builds something that we're all meant to build. I truly believe you, everyone has something, yeah, and open it.

SPEAKER_00 11:48

Like do it, like it out. Yeah, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_06 11:51

Project.

SPEAKER_00 11:51

This is from Ivan GM.

SPEAKER_06 11:53

Hi, Ivan.

SPEAKER_00 11:55

The importance of not comparing your art to others.

SPEAKER_06 11:59

There will only ever be one you. So you can compare, and it's okay if someone has a similar style. It's okay if someone's doing the similar thing. No one is ever gonna have the same heart and spirit and mindset behind it as you do. Like you can try and regurgitate things, maybe that's fine for practice. Yeah, um, but comparing is nothing. Um, like a silly little example, and I like to bring this up. I am fortunate enough to where I had a mom who she didn't like indoctrinate me on anything, anything at all. So anything I like, I've always just been gravitated towards, and I know I like it. So cool. Be like as a teenager, like I would start trends, and then I would see other girls that, and this is negative of me, this is not a flex. They would copy things I did, and then I would be like, oh, why are they doing that? I don't want to do it anymore. But then I look back on it and I'm like, I didn't understand that there's people who just genuinely don't know what they like and they're experimenting, so it's really not a bad thing for them to latch on to other things, you know. It's okay.

SPEAKER_00 13:04

Right?

SPEAKER_06 13:05

It's okay. Does that make sense?

SPEAKER_00 13:07

Yeah, it does make sense.

SPEAKER_06 13:08

Okay, good.

SPEAKER_00 13:09

I mean, it makes me think about like, okay, like Bach, right? Bach transcribed and he would write the people before him. So he had to start somewhere, and he was starting on other people's pieces.

SPEAKER_03 13:22

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 13:23

And then eventually he had his own voice.

SPEAKER_03 13:26

That's cool.

SPEAKER_00 13:27

So it's like you can maybe like you start playing guitar, you start playing other people's music.

SPEAKER_01 13:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:32

And then eventually you start making your own. So that makes me think of that train of thought. Like, it's okay to do other people's stuff, but then don't stay stuck there and eventually start doing your own, you know, expressing your own creativity in what you've learned.

SPEAKER_06 13:48

And you gotta learn from somewhere. Like, is a teacher gonna teach you something about you? Why are you doing that?

SPEAKER_00 13:53

Like, exactly. That's how we that's how we influence each other. Like we have we influenced that, like you're saying, creativity so that other people can see, so that they can have their own influence. You know, I mean, not that they're trying to be influencers, yeah, but they're just they just are when you're creative.

SPEAKER_06 14:11

And you don't have to be an influencer to be influential. Like, you know, some of the best people like are nowhere near social media and all that.

SPEAKER_00 14:18

Definitely.

SPEAKER_06 14:19

I always say this thing like, you know, imagine like the incredible like poetry and instrumentals in just your neighbor who shuns himself out and doesn't talk to anybody.

SPEAKER_00 14:27

Man, I talk to dudes I've been trying to get on the podcast, like 50, 60 year olds, and they don't they don't even want to.

SPEAKER_06 14:32

That's probably good, but come on.

SPEAKER_00 14:34

Yeah, I'm like, dude, you need to share this. They're like, nah, I'm fine. That's cool. Sherry E. Combs says, uh, how community energy also brings strength to stand tall. When the artistic side is stuck or flailing for new ideas, yet not yet done. Art is so personal, yet so community supported, or not.

SPEAKER_06 14:59

Community supported or not. That's very dependent on the goal and outlook. The community is always helpful. Um I keep bringing back the staying, the being a stay-at-home mom, and I think like where I'm at now, how people even know of me, I think it's crazy because a lot of people are actually going face to face and are actually seeing people like I've only recently started doing that. And it's like, wow, how thoughtful and kind for people to think of me when I'm barely even able to like get out and like go to markets every other Saturday or doing that thing. So that is an example of community showing up for me and giving me a little bit of hope in the sense I would like to do like Sherry is an individual, real quick. I adore her, I love her. She is much older. Yes, shout out Sherry. Um, she's an older woman and she's a fashion designer, she's um multimedia crafter, and me and her just message, and you know, she talks about you know how from the elders to the youth, there's like a disconnect and that kind of thing. And I'm like, well, you know, I know you're not able to see us in person, but you got community here, like you're loved, and let's, you know, share this with what we can kind of thing. I hope I answered that question.

