I can’t believe I’m typing this. But! My show ‘We Are Culture’ @standardbankarts opened on Saturday. (My nervous opening speech) “Growing up, I was taught that to be taken seriously you needed to be a doctor, a lawyer, an accountant. Luckily, I sucked at school. So my only option was to become the creative genius I am today. I never had the family connections or the big industry players opening doors for me. I just had to keep kicking down every door I could find, carving out tiny pockets of opportunity where I could. I often think about those days when I was starting out. Everything I’ve done in my career is for that younger version of me. To lift that baby Bee up, show her her true power. And now we're here. And you guys - the artists - are lifting me up. Through this process - I feel like I've had to unlearn and relearn everything about the creative process. The level of truth you guys tap into, how personal and vulnerable you are in your work - has been a beautiful lesson for me. This generation doesn't play by the rules that’s we had to play by. It brings me a lot of peace to see you guys breaking your generational traumas and showing us how it's done. Thank you for pushing all of us to think differently. There are so many people to be grateful for - I'm gonna have to pull you all aside over the next few weeks and tell you what you mean to me. My family, my loved ones, my beautiful community that carried me through this experience. My Sillage team - @julie.machin and @chlomoolala I love you guys deeply. You stepped in at a really dark time for nothing! I’ll never forget it. Jamal and the whole @bubblegumclubbb - you took this experience to another level. The @standardbankarts team- especially the brilliant Dr. Same for being a visionary and my probono therapist. To all the loved ones, friends and family of every artist who held them through this crazy process, thank you all. We all stand on the shoulders of giants. This show is just the beginning. Thank you to anyone who supported us in any way. The future is in good hands. We Are Culture @standardbankarts 17th Sept- 8 Oct ‘22