Art as Activism
By Nickolas, Artist and Youth Activist
My
name is Nickolas, but most people know me as Nicky. Currently I am
stationed in New York City, trying to live out a lifetime's worth
of dreams and aspirations. I was raised in a liberal Catholic
home by parents of Cuban and Black decent.
I came out at the age of 16 as gay and like many gay kids, I thought that coming
out would be the end of my feelings of being an "oddity" and that
wasn't altogether true. It has always been natural for me to step outside of
what is considered "normal" and mainstream, and in this, I believe,
that I have allowed myself to become influenced and enlightened about a lot
of things that are outside of my personal reach.
In high school I expressed a lot of my individuality and creativity in the
way I dressed—bouncing freely from "label to label," sometimes
featuring urban inspired looks, and more often times, living for glam gear
and runway inspired personal creations. I've always loved the idea of becoming
the "image of your own imagination," and this certainly still makes
play in my life today.
Everything I try to do in life is a reflection of my art and my creativity.
Over time, I have focused my art into many different paths—some traditional,
while other more current art forms are making social and cultural statements.
Currently, I am living out my dream as a performer in two media: as lead vocals
in the two-person "musical force" known as Broken Cases, and as a
performance artist in NYC's downtown scene. I like the political action of
my art form—because I am a person who believes in breaking down racial
barriers as well as gender lines.
I am currently serving as a Peer Educator for www.YouthResource.com,
a Web site for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (GLBTQ)
youth. I was so impressed with the work that YouthResource did that I inquired
about becoming a member—and the rest is history, I guess. I have been
involved with YouthResource for over a year and a half now—and things are
going great.
I love the feeling of interacting with people all over the world, and giving
back to something that gave a lot to me in a very dark time. Being a peer educator
helps me to help other people by sharing my experiences and just being able
to listen.
I am willing to help everyone! If my craziness can help other people, then
who am I to hold it off? I am especially interested in helping all those kids
who feel like "oddities," and the kids who are having especially hard
times. Hold on to your dreams!
If I had one thing to say to everyone in the world, it would be: "Stay
strong and triumph over your obstacles, because in the end you will be so much
stronger, wiser, happier, and more beautiful for being able to stand up, face
it, and survive it all."
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