SPEAKER_00 16:10

No, that's a good point. Well, that's a good point because sometimes we forget about our elders.

SPEAKER_06 16:15

They do.

SPEAKER_00 16:16

Like, I I you had a post you were at a c once you had like a senior home or something like that recently. Uh I don't I don't remember what it was.

SPEAKER_06 16:22

I don't want Bayview Behavioral Hospital.

SPEAKER_00 16:24

I think so. I don't remember, but I but like I used to deliver papers to one of those places, and it's like, dude, people just want to interact with other people, they want to still be a part of the community, even though they're up in age, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 16:36

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:37

And they they love babies, they love kids, you know what I mean? And uh I feel like connection to all ages and not forgetting about one age is important.

SPEAKER_06 16:47

And there's like in our community division in pretty much anything that can be divided, something out there is trying to have done. And I think there is a really importance of having the youth and the because they're the closest to to God, essentially, you know, the babies and then yeah, and then so why is there like a and I understand trying to keep kids safe from the older ones, but like also like we have this thought of being so safe that we don't experience, you know what I mean? So like I think it would be cool to combine like a retirement home and a nursery, and like you know, because I think it would help the insight, and I think some places have done that, and if I'm correct, it's had high success.

SPEAKER_00 17:25

So, so you have you have one child, right?

SPEAKER_06 17:28

Uh back then, yes. Now I have three.

SPEAKER_00 17:31

How does it so how does your being like a mom transfer over to being how you are with how you interact with the community? Is it different from before you were a mom? Do you know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_06 17:46

Like, do you feel like you're I think so, so I think a lot of that attributes to actually when I got married with my husband. So pretty much when me and my husband got together, we kind of started already acting like we were parents before we ever had because we were crazy when we were teenagers, so we got that all out the way. And like I started going into a mindset of I want to be the kind of person that can protect a family and can be a good wife. And so it kind of learned over that way. So I'm still the same person I was before, but I'm understanding why now that I know that I have little beings to protect, and myself and then my husband and all that. I now under like when I was younger, modesty, I don't care. Because I'm someone who I don't get embarrassed by anything. The only thing I get embarrassed by is hurting people's feelings. I can't handle that. I really can't, like, I I can't sleep if I think I made someone feel bad about themselves. But um now I understand the sense of modesty and like you can still be a free spirit, but kind of watch yourself. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 18:44

And I'm like more responsible type.

unknown 18:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:47

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_06 18:48

I think so. Yeah. I think so. And discernment in which rooms you're at, because some people are at a different place in life. They may hear certain keywords and want to shut off because keywords have connotations attached to them.

SPEAKER_00 19:01

Like language, like you mean like language? And that's okay, okay.

SPEAKER_06 19:05

Yeah, I'm probably explaining it weird, but like, you know, it's kind of like words like spells.

SPEAKER_00 19:09

Dude, I'm I'm probably 20 years older than you, so you're yeah.

SPEAKER_06 19:12

Do you mind if I ask how old you are?

SPEAKER_00 19:13

43.

SPEAKER_06 19:14

Okay, I'm 32.

SPEAKER_00 19:15

Oh, okay. Not that much of a difference.

SPEAKER_06 19:18

I look like a baby.

SPEAKER_00 19:20

No, like because it seems like there's a disconnect between 40-year-olds and like say 20-year-olds. Yes. That have whatever. It's weird. It's so strange, like being 43.

SPEAKER_06 19:30

Can you explain the difference? Like, what do you mean?

