“You already are the standard. What are you trying to fit into a standard for? We were each created to be individual standards, you know. And we’re trying to fit into a standard? It doesn’t make any sense, you know. So now I’m just, you know, after all that, I’m just ready to be me.”-Lauryn Hill, Interlude 5, MTV Unplugged No. 2.0
olaiya olayemi is a blk/trans/femme/womxxxn/anti-disciplinary artist/educator/and organizer. she has performed at Brooklyn Arts Exchange, JACK, AAA3A, metaDEN, The Wild Project, The Langston Hughes House, Starr Bar, Mayday Space, and Dixon Place. she holds a b.a. in english/creative writing from depaul university and a m.f.a. in creative writing from emerson college where she was a recipient of the Dean’s Fellowship. she is a 2019-2020 Performance Fellow in Queer Art’s mentorship program, a Fall 2020 Brooklyn Arts Exchange Space Grantee, and a 2020-2021 American Woman Fellow in Dramatic Question Theatre’s American Woman Lab. she currently lives in philadelphia.
TAP Work:
“By participating in TAP, I have been able to see ways to bring together art, education, and social justice in the classroom. It has been a pleasure to explore collaboration and inclusivity in art through my fieldwork track. I feel like I have the tools to teach classes where students can collaborate with each other to make a project that brings together many art forms/mediums.”
Most Memorable TAP Moment:
“My most memorable moment in TAP is when I facilitated an activity for our first salon. I was a little nervous, but everything turned out great. People really seemed to enjoy my “anti-disciplinary” approach and I got really positive feedback from the other trainees.”
Find out more about Olaiya here:
“bantu knots and bugattis”
no beamers benzes or bentleys for me
i just wanna live naturally and free
one with the moon and one with the sea
no outward signs of prosperity
hell naw i don’t want yr wealth
y’all don’t even love y’allselves
strivin for wealth is bad for yr health
strivin for wealth is bad for yr health
strivin for wealth is bad for yr health
strivin for wealth is bad for yr health
no wigs or weaves or perms for me
ain’t nuthin wrong with it
it’s just not my thing
all i need is kinks/coils/and serenity
no outward signs of prosperity
all i need is my box braids and bantu knots
i don’t need yr bugattis
that shit ain’t hot
hell naw i don’t want yr wealth
yall don’t even love yallselves
strivin for wealth is bad for yr health
strivin for wealth is bad for yr health
strivin for wealth is bad for yr health
strivin for wealth is bad for yr health
i don’t believe in respectability to gain prosperity
i don’t believe in respectability to gain prosperity
i don’t believe in respectability to gain prosperity
i don’t believe in respectability to gain prosperity
no louis/gucci/or fendi for me
i just want to live naturally and free
one with the flowers and one with the trees
full of love/peace/and harmony
hell naw i don’t want yr wealth
i just wanna love myself
strivin for wealth is bad for yr health
strivin for wealth is bad for yr health
strivin for wealth is bad for yr health
strivin for wealth is bad for yr health
i don’t believe in respectability to gain prosperity
i don’t believe in respectability to gain prosperity
i don’t believe in respectability to gain prosperity
i don’t believe in respectability to gain prosperity
strivin for wealth is bad for yr health
strivin for wealth is bad for yr health
strivin for wealth is bad for yr health
strivin for wealth is bad for yr health
blk love is blk wealth/and yall don’t even love yallselves/hell naw
