Happy Birthday, Sulu DC

What a weekend.

Friday night, I was back at my alma mater (University of Maryland) for the Sulu DC College Showcase for the FUEL Conference. On Saturday afternoon, I was on a panel with Amanda Lee and Eddie Lee of The Jubilee Project discussing the intersections of art and identity. Then Saturday night we celebrated the 2nd birthday of Sulu DC! It was such a great feeling spending the entire weekend being an artist and wearing my Sulu DC hat. That’s the goal, folks. To do art and run Sulu DC full-time (ok, so I do Sulu DC practically full-time right now but the goal is to be able to live off this labor of love).

On the panel, our moderator, Sulu DC’s very own Director of Communications, Megan Pagado, asked us the question: What keeps you motivated? I struggled to answer the question in front of students because I couldn’t remember. Not that I blanked out. It’s just that certain details and moments of your life cloud your mind and I couldn’t recall the last time I was truly motivated to write, perform, and lead Sulu DC. Then last night, as the Anniversary Show was about to wrap up, and I was responsible for closing out the show by presenting the Sulu DC House Award and Sulu DC Star Award, I remembered.

It’s seeing the beautiful faces of our audience. It’s their laughter, even their discomfort. It’s folks lingering after the show to chat, to build with one another. It’s the joy I see in the Sulu Star System’s faces when we’re together.

All afternoon I’ve been trying to recall how I felt the day after Sulu DC’s first anniversary in 2010. Aside from cleaning up frozen Coke from the kitchen wall and nearly severing my right index finger, I remember feeling full, blessed, exhausted and really glad it was over. My heart is full this year also, but it feels different. Probably because Sulu DC has changed so much this past year–it’s truly evolved into a star system–a cluster of stars who together create something even bigger and brighter than each individual star ever could. As cheesy as that may be, it is true.

Despite the days when the responsibilities of leading this organization really drain and drag me down, all of me–my head, heart, and spirit–are looking forward to 2012. I know for sure that we’ve got an incredible year ahead of us and we can’t wait to share it with the city.