by kelly shaw nyala
*snowflake’s* birth is a fat story.
there is sometimes power in keeping things concise, however.
and maybe, honestly, it’s all more simple than i allude to.
nearly 20 years ago, i studied voice. opera shit.
auditioned (completely out of body with nerves) for the Conservatory of Music. got in.
quit pretty quickly after arriving/trying out the intensive coursework/surviving rape on campus …
and i’ve been on an expedition since to rediscover my voice on my own terms and
in my own time whilst working to recenter/reclaim/ground my pussy and throat chakra thru
explorations in experimental poetry, performance art, living in the jungle, Ayahuasca-depths with beautiful Taita Juanito, deep story-sharing with amazing womxn in sacred settings + + + +
~ ~ ~ ~
i experimented this past summer (2020) with my collaborator, Or Nah, on some DIY rapper girl i$h, and i knew that while back in Brooklyn, i wanted to reach out to dear supporter of my work and fellow humble artist, Steve Narvaez, to make a solo rap song. i shared with Steve my love of early 2000’s Icelandic music (namely the glitchy sparkling magic of Múm) and he subsequently (practically on the spot) made the catchy-meets-ethereal beat dubbed *snowflake,*
sent it home with me,
i wrote/channeled the lyrics,
came back to Steve’s crib a couple weekends later,
we practiced / vibed a bit / water sign things / candles / creation / i got great notes from him,
then we met up with BLK ZEN of 1166 the following week-ish.
Zen added his unique and vibrant wizardry to our nearly completed song,
and today, a full moon in Leo birthday for *snowflake!!*
in my work, i def travel between realms angelic and alien, grounded and “out there,” tough and sweet, accessible and far away– a lot of seeming opposites with an undeniable + innate return (ultimately) to the core of my being, which is magical farm girl talking to ocean animals and wildflowers over people … a peace-warrior thru the pain of what was … into the hopeful future of something more joyful, sustainable, and de$erving.
(peep the lyrics below if you please.)
~ ~ ~ ~
*snowflake* is an original song x kelly shaw nyala, aka: reinita sweet snake
// made in Brooklyn, January 2021 //
beat + production + rad support in artistry’s name x STEVE NARVAEZ
additional recording + production x BLK ZEN of elevensixtysix
foto x Statia Grossman
**lyrics**
ima bruja / ima bitch / earnin green dat money rich /
rising up the honey tip / Oshun always in the mix /
prayin fierce like an angel / no more demons / no more tangle /
this the face of a girl no longer at yuh angle /
beckon call / so last Fall / i don do your bullshit crawl /
reinita sweet snake / here to bake her own cake /
frosting high like my thighs / thick as thieves /
roll up my sleeves / burning hawt / oven grease /
over out flex my peace /
snowflake mami / goddess like origami / fractal state /
unique take on that farmgirl gate /
freeze a bitch out if she pretend wit me / they call me ice kween /
but ima sweetie …
… sweetie / lick it slow like ice cream /
rising moon in pisces /
aint nobody like me /
– – (i be moving on)- –
About the author
kelly shaw nyala (née Willman) is an (experimental/outsider) performance artist. as a performance artist, she blends sound, installation, & ritual; she gravitates towards sites in nature. her largest project to date, new/mind/ritualz, launched in the spring of 2014; it is a 56-movement performance art offering released one movement at a time. new/mind/ritualz ultimately explores memories, demonstrates moments of personal growth in the present, & invokes rituals of healing + action for the collective future. with deep listening and humbled permission as the foundation, the artist navigates ongoing intimate conversations with womxn creatives, medicine women, womxn elders, social justice voices, & trauma survivors, resulting in art material that threads itself throughout new/mind/ritualz. kelly also praises The Black Woman as Gawd– an honoring that appears in her every work. she expresses rich relationships to Oshun, Yemaya, and Oya. in addition to a daily art practice, an Afrikan-rich spiritual practice inspires her deeply. the artist is loyal to issues concerning the systemic oppression of all marginalized peoples. her blossoming expertise, however, is in reppin those born with a milli extra pores (artist-healers) who are more likely as a result of trauma, lack of access to compassionate mental health treatment & familial/social support, to fall thru the cracks of American society. kelly identifies as an empath + highly sensitive person + introvert, a feminist, bruja, reinita, bad bitch, homebody, poet, writer, beadworker, a practiced shadow worker, mental wellness advocate, generational trauma pattern breaker, an anti-rape activist, independent researcher, & experientially engaged voice on recovery with Complex PTSD. kelly was raised among the cornfields of Eastern Iowa, & has lived in Brooklyn, Costa Rica, & Thailand.
Learn more at kellyshawwillman.blogspot.com
Follow her on Instagram @kelly.shaw.nyala
