13/11/2025
When I was in high school, my art teacher would stop beside my desk, lean over my drawing, and point to the tiny signature tucked in the corner.
“Make it bigger,” he’d say.
At the time it felt like a small comment about a small signature.
The interpretation: Your work deserves to take up space—and so do you.
It became one of the biggest lessons of my life.
Because every time someone asks, “Who are you?” I hear his voice again.
Make it bigger.
You’ve probably experienced it before, feeling like it’s bad to brag — we are so often told that to be “humble” it means shrinking ourselves.
So when the MC for TEDx Detroit asked how I wanted to be introduced (they weren’t reading whole bios) — he wanted to know if “artist and entrepreneur” was ok.
At first, I said yes.
But then I remembered the person who taught me to enlarge the space I allow myself to take up. The mentor who insisted I stop shrinking the value of what I create.
So I stopped, took a breath, and said:
“No—I’d like to be introduced as award-winning.”
He looked at me wide-eyed and replied, “Award-winning artist AND award-winning entrepreneur?”
Yes sir.
This moment isn’t about me.
It’s about the people who saw my greatness before I did.
The teachers, mentors, clients, supporters, friends, family—the ones who refuse to let us hide in the corner of our own lives.
Some people teach technique.
Some people teach courage.
And some people teach you how to sign your name bigger—long before you understand why it matters.
If you’re reading this, consider it your reminder:
✍🏼Make your signature bigger.
🪐Take up space.
💞Own what you’ve earned.
And let those who believe in you echo louder than the ones who don’t.
