Prior to meeting Mr. Santos, reading his books or learning of his message and experiences, I have been busy growing and learning to expand my skill base. I was determined to learn a second language (Spanish) while in prison to ensure I could communicate with my fellow prisoners but that skill will translate into more job opportunities or higher pay upon release. I have also developed skills I once shunned while in college pursuing a fine arts degree: drawing and painting. The drawing and painting are two skills I now use to help maintain financial independence and upon release I am planning for a career in art.
For many years I sought internet exposure to display my skills but since federal inmates are prohibited from accessing the internet, I have had to rely on friends to create that publicity and exposure. This endeavor languished as most of my friends have been busy with their own jobs, families, and lives, thus they don’t have time to focus on putting my art on the internet or creating a website. I have grown frustrated hundreds of times over the need to be patient, to wait, and then to pass the torch to a different friend. But this frustration has fostered determination and resilience. I still continue to draw and paint, to maintain my skills and learn new medium so that my creativity never stagnates.
Recently, through the Peer Success Program, we had a training seminar and I was delegated the task of creating an informational booth about Goal Setting – in perfect alignment with “Preparing for Success After Prison”. Before I had finished gathering the necessary info and drafting the posters, Celeste Blair, the founder of our Peer Success Program, decided that we would turn these booths into art installations. Aliceville, however, provides little in the way of art supplies so I was forced to be extremely resourceful and creative to pull off my installation. And midway through the process, as I was beginning to belabor the amount of work involved, one of my friends pointed out that this might actually be good practice for when I am released and can have my own installation in a gallery.
Isn’t it amazing what a shift in perspective can do? My motivation changed and had renewed excitement for the upcoming event. I spent more hours than I could keep track of working on the “brainstorming” poster that would display some of my previous creations as well as two of my newest drawings. I was pleased to be able to escort staff and inmates alike through the installation and hear the awe in their voices at what I had produced. I no longer cared about what the institution couldn’t provide or how little time I’d had or how tired I was from staying up late to finish. I was only happy to have people impressed with my production and thrilled to think that maybe, one day, it might be a very different installation and this event was just practice.
I have Mr. Santos, Celeste Blair and my good friend to thank for these experiences and the shift in my perspective so that I could really benefit from it all. We never know when opportunity will knock at our door, but we should always be prepared for it.
