Growing up, I was noticeably quiet with a big imagination, and I found immense joy in visually expressing my ideas, feelings, and values. Since I was a child, I have viewed life as an endless process of trial and error; from which, I have asked many questions. I have asked so many questions that I have annoyed others through discovery learning. It seems as if I have always believed in adaptation, but this process does not just mean prosperity or wealth and success (e.g., toxins change and grow too). In search of self-actualization, I have been growing slowly while nurturing the seeds in my soles in hopes that one day I will shoot up like a bamboo tree.
My name is Melissa, and I am the middle child; I have four siblings. I was born in 1985 at 12:35 am on Veteran’s Day, in Brooklyn, New York at the Brookdale Hospital Medical Center. Before I was born, my father sang to my mother’s belly and fleetingly gave me the nickname, China.
Both of my parents were born in the Dominican Republic. My mother was born in 1960, in La Vega, one of the 31 provinces of the Dominican Republic, and was 25 years old at the time. My father was born in 1959, in Moca, the capital of Espaillat province, and was currently 26 years old. Weighing 7 lbs. with 2 oz (about 56.7 g), I was a fuzzy baby with a head full of hair and puffy cheeks that were big enough to keep my eyes always squinting. Impressed with my physical characteristics from infancy, I was deeply admired (as all children should be).
My mother’s father (my grandfather) was a police officer in the Dominican Republic; the job required them to temporarily live a nomadic lifestyle. She grew up with two brothers and five sisters! At 5 years of age, my mother moved from a community called Canca La Piedra in Tamboril (a municipality of the Santiago province) to live in Troy Ave, Brooklyn, New York.
She was just a few months away from getting her high school diploma from George Wingate High School, but the exams made her too anxious, thus she never graduated. And my father attended school in the Dominican Republic (up to the 9th grade), but he had to prioritize work over education. My dad also had many siblings (who were mostly brothers). He moved from a community called Ceiba de Madera in Moca, Dominican Republic, as a young adult (between the age of 17 to 19) to build his life in the United States.
Growing up in Kings County, we lived in two apartments; we lived in Eastern Parkway and then moved into a bigger space 0.3 miles away at Lincoln Place, Brooklyn, New York. The walking distance from Lincoln Place to my school was 0.1 miles, just two minutes away.
When I attended elementary school in Brooklyn, New York, I took part in several theatrical performances. However, I became more expressive through the visual arts which were integrated into my 4th-grade class. I was in the bilingual education program and wore a uniform at Public School 167 (up to the 3rd grade). Within the program I performed on stage with my class for a large group of parents and teachers; these performances ranged from singing The Rainbow Color Song to dancing, chanting, and dressing like Indians to displays of appreciation for Latin culture. I remember getting ready to dance to Latin music in a purple salsa outfit that had an extending ruffle fringe along the back of my short skirt, which I had worn with purple stockings.
Both my older brother and sister had to repeat the 4th grade because they both had difficulties grasping Spanish literacy. So, when my mother saw that I could not read nor write her native language very well, in fourth grade she decided to remove me from the bilingual program. I was placed in an all-English class where I fell in love with the instructor, enjoyed solving mathematical equations, and for the first time became very expressive through the visual arts.
Before moving to Florida on the 11th day of June in 1995, my parents became officially American Citizens in May 1993. I was not excited about moving and my parents began to argue about all sorts of things. My vision of what was to be a fantastic American Dream fantasy turned into a vivid passé nightmare!
We temporarily lived under my aunt’s roof, who also later made room for my grandmother and another aunt with her two little boys. We were three families living in one household, with a total of six adults- two men and four women, and ten kids- six boys and four girls. And I did not want to talk to any of them; I never knew what to say or how to fit in.
While attending P.S. 167, I never interacted with the other kids very much either; I was always quiet and shy. I did my work in school and spoke only when it was necessary. I was taught to be obedient and proper, but just a little rowdy with my siblings back home. Now in Florida, living with five other kids who I knew nothing about (although they were my cousins) made me feel uncomfortable. I was pressured to communicate and was easily teased and picked on.
We moved into the house my father bought with the help of his family and my grandmother (from my mother’s side of the family), on the 30th day of August in 1995, but things went for the worse! I, along with my family, began to face more moments of turmoil. That August, after standardized testing, I started the 5th grade in Horizon Elementary. I became extremely passionate about singing (at this time), so I chose to enter the school’s chorus. I also took part in the school’s store, an activity where I sold fun school supplies to the other children. I excelled in school and received many certificates which included my favorite subjects: art and music. But this achievement was bittersweet; it made me more of an outcast to my relatives.
By the time I was 10 years old, I independently entertained and educated myself about the world by reading nonfiction books. My imagination only grew, as I reminisced about living in New York: riding the substation, going to the statue of liberty, looking at the tall buildings, having a caterpillar transform into a butterfly when attending P.S. 167, vomiting in the school bus, picking apples, and collecting leaves- and all the movies we left behind. In Florida, I learned to swim and ride my bike, we played baseball, counted the palm trees, and played Punch Buggy as we watched the cars go by.
