Petra: Can you share why having ‘voice through art’ is important? Livonne: This keeps getting deep, doesn’t it? I don’t mean it to, but my art is so influenced by my past that I can’t separate them, and I’ve learned that talking about those things helps me and also might help someone else experiencing similar things. I am, by nature, a very loud, gregarious, fun-loving person, but I’ve used that to hide my secrets, scared of rejection. I couldn’t speak out as a child for fear of retribution. I was silenced by violence then grief as an adult. So, I created a loud persona to hide behind. To start being able to speak my TRUTH, while hard, has brought me unbelievable joy. I know my story sounds sad and dark, and while parts of it are, my life now is full of joy. I don’t want my children and grandchildren to remember just the dark parts. I want them to know that speaking about your demons is okay. I want them to remember that I spoke out, told my story and then proceeded to live with happiness. Art has given me a way to use my voice that I can live with, and it is a fantastic feeling. YARNS - Spring 2022
268
