We were lucky to catch up with Tonya Blue- Shelby recently and have shared our conversation below.

Tonya , appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

In the last few years, I have friends who have lost a parent(s). This part of the adult journey is not one any child wants to travel. No one is ever prepared no matter if there was an illness or unexpected turn of events, no one want to travel this road. My friends/family grieved and mourned in different ways and all I wanted to do was help. Birthday’s, holiday’s and especially Mother’s / Father’s Day are always the hardest and many of my friends shut down during that time of year. Most of the time we don’t know what to say to a friend dealing with such a loss, and I was no different recently supporting my husband during the passing of his dad. When words won’t do action will. I believe love is an action word and it was time to move. I wanted my husband, friends, and cousins to know they were prayed and thought of, so I began. My collages are of women whose faces or bodies are covered with words to tell a story or give a statement of empowerment. Our bodies say what our lips wont. The pictures I created for those whose moms or dad who had passed away would speak a message reminding them of a parent’s love. I took to Facebook looking for pictures of my friends and their mom/dads and created scenes of them together enjoying a drink, the garden, golfing, running a marathon, singing a song or a similar pose. The words were ones a parent would say to a child to remind them they are still with them. Although all were meaningful, two meant the most. My God sister’s mom died of breast cancer when she was nine. She only had pictures with her as a child, I was able to create a picture with her and mom as an adult standing side by side. The second one was for my best friend who mom died at 16. She did not have the opportunity to take mother daughter pictures at her wedding. I created a collage of her and her mom in their wedding dresses holding the same bouquet. The collage pictures went from the east to the west coast with no one knowing what they were until they opened them. I have kept every text and voicemail message from each recipient. The tears and shouts of appreciate were enough for me to continue my collaging. There is healing in words, and I am blessed to help others heal with my work.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was a middle school English teacher for 19 years before leaving the profession. I was a part of the burned-out bullied educator’s community. The school system had become the bully and I was the kid getting my butt kicked on the playground. I couldn’t take it anymore. I began collaging in 2017 as a way to decompress and release the day that held me captive. I was a not a natural artist, I was the teacher who drew stick figures to help my students visualize, but I was a master storyteller. I wrote stories and had previously self-published my first book that focused on teacher trauma and how it manifests in the students we teach. I never knew that my story telling would morph into tangible pictures. Collaging provided me peace while looking through magazines. I wondered what the woman in the picture was thinking. As women we hide behind “ok” and “I’m fine” because we lack the courage to allow our mouths to speak our truth, never realizing our bodies do it for us. With collaging I would be able to do what I had not done myself tell the truth. SPEAK- up and out! Collaging became an artist expression of telling the truth for women who were voiceless and allowed me to heal.

Teachers are standing in front of children, tired, doubtful and unsuccessfully creating a prosperous work life balance. Many like me were looking for restoration from the school systems we served and never received a true reprieve. I found that this statement was not just true for educators, but healthcare workers, and corporate institutions. There is a great need to provoke, inspire, and activate discussions for healing and opportunities for restoration that should not have to wait until the weekend or holiday. Educate, Teach, Create workshops provide this opportunity- to restore, rejuvenate and revive our sense of purpose. My workshops are an example of interdependence mixed media collaging and professional learning experiences. We take time to play in order to revisit our purpose, reflect on our well-being and create an artistic expression based on the acronym P.A.U.S. E. ETC. workshops create an environment for participants to speak honestly and to work with their hands without demand.

I am most proud of the restorative community created, strengthened work relationships, and the opportunity to support others in a new way during my sessions. These practices are continued after the workshops concludes and the participants have a tangible reminder to P.A.U.S,E whenever they deem it necessary. Participants are welcomed to become a part of the UN-Monday-ed Tribe, to listen to my Happy Un-Monday-eD podcast (1st and 3rd Monday of the month) and to participate in our Wellness Writing Sessions (held on the 3rd Wednesday from September to June. Yes, I still follow a teacher’s schedule and take a recess for my own well-being).

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to learn that fear is not a reliable leader and to unlearn living as if I had control over it. I didn’t bet on myself or my artistic abilities. I never saw what I did as being enough. I realized little Tonya was showing up in spaces and taking the lead when making decisions about myself and my abilities. I was bullied as a child (black girl with freckles) and an adult (wanting to be respected and valued as a school teacher) and believed I had overcome the effects of it. I thought I was moving confidently in humility, but it was fear dressed in humble attire wearing a mask still trying to hide the black girl with freckles.. I looked for validation from others because when you are bullied as a child that is where your sense of acceptance grows, in the hands of someone else. I had to unlearn validation and accept verification of what I already possessed. I had to believe if I was being called to do something, create something, write something, I already had everything I needed within me to complete it. I just needed to move in it.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Helping others begin their healing journey through artistic reflection and expression is my purpose. Words have more than one meaning and because we are only familiar with one definition we discount the others not used in our daily vocabulary. What I find most rewarding while creating is the ability to manifest the origin of words and the multiple definitions through my work. A story is always evident but you may have to engage in conversations to unearth it. When working with words and faces we discover and not announce what a word means to the viewer and the creator of the collage. This is not a math problem, there is no wrong answer. What I hope is the following results, that my work guides my audience to find the words and the language they didn’t know they acquired or needed to express themselves in a new way; therefore healing what was hidden but there all along. I learned to emotionally exhale while creating and I hope the same for those who engage with my work.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tonyablue.com
• Instagram: Tonya Blue Shelby
• Facebook: Tonya Shelby
• Twitter: BluePurseLady
• IG: Tbshelby

Image Credits
Greenmount West Community Center Radnet