SPEAKER_00 19:33

Music's different. The cultures, they're growing up with AI. Like, you know what I mean? There's just so many differences, and like you're saying, language. Like, I could say something that means something to my 40-year-old friends, yeah, means just something different to their 20-year-old friends.

SPEAKER_03 19:47

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 19:48

So that's what I'm talking about, like that just that difference.

SPEAKER_06 19:52

Yeah, that's a good point, too. The cool thing about AI and the younger ones, though, because sometimes I think I got it, and little kids somehow can spot when something's AI. Because it worries me that they're gonna wake up and not know what everything is, and some of them will be like, oh no, that's clearly it.

SPEAKER_00 20:06

And I'm like, Dude, I I can't stand it. It's getting into music. Oh, it bugs the heck out of me, dude.

SPEAKER_06 20:12

That there's like posts in this there'll be a song that sounds good, but I'm like, something about this seems like something wrote this for you. Like it just doesn't seem right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:20

Yeah, so we I like talk I talk about that often. What is what's your take on like AI, like taking over different different things? Do you use it? If so, like why, how, or you know what I mean? What's your take on all that stuff?

SPEAKER_06 20:33

I won't even use Chat GPT. Seriously, I've never used it, and I I it it freaks me out.

SPEAKER_00 20:39

Like, you don't want to trust, like no.

SPEAKER_06 20:41

Well, because the thing is calling people like their best friend and trying to give like life advice, and then it talks to people. They it does, and then it talks to people like how they want to be talked to. I don't want to just be validated, I don't want just some kind of like mindless, heartless being to like just tell me what I want to hear. That's not healthy, you know. And as far as when it comes to art, like honestly, they're just selling themselves short.

SPEAKER_00 21:01

Like, you know, your spirit's not going anywhere, but so AI can be so AI can create an art piece now. Yeah, but it's not, it's not, it's not human. It's not like I don't think it'll create, I don't think it'll replace the human mind.

SPEAKER_06 21:17

I think now there's even an uprising where people are wanting to go back to organics, honestly, because like these kids are gonna get bored now, you know?

SPEAKER_00 21:26

Like they're gonna want to pick up a guitar.

SPEAKER_06 21:28

Yeah, I hope so.

SPEAKER_00 21:29

A drum set or something. Yeah, I mean, it's it's that's I like that point because it's just humanity wanting to come out, like you're the way your humanity wants to come out. You know what I mean? And that's how we've been doing it for years. There's nothing new under the sun. Like we're we're always creating stuff, music, m art, whatever. Yeah. So I think that like you're saying, it'll come back full circle too.

SPEAKER_06 21:55

And people get depressed when they don't create from within. Like It could be validating to like they do, like you know, it's and then you know, we live in a world where everything's nice cushiony and comfortable and all that, but like the true feeling of fulfillment is when you actually with your hands put hard work into something and all that. Like, yeah, you can the thing about this is like how I said, like, I didn't think I was good enough to be an artist, just a crafter. I could have typed in all these amazing, incredible ideas and what do they call it? The yeah, you know, whatever, and be like, this, make this, and it look really cool. But I would rather see the end result of a sloppy one made with those ideas and mistakes, you know what I mean? It's it's raw.

SPEAKER_00 22:36

Dude, for real, like learning from mistakes like that, even that in itself, that's that's amazing. That's a great point. That's a great point. Yeah, because you won't have mistakes if you won't create stuff, and you won't learn, man, you won't learn stuff that humanity will just decline in thought and in uh natural creativity, you know what I mean? That stuff, all that stuff's interesting me. Who we got? Ashley Serna says, uh really love the work you're doing with introducing art to children. How do you see that growing and how has the community responded to it so far?

SPEAKER_06 23:12

Um, so of course, because I'm a mom, I feel like it's important that I'm in a role that encourages children.

