Notes from Redemption
It has taken some time for me to figure out just how I wanted to use this space. There are so many facets to the things I find myself doing that putting a label on it sometimes feels arbitrary at best and reductive at the point of its greatest impact. Due to free will, I’ll take this opportunity to paint a picture of the nuance from which I plan to write.
A little about me. My name is Kimolee and I’m a doer. I do because it’s how I learn best. The art that I do is an exploration of my capacity for merging the contents of my mind with my God-given talents. Regardless of how much or how little comes of any of the things I’m inspired to do—growth is a direct result. My writing is no different. My early interests in Philosophy and Psychology gave way to a growing interest in Sociology and Spirituality. I’m a big picture person and simultaneously one who appreciates the one-step-at-a-time nature of life and time.
I recently concluded my studies in Apologetics and Cultural Engagement and am revisiting my earlier interest in Psychology in pursuit of a degree in Christian Counseling. This all is taking place during an active career as an independent artist, a teaching artist, and an arts administrator. I facilitate creative writing workshops, and create and curate creative programs for youth. I’m an advocate for the arts because I strongly believe creativity is a birthright and the opportunity to explore that innate creative gifting through youth program should not be defunded or opted out of. As an independent artist, I’ve been blessed with opportunities to do more. I’ve sat on several boards, served as a speaker for youth arts organizations’ fundraising efforts, and curated resources for the development of new artists. I’ve been a theatre critic for the past few years and have had the privilege of representing arts initiatives at evaluation conferences in Portland, Oregon and Chicago, Illinois.
Out of all I’ve been graced to do, my favorite by far has been serving as spoken word coach and creative mentor for youth who are finding their voices and figuring out what things they care about enough to advocate for it.
At the heart of it, I’ve maintained my own youthful curiosity while walking in the authority of my adulthood. This has been one of the more frustrating avenues, to date. The convergence of “I know that there’s much that I don’t know” and “I can’t help but notice that what I’m seeing isn’t right”—toeing the line of “proper” and “orderly” while not extinguishing the fire that burns inside when injustice is perpetuated. For the sake of clarity, I’ve been the child burdened by a literal sense of understanding who fought against the internal battle that ensued when the sense of right and wrong that I learned were disregarded by the very people teaching them. Parents who said one thing but did the other, pastors who preached morality and tainted their integrity—my takeaway from it all has been accepting the time and care necessary to translate life lessons with the right amount of nuance. As witty and brilliant as concision sounds, mic drop moments do not make for good teaching.
I aim to approach all that I share from the perspective of grace because “All have sinned and fallen short,” but without forsaking an expectation of accountability—for others, only as I hold an expectation of accountability myself.
I grow because I sow and I share because I care.
