It had been years since I had been in the Artistic Noise space. This would be my first time participating in an I Am Why workshop and I was excited at this new opportunity. As I entered this space I could feel the art in the room coming alive—it appeared to be its own little world once inside as I was greeted by new faces. Such a welcoming space with women from different backgrounds, but each holding their own individual space as we all introduced ourselves, representing different parts of art and how we had come to this very part that connected us. As the facilitator allowed us to be our authentic selves, it provided us with a safe space to be just us.

As we took part in each activity, we seemed to realize how much in common we all had—some of us were in different stages of our lives but yet still so alike, and creating this art piece would display how powerful we are. We had each been given a blown-up image of ourselves from a photo shoot a few weeks before. The art and writing activities we completed led us to create a powerful collage using ourselves as the center of the masterpiece we set out to achieve. Excited to see the finished product, time had managed to escape us. Upon completion we were given an opportunity to apply to become an I Am Why consultant. I am excited to say that six months later I am now a part of the team, and I am forever grateful to share space with such amazing women.

Farah, I Am Why consultant