SPEAKER_01 23:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 23:20

Um, and so I really, really badly want to be a homeschool parent. I just worry that I would fall short. And I happen to love my kid's school. Like his kindergarten year was supposed to be a test run, and then I fell in love with the school, and I'm like, okay, but if my kid's gonna be in public school, I'm gonna be involved. So I took on the Reflections program, which is the Reflections program, isn't it? I say this to people all the time. It's a national PTA program encouraging creativity in the youth of the year's chosen theme in avenues of visual art, photography, literature, dance choreography, videography, and music composition of the year's theme. So this year's theme is what my culture means to me. And it was just kind of a role that fell into my lap because I was like, okay, I want to join PTA. And then uh the PTA president at that time, Jennifer, she was, you know, really helpful and she's like, you'd be perfect for reflections. I'm like, okay, I'll take it on. And ever since then I've fallen in love with it, and I'm now just more stuff and more stuff. Eventually I'll make my own program. But for now, I'm doing this, and now I have been asked to be council level. So I'm not just for my kiddo school, I'm for council. And it's just an excuse that's fallen in my lap to encourage creativity in the youth because I feel like a lot of them lose direction, and a lot of unfortunately, kids' parents don't have the time to sit down and get messy and play with them and stuff like that with art and all that. And it's and I, as a parent, I struggle with that too. And sometimes I'm like, hmm, I'm doing all this stuff for the community. Is it making me fall short with my kids? And I worry about that all the time. But then I think it's also important to be involved with the community and then seeing, like, hey, we show up for the world around us.

SPEAKER_00 24:57

Wow, it's amazing.

SPEAKER_06 24:58

Yeah, and honestly, it's just really fulfilling. Like, and I love seeing a kid like make something and be like, look what I did, because like the response from an adult can make or break that. It really can. Kids take stuff hard, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:11

So yeah, my son, like, I could tell he wants me to be proud because he'd be like, Daddy, look what I did. Like, yeah, awesome job. And then sometimes, and then like it, it's it's awesome that to know that. Have you you feel like you've always been hard on yourself? Because I I feel like I'm that way too. You mentioned that, yeah. Like, like, am I there for my kids enough? I asked myself that I asked my wife that, babe, am I doing you know what I mean? I I wonder if that's a uh sign of like you actually being a good parent or a good person.

SPEAKER_06 25:42

It means you care, yeah. I mean you wouldn't ask that stuff if you didn't care.

SPEAKER_00 25:45

Yeah, see, I've heard that. I'm like, well, I guess so. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_06 25:48

And I I ask my husband, I ask my peers, I ask like, hey, am I being too hard on that? Am I not being stern enough? Hey, like this. And people, and that's the thing I'd like earlier where I was like, I don't want to just be validated. I'm around people that'll tell me, like, hey, yeah, you might want validate. I'll be like, hey, no, you're doing fine. And I'm like, okay, cool. You know, it's I want to hear the honest, you know, because we care about the kids, and you always hear it takes a village, it takes a village. I didn't get a village up until recently, like very recently.

SPEAKER_00 26:15

Village, like a group of people or like friends, is that what you're talking about?

SPEAKER_06 26:19

That I trust around my kids. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, gotcha. Yeah, so now we join this MMA team, and like it's been like came out perfect time.

SPEAKER_00 26:26

Yeah, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_06 26:27

Love it. Gets all my frustration, frustrations out.

SPEAKER_00 26:30

Oh my gosh, I need something like that.

SPEAKER_06 26:31

Y'all should come, you and your wife and your kid, y'all should come.

SPEAKER_00 26:34

That's cool.

SPEAKER_06 26:34

Y'all, y'all should. It's really cool.

SPEAKER_00 26:36

So oh, so y'all got into the MA MMA and stuff like that. Little village of people, okay.

SPEAKER_06 26:40

Yeah, cool, cool. They're very careful who comes in and they're really good people. And like, I don't trust anybody with their kids. This group of people, I'm like, thank you. It's really nice, it's special.

