We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kayla May Suarez. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kayla May below.

Kayla May, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I had the opportunity as a kid to tap into my creativity in many different ways. Mostly because I was so wrapped up in my imagination and spent a lot of time in solitude. I was always talking to myself, or to Spirit in a way that was weird and alarming to peers. My parents reinforced that I had a gift. In high school I had the choice to attend a college prep art high school. I was taught by working artists who helped me develop a work ethic for my craft at a young age. I was also taught the importance and the responsibility for an artist early on. I looked up to musicians like Bob Marley and John Lennon who always stood up for what they believed in. After high school I went to an acting conservatory. As a storyteller and performer, I am informed by my journey, the terrain, the people I meet, and the conversations I have. I didn’t grow up in ballet school or playing sports and I used to wish I did, as I’ve gotten older I realize that’s part of what makes me who I am today. I love learning, and I love being a student. I don’t know if I’d change anything about my journey, but I do wish I kept all my journals.

Kayla May, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My main practice a is rooted in my healing practice that includes research and reflection through movement and writing. I hope my work, and anything I share or create helps those to return to themselves so that they can return to their community. I am a multi hyphenated artist. I started performing and storytelling at an early age. Over the years, my work has transformed as my own interests and values did, I have been on a personal journey to reclaim my identity and narrative. Decolonization and liberation work is instrumental in this. I lead and believe in the 3 eyes/i’s: integrity, intuition, and intention. I hope to build worlds where dreaming is essential and our communities can cultivate the imagination of the youth.

A theme in my work is memory and play, and a bit of social commentary. I am always in the process of reclaiming my dreams, my collective history, and my personal narrative. I have been in the process since 2016 and healing in various community spaces. I work in many mediums, writing of all forms, digital creation, video, visual art, collages, storytelling. I share them all publicly through my social media platforms and my website, kaylamayps.com

I am most proud of my book of recollections, stories, and poems, ‘Said and Done’ It was self published in spring of 2022, and I am now in the process of creating an audio/visual aid to support the writing.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

My version of a thriving, creative ecosystem would require a society that supports artists pays artists and artist adjacent jobs, a living wage. It also means that artists have the freedom and the responsibility to reflect the World they want to live in. A supportive environment doesn’t demonize artists when an artist holds institutions accountable for the harm they cause, a supportive artist environment returns the agency back to the artist.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Whether it’s my own journey, raising awareness during the Black Lives Matter movement, sharing resources about health and safety during the height of the pandemic, and now in solidarity of liberation of the Palestinian people and all occupied places, I think it’s important to be vocal about the things that I believe in, the causes that are aligned in my values and are in support of a decolonized land/body.

My advice to anyone who is starting out on social media and is building an audience is to push past the fear and lean into the unknown. Get curious and share your process. There’s a misconception about the polished nature of social media, but I don’t believe you can build an authentic community with perfection. You can start by sharing your perspective, share what you know, and then continue to share as you continue to grow. Finding those points of connection with others is what is going to build something real, online or in person.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kaylamayps.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/kaylamay.zing
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@KaylaMay.ProjectS

Image Credits
Richard Shui, Ursula Undead, David Spector, Ron Spencer / Christina Linskey