Prior to graduating elementary, on the 4th day of April in 1996, I received The Sacrament of The Holy Eucharist with the family of God at St. Bernard. I attended Bair Middle School from 1996 to 1998 and soon after my Holy Communion, I became an altar server for two years, as I was suggested to follow in my cousin’s footsteps at the Serra Club of Broward County. I was awarded a certificate in appreciation for continuing service to the parish community by helping in the celebration of the Eucharist, on the 24th day of October in 1998 and on the 16th day of October in 1999.
I grew up as a Catholic and I was baptized as an infant. I took part in The Eucharist, also known as Holy Communion, then became an altar server for a couple of years. A little along the way (as time went by), I converted to Christianity. Like any other religion, once you have converted, their goal is to convince you that their path is righteous and superior to any other; hence, their path is the right path. But that all just went up in smoke!
Sfumato, as the word is defined by Michael J. Gelb in one of his best sellers, How to Think like Leonardo Da Vinci, “Sfumato is a willingness to embrace ambiguity, paradox, and uncertainty.” (Gelb, 2009).
I was not my best self when I was deeply religious; I was advocating the text in the bible (as if it were the law) and I was terribly angry with everyone and God! Now, I try to keep an open mind and heart to everyone’s opinions and principles. Despite this, I can still easily get lost or overwhelmed by conflict and feel distressed by the despair of others, thus forgetting my own well-being. Therefore, to keep my emotions in balance, I must dwell in my own personal space from time to time. This is when I would contemplate what I am feeling and my notions of life.
Today, I present myself as a secular, agnostic humanist. To me, that means contributing to the success of our human race for the sake of maximizing and keeping our well-being. I like to think of myself as a part of the humanitarian movement that helps maximize benefits and minimizes harm to individuals and society by practicing and sharing secular human values, such as reason, compassion, and hope. My purpose for creating is to increase the likelihood, strength, and effectiveness of our core human values.
On entering High School, I began authoring creative short stories and poems and drawing from observation while I continued to use my imagination to explore a variety of styles and techniques. I began to write and draw every day throughout my four years in High School from 1999 to 2003. On the 12th day of February in 2003, Jacquelin Downey, my former Studio and Drawing A.P. Teacher at Piper High School, wrote a letter of recommendation saying:
“I am writing this recommendation on behalf of Melissa Hernandez, my student for the past four years, in art and advanced A.P. art at Piper H.S. Melissa has the enthusiasm for two people, at least! Her persistent energy and constant work ethic is astonishing. Melissa faces and overcomes challenges that others would shrink from! Melissa has a forceful positive attitude about herself, her world, others, her artwork, and her future. She is deeply committed to making a difference. Melissa’s art skill improves and changes constantly because she pushes the edge all the time… A little further each time… Taking risks with the principles of art and the elements of design. Melissa takes charge of color and line as no other student I have ever had. It is a pleasure to watch her delve deeply into her work and pull out what she pulls out of herself through her art. I recommend Melissa with the utmost respect and confidence in her future.”
As time went by, my strengths grew; I became strong-willed while goal-oriented and empathetically diplomatic, moreover highly skilled with strategic thinking and planning. I completed my Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art from Florida Atlantic University concentrating, for the most part, on drawing and painting in 2011; I graduated magna cum laude, with a general GPA of 3.5/4.0 and 3.7 in my major. Moreover, I graduated from the Educator Preparation Institute at Broward College; I received a Florida’s Graduate Professional Teaching Certificate for proficiency in Professional Preparation and Education Expertise. And as a member of The National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS), I aspire to become an influential leading artist. I hope to help and/or positively inspire other leaders, advocates, and the community at large.
I created a gradually expanding body of work titled, MelissAllegories. This cohesive visual art collection is made up of four groups: At the Garden, The Deep-Sea, Caged-City, and Inside the Cave. Each group takes place in a different setting with different main characters who are all interconnected, and together they stand for a multitude of metaphors that are combined to communicate secular principles and values.
I strive to serve humanity through ingenuity: cleverness, originality, and inventiveness in the storytelling arts which stimulates and allows growth/self-development and human flourishing. My work focuses on secular virtues, human capabilities, and simple truths; it embodies notions of a garden as it relates to cultivating growth and nourishment. I am an indirect functional, Artist-Philosopher and Visual Writer creating a fictitious world to advocate secular virtues.
My artistic style has been subconsciously influenced by and developed out of boundless ideas, drawn forth from American culture, universal themes, and an openness to foreign ideology. I aim to reveal simple truths (hence, provoke thought, curiosity, inquisitiveness, and personal growth) through constructing allegorical depictions and storytelling. To enrich the quality of all (different) walks of life (e.g., lawyers, plumbers, hairdressers, etc.), I hope to inspire and empower people to act with authenticity, honesty, and integrity while focusing on the greater good; as a result, increasing the quality of humanity (or life in its entirety) and bringing about positive social change.
Reference:
Gelb, M. J. (2009). How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day. Random House Publishing Group.