SPEAKER_02 26:51

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 26:52

So if anyone who has kids and you feel like you don't have a village and you're drowning and you're struggling, just keep faith. Faith will get you so far. I could have just like been like, oh, I need a break, and just accepted any help from people who would may not have been good. And I'm glad I held out and struggled. Like, parenthood is a blessing, but it's okay to understand that it feels like a struggle sometimes. I'm glad I held out up until now. And it took us eight years. So that's what's up. Congratulations, man. Thank you. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 27:21

That's awesome. We got a couple more questions. I don't know when I go through them. Uh, what belief about yourself do you did you unlearn in order to become the artist you are now? That's a tough one.

SPEAKER_05 27:32

Did I unlearn? How do you unlearn what you already learned?

SPEAKER_00 27:38

Oh you have to change the habit. Like if it's a bad habit, you have to change it.

SPEAKER_01 27:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:43

Or maybe find a different one. I don't know. That is a good question because I used to I used to drink, I used to smoke.

SPEAKER_03 27:51

Oh yeah?

SPEAKER_00 27:52

I don't anymore.

SPEAKER_03 27:53

Good. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 27:55

So I changed that.

SPEAKER_03 27:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:57

Because I think it was affecting me. My decisions. And I just I just decided not to do it no more.

SPEAKER_06 28:05

And you feel better from it. I feel better.

SPEAKER_00 28:06

My life I feel like I feel like my life went in the direction that I that I wanted it to go as opposed to if I had continued down that other you know what I'm saying? It'll change the direction your your path. Because you because you it seems like if you have something that you want to learn, if you stay in that unlearned path, you see where it's gonna go, and then eventually you change that path. You know what I mean? It's like you're walking, you're walking down a path. You can see ahead of you, you're like, I don't want to go that way, I want to go this way.

SPEAKER_03 28:36

Yeah, you know what I mean? Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 28:38

Like force, like kind of like force, not foresight, but just uh anticipation.

SPEAKER_06 28:42

That makes sense. Discipline and discernment are huge things, and I feel like I don't know if other people feel this way, but I feel like deep down we always know where we're supposed to go. You know what I mean? Like I feel like we know what's right and what's wrong deep within us, right? Or maybe not. Maybe some people really aren't.

SPEAKER_00 28:58

Kind of like law of nature or something like that. Like either either you yeah. I mean, I want to say either you know like deep down, or maybe somebody that you trust or you grew up with that that you trust, they're telling you like maybe this shouldn't be the right way to go, but you don't want to listen. You know what I mean? But I I'm sorry to cut you off.

SPEAKER_06 29:20

No, you're not, I I want to hear it too. That's it.

SPEAKER_00 29:22

Yeah, no, I think I think people like deep down, like they know. Like somebody who's been somebody who smoked weed in high school.

SPEAKER_03 29:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:31

They're 20, 30, 40 years old, and they're like, they're still doing it.

SPEAKER_03 29:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:37

It's like at what point does it be stop becoming a social thing where you're doing it around friends or something? You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_06 29:46

Um that makes a lot of sense.

SPEAKER_00 29:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 29:48

And I understand I'm sorry, did I cut you off?

SPEAKER_00 29:50

No, go ahead.

unknown 29:51

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 29:51

I understand like using like things like weed as things that come from the ground as like medicine and all that, but it becomes a point where it becomes stonerism, which is okay. I'm not knocking that much.

SPEAKER_00 30:03

No, for sure. Like it is what it is, like because you that's basically what you're doing. You're you're you're manipulating your brain with chemicals.

SPEAKER_05 30:12

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 30:12

I mean, how different is it from drinking coffee or yeah, overeating, you know what I mean? Eating sugar, you know what I mean? Everybody has their addiction. And it's like which which one are you gonna try to like not do?

SPEAKER_06 30:26

Yeah, you know what I mean? And it's hard to get out of it once you be not like I tried fasting for 48 hours a while back. And I actually did it, and I was like, cool. And then afterwards I was like, okay, now I'm gonna eat everything instead. I should have rode the high of doing something good, but I was like, and you know, like, like everything, pe some people argue about the what's it called?

