Meet the Artist – Amelia B.
Name: Amelia B.
Hometown: Lithonia
Age: 17
Hello Atlanta Teen Community! My name is Amelia B. I am a high school senior
(12th grade) in high school. I started off as a young girl in Bronx, New York who
really loved to interact and help people. I remember all I wanted when I grew up was to be a
ballerina and a nurse. I wanted to entertain people across the world and help them to regain
strength at the same time. Unfortunately my life did not go as planned, for I despise hospitals and
the sight of blood and during my first dance lesson I cried until I was taken out. Now, as a
seventeen year old, my way of thinking has not changed drastically. I believe I can be the voice, if
not one of the voices, that can help young people to challenge their ordinary position, step
outside of the box, and conquer the undiscoverable. As a young person, now applying and
getting ready to go to college, I want to make a big impact in the teen community, starting with
Atlanta. I want everyone to experience the soul moving power of what the arts can do for them,
and what has definitely done for my fellow peers in teen council. I want to make a change, if not a
shift, in the Atlanta teen community.
I started doing the arts, along the age of five, as a theater kid in my school in New York. It
was very common for us to put on plays for our parents and the community. I had showcases at
school, and got the opportunity to sing the star spangled banner and recite the pledge of
allegiance with my fellow peers whenever we had assemblies. I’ve been singing and exercising
my lungs “ever since I could talk,” my mom says. At the age of seven I moved to Atlanta, Georgia
with my Mom, and I’ve been down here ever since. In elementary school I participated in plays
and even got the chance to participate in my second grade talent show. I didn’t win, but it was
definitely a great opportunity for me to get the feel of a stage. In middle school I tried out for the
show choir at my school, and that is when my true love of singing really began. At this point I was
learning to sight read, how to sing the scale, things that I never got to experience before. This
show choir gave me a chance to compete at a state level and the time to perform with my choir
in other events. It is a moment in my life that I will never forget and I will always be grateful for the
chance and my choir instructor, Ms. Shaw. When I entered high school, it was a transition period
for me. My school was not necessarily arts based and was surrounded in science and
engineering curriulum. This, of course matched my passion for science, but I had to find other
outlets to release my expressions for the arts.
Leaning towards the end of my tenth grade year in high school, I found myself losing a lot
of friends that I entered high school with. They seemed to not want to hang around me at a time
where I really needed it. This period allowed me to discover myself, build a real identity, and
made me stronger than ever. I discovered a new group of friends, who were powerful as
individuals, and made tighter bonds with the people who stuck with me. When we were put
together we formed a bond no one could remove. I heard about Voices & Vibes during my tenth
grade year, wanted to try out but was too late. I wanted to go but my ride cancelled on me the
day of the festival. In eleventh grade, I attended my first teen night, signed up for teen council and
I have not looked back since. Through teen council I have been given the opportunity to see the
arts in a way that many do not have the chance to. This program gave me light to see that I am
truly passionate about the arts that I love and adore, and that everyone should be able to
experience what I have in this past year. My goal is to make The Woodruff Arts Center a home
and peaceful place for teens across the state of Georgia as it has become for me. I want teens
to know that they can express themselves in an artistic way without being bullied or shunned for
their passions. I want teens to have an outlet to come to when they are feeling down or
depressed or lonely or they just want a chance to “Turn Up,” with other teens. I want teens to feel
the love and passion I experience when I see other individuals share their art, and feel welcome
to do the same.
I am still taking my journey in the art world. I am a singer, a writer, a future entrepreneur,
a diy girl, an upcoming blogger/YouTuber, and a creative intellect as a whole. I want to see
myself as I see my inspirations, like Vashtie and Solange, Etta James and Laura Mvula, Sza and
Christina Caradona. I want to challenge and recreate the arts scene. I want to take this world by
storm in every way I possibly can. My dreams are big, but my faith is humongous and along the
way I just want to inspire other youth to feel the same. I want the Atlanta teen scene to rise as a
culture that can inspire people across the world. As stated before, we can find beautiful
individuals who are gorgeously talented, but working as a whole we can change the arts and the
world as we know it.
I am Amelia and this is who I am.