OFFICIALLY OFFICIAL… OFFICIALLY!

For the entirety of my life thus far, my mother has instilled in me a love and respect for my Choctaw heritage. Over the past few years, I finally quit procrastinating and got enrolled in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, where my mother, her sisters, and grandfather are all registered.

Out of the many benefits of being enrolled, the one that piqued my interest immediately was the Artist Registry. As the name aptly suggests, it is a list of registered Choctaw artists of varying mediums. Though the majority of my work is client based and not Choctaw or Native-specific, I figured I would chance it anyway and apply for registration.

Well, your boy is movin’ on up… ‘cause I was accepted and am now an officially registered Choctaw Artist!

I cannot begin to express how stoked I am on this. In all honesty, being a hybrid (Choctaw / Irish / Scottish / Other) with a big ol’ beard, I don’t always feel accepted in the Native community. It mostly stems from the imposter syndrome I carry over from being an artist, actor, musician and writer (creatives, you know what I’m talkin’ about). But, this goes a long way internally to make me feel a little closer to my heritage.

Yakoke (thank you) to all of you who support me mentally, physically and / or financially. I sure do love you all.

BP