SPEAKER_00 30:47

We do a little, um like Leah know what you're talking about, like uh like ticks or uh what are you talking about?

SPEAKER_06 30:53

It's such an M. Moderation. People talk about moderation.

SPEAKER_00 30:56

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_06 30:57

But like things with like I understand that with like weed or herbs and things like that, but I am on the fence how I feel about moderation with things like alcohol and things like that. You know what I mean? Because if you look biologically, it doesn't really do anything good for you.

SPEAKER_00 31:11

Moderation meaning like only do so much.

SPEAKER_06 31:14

Yeah, like once in a blue moon or whatever. Like I'm not knocking anybody because once in a very blue moon I have a glass of wine. But if I do, it actually it hurts me later on, so it's not even worth it.

SPEAKER_00 31:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 31:23

I don't know. I always have a tough time with that concept.

SPEAKER_00 31:26

Like it's b well, because people it's because there's there's pe there's people that you follow or friends that you talk to that do do it, and it's like you love that person, but you don't want to like force anything on them.

SPEAKER_05 31:39

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 31:40

You know what I mean? That's tough because you still want to be in communion with them. Yeah, you know what I mean? But at the same time, you have your own values, yeah. And I don't think we should judge one another on those things, you know what I mean? And I think that's why we tread lightly in saying the way we say it, like not saying, Oh, I don't smoke because you know what I mean, like we're not judging other people by what we believe.

SPEAKER_03 32:05

Yes, absolutely, you know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_00 32:08

And I feel like a lot of us grow up like not wanting to hurt other people's feelings, yeah. So we kind of put ourselves down, yes, you know what I'm saying? Yes, but you don't, and then you get to a maturity where you're like, but I don't want to put myself down, I want to believe what I believe and still be able to talk to people that do weed or and there's tactfulness too, like you can have a conversation, and like that's a kind of a nuance is a very lost art these days.

SPEAKER_06 32:36

Like you can still be in contact with people who do no one's gonna do everything you agree with. Yeah, it's impossible.

SPEAKER_00 32:42

That's very true. Like, that's yeah, for sure. And you can disagree, and that's fine.

SPEAKER_06 32:47

Yeah, grace.

SPEAKER_00 32:48

You don't have to, yeah, for sure. Uh, we got one from Hannah Butler says, also, have you ever created something that felt almost too vulnerable to let people see? Oh, if so, what made you share it anyway? Wow, you share everything you make.

SPEAKER_06 33:04

Um recently, yes, not from when I was a teenager, but in adulthood, I do. I try to even share the things I'm not super proud of. And the weird thing is the things I'm not proud of seem to be the things everyone else loves. I don't understand.

SPEAKER_01 33:15

It's weird.

SPEAKER_06 33:16

Yeah, it tends to be that way. Like the things like I'm like, ah, no one's gonna like this. Everyone ends up loving.

SPEAKER_00 33:20

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 33:21

And the thing I'm like super stoked about, people are like, oh, okay, cool. You know, it's like, oh, all right.

SPEAKER_00 33:25

But you're like, that one? That one, I don't like that one.

SPEAKER_06 33:28

Exactly. Uh-oh. Oh, okay. Um, but um, you know, so I don't know. I'm not one of those because I feel like I'd be a hypocrite because I encourage everyone to share too vulnerable.

SPEAKER_00 33:40

So too vulnerable, what does she say? Almost felt too vulnerable. I guess like you understand what that yes, okay, okay.

SPEAKER_06 33:49

But in the art sense, not really. But in the life and experience sense, yes. There's a lot of stuff I don't just say that makes sense.

SPEAKER_00 33:58

I guess because you could say you could put that vulnerable piece as art, but they won't know.

SPEAKER_06 34:04

Yeah, and lucky mine's pretty abstract.

SPEAKER_00 34:07

Yes, exactly. Exactly.

SPEAKER_06 34:09

But I'm so sorry.

