What is Bright Colors?

Bright Colors is currently the most important project in my artistic practice. Bright Colors is the body of music I began composing in 2020, after my partner at the time, Iesha Spence--light and progress to her spirit--passed away unexpectedly. Bright Colors is also the name of a series of three concerts in which I will perform this body of music in its entirety. These concerts will be presented free-to-the-public at three venues across Brooklyn, NY, specifically:

September 21st, 2025, 1PM, at Ornithology Jazz Club (6 Suydam St, Brooklyn)

October 8th, 2025, 6PM, at the Library for Arts and Culture (10 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn)

(One more performance at a To-Be-Determined place and time)

All three concerts will be recorded, and the best takes will be compiled into a live album for general release.

Why is Bright Colors important?
 
Grief is a universal part of human life. Where there is life, there will be death. What "death" means, exactly, is different depending on who you ask, and most people will admit that the true meaning of death is, in some way, a mystery. That being said, death is everywhere, and nearly all of us can think of at least one person we love who no longer occupies a physical body.

Despite death's omnipresence, it remains a socially-taboo topic. Bright Colors will help to address the lack of discourse available on death and grief, by exploring more deeply the definitions of life and death.

For us survivors, we need to make offerings to our beloved dead. It heals us, it gives us purpose. It combats the overwhelming feelings of powerlessness that occur when someone we love was taken from us without our say. I could not find a way to go on living--truly living, not just surviving--without also finding ways to make offerings to the spirit of Iesha Spence. That is why I needed to make Bright Colors--it is the offering to her that I know how to make.

Because of the ubiquitousness of death, I know I'm far from the only one who has struggled with the feelings I've described. With Bright Colors, I intend not only to heal myself and empower Iesha, but also to inspire, guide, and motivate all mourners to make offerings to their own beloved dead.

How will the funds from this campaign be used?

The $1500 I'm seeking represents a portion of the total budget of this project. In May, I was notified that I was a recipient of the Local Arts Support grant from Brooklyn Arts Council. Read about BAC and what they do here:

https://www.brooklynartscouncil.org/what-we-do

And for a complete list of 2025 BAC grantees, follow this link:

https://www.brooklynartscouncil.org/what-we-do-grants-2025-grantees.

I am so grateful to be able to say that I've received $2500 from BAC towards the completion of the Bright Colors project. That means my total project is already 62.5% funded, before this crowdfunding campaign begins. Here's what the BAC funds are being used for:

$1000 flat fee for my recording engineer to record sound at three live performances, then mix and master 9 tracks.

$1500 towards musicians' fees -- four musicians, not including myself, who will be paid $150 per person for each of three concerts. (If you do the math, you'll notice the total musician fee is $1800...that's where this crowdfunding campaign starts to come in!)

Now, here is how I would use $1500, if we can raise that much through this campaign:

$300 to cover the portion of musician fees not covered by the BAC grant.

$300 to cover rental fees of venues.

$300 to cover transportation fees necessary for bringing instruments and equipment to those venues which don't have a backline.

$100 to promote concerts via social media to a wider audience in NYC.

$500 to pay myself for performing in concerts and for my administrative work on this entire project (this can also be used as a "safety net" fund incase extra transportation fees or unexpected expenses are incurred in the completion of this project).

Thank you.

If you have read this far, then I deeply appreciate the time you have already invested. Please consider joining the team of people who are empowering me to make this dream of mine a reality. If you are not able to contribute financially, then sharing this campaign with your loved ones would still mean the world to me. If you are able to contribute financially, please explore the rewards being offered for varying donation levels. Once again, truly, thank you. I cannot wait to share Bright Colors with you all once it is completed.