Finding Your Voice | GeekGirlCon

Hey guys, Shubz here! Anyone on staff will tell you that when I?m in the room, you?re more than likely to hear me (and laugh). However, it wasn?t always the case. I never had a problem speaking out or speaking my mind, but it never seemed like it was for myself. You see, I usually am speaking on behalf of something, whether it be my job or my family. It wasn?t until a year ago that I discovered that I CAN have my own voice ? literally and figuratively.

Here's a re-enactment of how things went for me in ballet class.

Time travel back 20+ years, and you would have found me in a dance class, learning the delicate dance form known as ballet. While ballet became a gateway to other forms like jazz, contemporary, and (my favorite) hip-hop, I hid behind my choreography. I chose to use movement as a way for people to see and experience my view without ever having to say a thing. I loved it. Every kick and every step had a purpose and a meaning. I thought there was nothing else that I could use as a platform to fully express who I was.

This is where magic gets written. Behold the notebook!

Let?s warp speed it back to the near present; my body has succumbed to the wear and tear of an active childhood and early adulthood. I no longer am active as a dancer, and it left quite a void in my life that I didn?t have an outlet with which I could create. I found writing by chance, a dear friend involved in local theatre heard me rap Sir Mix-A-Lot?s ?Baby Got Back? and insisted I begin to write. Eventually, I meet my husband, Aaron, who introduced me to this genre of Nerdcore and a community, (NerdcoreNow), where others are producing music.

When Aaron and I are not rapping, we are practicing our gloriously awesome poses.

I wrote, I recorded, and I performed. While I was met by many who enjoyed my music, I had my setbacks. There were folks that dismissed women rapping and others that didn?t like what I had to rap about. However, I couldn?t quit. I have never been the person to throw in the towel ? not in dance, and certainly not in this art form that I had just begun to play with. My perseverance paid off. I was awarded with NerdcoreNow?s Best Newcomer Award for 2011, and I got the respect that I thought I wouldn?t get by just writing and speaking into a mic. The acknowledgement is something that I refuse to rest my laurels on; now I?m working on an album!

I always wonder what would have happened if I didn?t take up my friend?s encouragement to write. What would I end up doing for a creative outlet? WOULD I have one? What?s great is that I don?t have to answer those questions because I just got brave enough to stretch myself out to try something that I thought I would never do. Sure, I?ve only just begun, but if this is how my start has panned out, I can?t wait to experience the journey that lies ahead!

What do YOU consider to be your voice? Leave us a comment and let your creative flag fly!

-
Shubz K. Blalack
PR Content Producer
prcontent@geekgirlcon.com

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