SPEAKER_00 34:11

No, you're good. Featuring you on the podcast, girl.

SPEAKER_06 34:13

I get excited. I'm like, oh.

SPEAKER_00 34:15

Nah, you're good.

SPEAKER_06 34:16

Um there, I will say though, when I was a teenager, my art it looked more like on the realism side, which is funny because that's not where I'm at now, but it was dark. Oh. And I look back, and it would be cool. I could show I I don't show it now because I I don't like the message it portrayed.

SPEAKER_02 34:32

Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_06 34:33

Okay, so like back then my style and my outlook was a lot different because I was in a more sad place. And so, like, I think some of the drawings I look back and think that I did. I look back and I think I was entertaining something that didn't need to be entertained.

SPEAKER_02 34:46

Oh, that's very interesting.

SPEAKER_06 34:47

And I put it out in existence on paper. I kind of wish I just didn't do that and did the opposite of what my mind could have done if I didn't let fear and anguish and hurt guide my hand. If I let love and hope and all that guide my hand, I would have made something like this that I'm proud of. And one thing I say is if in high school, if I knew that I could be an artist, if I knew, I probably would have not partied and stuff like that. I probably and I partied a decent amount.

SPEAKER_00 35:18

Focused on it more? Yeah, because it's fun.

SPEAKER_06 35:21

It's a great time. I've I've denied hanging out with friends just so I can paint. Like, oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:27

So man, that's such a cool, that's such a that's a good point that you bring up. Like a lot of our past, you put it into art art form. Maybe maybe you don't want to share it. Or maybe it's just for you, like to remember your journey.

SPEAKER_03 35:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:42

You know what I mean? Because we've all we all a lot of people have been there to where they change so much, and it's which is good.

SPEAKER_06 35:48

Yeah, it's kind of cool to see the chronological change and things like go by that. Like kind of like your favorite you know, musician, like, oh, they might like because a lot of them start off like you know, struggling with drugs and they create some of their best music, and then you know, which I'm not saying. No, no, no, no, but yeah, yeah, yeah. But you know, and then as they get sober, it just starts to change and you see the maturity of it.

SPEAKER_00 36:09

So cool how it can be like expressed creatively, like your the the change in your person, you know what I mean? Like how it evolves. Yes. See how long have we been going here? I don't know. Thirty thirty-five minutes. Almost 40 minutes. Oh, you know that uh no, no, I was waving at the camera.

SPEAKER_05 36:27

I really didn't think I'm waving at him.

SPEAKER_00 36:29

It uh let me see. Yeah, one more thing question.

unknown 36:34

Well, y'all have a lot of things.

SPEAKER_00 36:37

Is it okay? Is it okay? Oh no, oh, that was your question to me. Is it okay to bring a screen for the background? That's the end of the questions. Okay, cool. That's awesome. Is there anything you want to talk about or mention?

SPEAKER_06 36:48

Um, so well, I can't not plug the kids.

SPEAKER_01 36:52

Plug it.

SPEAKER_06 36:53

Me, CCCC4Cs, PTA, and the Art Center on October 9th, if this goes out by then, um, are hosting an art venture slash culture fest. Um, it's something to inspire the youth to do creativity. It's an extra, and it's a culture fest. So we're gonna have dance segments, we're gonna have um different culture fashion, and they're gonna provide crafts and it's gonna be really, really cool. And so if you have, if you love any creative youth, like bring your family, it'll be 10 to 6, and it's during intercession, so don't worry about it being like you know during school hours. Um that's uh as far as that goes, that's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_00 37:35

And everything else, like shout out to the Arts Center for putting that on. That dude, yes, I had them on the podcast.

SPEAKER_06 37:42

Did you really?

SPEAKER_00 37:43

Yes, they've got so much stuff going on over there all the time for kids too.

SPEAKER_06 37:47

And you know, when I've reached out to them and had the little meeting, like I was like so happy.

SPEAKER_00 37:50

Who'd you meet with? Um Kaylee? No, with the green hair? No, August.

