Today we’d like to introduce you to Alana Michelle Howard.
Hi Alana Michelle, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started working in the performing arts at a very young age. I come from a very artistic family, so my earliest memories include making music in our at-home studio with my dad, choreographing dances with my cousins for community showcases, and rehearsing lines for grade school plays. My first professional performing arts experience was my participation in a large-scale dance production called The Chocolate Nutcracker. This experience was imprinted in my memory and fueled my creative arts interest even when life pulled me away from my artistic work. After COVID-19, I decided to get serious about being a professional artist by returning to school at Savannah State University. Prior to that, I’d been living an unconventional life, living in an old school camper van, selling artwork like a 70s “beach bum” hippie. Fast forward to today, I am privileged to be completing my master’s degree in dance, which has opened so many doors for me to work with local arts organizations, institutions, and professionals to facilitate community programming and produce my own shows which is a very fulfilling full-circle moment for me. I am blessed to do work that I love while impacting the youth to make an impact on future generations through art.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As I mentioned, I did live in a van. Although it was my choice, it was a choice I made based on given circumstances. Prior to making the decision, I had become a college dropout. I was an artist in school for business; as you could imagine, I was extremely bored and uninterested, but young, so still seeking my parents’ approval and validation. I tried to hang on as long as possible but opted out after the 2nd year. At this time, my parents were going through a divorce, so as a young adult, returning home wasn’t a stable option. With a high school diploma and a job at Waffle House, sometime in 2018 was when I was faced with housing insecurity/ instability. This led me to making the best of my situation and pursuing “van life”. During this time, I lived in a well-built 1995 Chevy van, equipped with solar panels, and full sized mattress, and plumbing. I spent most of my days painting canvases, selling my art, and driving up and down the East Coast. My optimistic mindset carried me in that van for about 2 years as I dreamed, envisioned, and wrote out the life I wanted to live while also appreciating what I had. Some days were great; some were very dark, as I was forced to face the realities of my situation. The realities of the fact that I’d experienced and witnessed a good amount of childhood trauma and abuse that affected my development as a child and bled into my adulthood. Being raised to honor your mother and your father meant witnessing and experiencing things that were never meant to be spoken of. Otherwise, that meant bringing shame to the family or biting the hand that feeds me. So although I understood those factors, when you’re parked in a Planet Fitness parking lot, sitting on the floor of an old van at 1 a.m., praying to God, crying your heart out because you’re just confused about how you go from a happy family making art together and off to college, to a college dropout living in a van, you wonder how you got here, what you did wrong, and wish things were better. And in the midst of a late-night mental-emotional spiraling session, pointing fingers and placing blame serve no purpose. I had to get up, for myself. And in that van is when I witnessed God the most. I can confidently say, it was the spirit of God inside of me that gave me the strength to get up and keep going and it’s the same spirit that keeps me today. So, yes, I’d definitely say living in a van, working through my issues on my own, and creating a plan of action to elevate my life was the greatest personal challenge I had to overcome so far. And I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s built my character in a way that makes things that people see as big fish, small fish to me.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Currently, I’m known for my creative work in the performing arts, specifically in dance. I specialize in African American and traditional West African dance, music, and culture, and how these forms can be used to uplift and unite communities. I am most proud of the fact that I became the person my childhood self needed, and I get to serve my community by being an example of resilience. I’m proud of the fact that I didn’t let life’s challenges harden my heart and that I openly share my artistic work in collaboration with the community. The work I have the privilege to do is so fulfilling, and I’ve been able to see the impact of the work very quickly. I’m just getting started and plan to reach many more people in valuable and meaningful ways. To be specific, I am a dance educator, and I produce, choreograph, and organize dance/performing arts productions. I’ve also been able to enter into the arts admin space through grant writing, which has been game-changing for me as an artist. I think I’d be remiss not to mention my online presence. Online, I am known for the van life journey I embarked on, especially since a large portion of the time I was in the van was during the COVID-19 pandemic. From my van life journey, people know me for my outgoing personality, creativity, and being adventurous. I’ve been told what sets me apart from others is how authentic I am. Since I was raised in poverty by teenage parents, there were things I was taught to value and to never compromise on. And being a leader, standing for something, and being my true self was among the list of those things. So I think although I am college educated, what typically sets me apart is the fact that I never conformed to whatever expectations the world put on me, but rather I remained true to what I felt was best for me. I believed in myself, therefore leaving the world no choice but to believe I am who I am.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Qualities I feel are most important for my success are being able to improvise and pivot. Knowing how to adapt to change and how to be innovative. As a creative and an entrepreneur, you have to be a problem solver. So when issues arise, or when things don’t go as planned, you have to know how to “improvise,” as my dad would tell me, to improvise. Another characteristic I’d say is to be optimistic. To think positively. Thinking positively rather than being a negative Nancy makes or breaks circumstances most times. If a person is able to see and focus on that small piece of hope rather than the large inconvenience. It changes whether people want to work with you or whether you are able to think of solutions to make the situation better. Those are a few things.
Pricing:
- My next dance production is free. It will be Friday, February 26th, 2027 at 6pm in Ann Arbor, MI at the University of Michigan’s Dance Building in their Black Box Performance Theatre
- Alana Michelle Productions Merchandise on my website
Contact Info:
- Website: https://iamalanamichelle.com
- Instagram: @iamalanamichelle
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alana.howard.142/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AlanaMichelle/videos