SPEAKER_06 37:56

I met with August and someone whose name starts with a J.

SPEAKER_00 37:59

I'm sorry if I'm yeah, August was on our on the yeah, she's the head, the head of it. She was on our podcast. Oh, really? Okay, Kaylee in August. I remember her name because it's it's one of the months of the It's easy to remember. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 38:12

Just like it's easy to remember a domingo because in your mind you're like Sunday. A Duolingo's coming out.

SPEAKER_00 38:19

So cool.

SPEAKER_06 38:20

But yeah, I was like, oh, and they're like, Yeah, we really want to do more stuff with the with the youth and the schools. I'm like, well, then bring it on.

SPEAKER_00 38:26

I want to take a picture or get a PDF for that. That way I can put it on the clip.

SPEAKER_06 38:28

Oh, thank you.

SPEAKER_04 38:29

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 38:30

Uh man, that's amazing. Art Center. So cool. Well, Shay, thanks for coming on the show. Uh thanks for supporting everybody. I'm sure everybody people want to see and hear from you on this uh episode, even if it's like your thoughts, because that's what I like. I like people to share their thoughts. People that they might not know. Oh, she thinks it. Oh, cool. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 38:50

That's cool.

SPEAKER_00 38:50

Which is, I think we need that. Uh we need to share not all of ourselves, but just parts that are influential. You know what I mean? Yes. Like even my thoughts on certain things. That's why I like Lily. I know you I you come, I think you might have commented on a few of the posts that I had about like the community and all this. Oh my gosh, people had so many different comments. I was not expecting that. Oh, really? No, but I felt like I needed to maybe share some of my opinion as part of the fabric of my uh my uh my brand. Yeah, you okay share could my you know what I mean? Just just so people can understand what's behind it. Yeah, and I feel like people not only see that through your art, but just you like sharing that too.

SPEAKER_06 39:34

Yeah, and thank you for sharing the same, because I know a lot of people like a lot of things I've discovered that the city has to offer is from seeing your posts. And I'm like, oh, I didn't know we had this. Like that's that's cool. Well, it's really nice because I've grown, you grew up here too, right? Corpus originals, and a lot of people like they're like, Oh, Corpus doesn't do this, corpus doesn't do that. And it's like, actually, they're there, you just gotta look for it.

SPEAKER_00 39:56

Dude, even just the art center, like they got the farmers market, people like grow their own stuff. Man, it's amazing what we got. Like, and I never would have found all this stuff if I didn't start the podcast.

SPEAKER_03 40:07

Really?

SPEAKER_00 40:07

I never even would have looked. I'd have just been about my business, complacent, yeah. Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 40:12

That's cool, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 40:13

So I started it and I was like, oh my gosh, these people actually love Corpus.

SPEAKER_06 40:16

Yeah, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 40:17

So it's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_06 40:18

Yes, I I grew up and I was like, I can't wait to leave. And then now that we're here and we have all this thing, I'm like, I have this like I'm so that I want to say this on camera.

SPEAKER_00 40:26

I'm sorry that I thought this we schedule this for another day.

SPEAKER_06 40:29

That's okay.

SPEAKER_00 40:30

And I'm glad I'm glad you were still here and we could get this.

SPEAKER_06 40:33

I had I had the inclination that like something must have happened. I already stood me up. That was a year old sad. My already fully drank coffee. Oh, that's it. But no, it's okay. I'm not upset. I understand. Stuff happens.

SPEAKER_00 40:50

Yeah, we got you. All right, you guys. Well, thanks a lot, you guys, for joining the podcast episode. Thanks to Lucy's for having us out. Oh, shout out to our sponsor, uh um Premier Hearing Solutions of South Texas. Yvonne has got you. Check her out over there, you guys. She does mobile, she goes to your house to uh give you an exam and all this other stuff. Appreciate you guys. Y'all have a good one. Bye.

SPEAKER_06 41:08

Bye.

SPEAKER_05 41:08

Thank you.