“Just Be You” is the mantra that Tatyana Mack uses to describe her most valuable take away from the ARTreprenuer program with Artserve. This program allows local teenagers who have a love for the arts to take their passion and launch an arts-based theater business. Not only are they given the tools to start a business but work with theater professionals to develop the skills to write, direct and produce their own plays. With performing in her blood passed down from her grandmother, Tatyana took to the task of writing and directing her first play –Beauty Within.
Tatyana’s muse was her experiences of being teased about her appearance when she was younger. As a child her mother’s words always rang loudest. “You are beautiful not only on the outside, but also inside ”. Tatyana embraces her uniqueness; it’s her mission to show the path to triumph over hecklers. “I wanted to put all this in the story to share with people and make it understandable “.
Beauty Within is about a young girl –Sasha Smith who has vitiligo. As she struggles with digging skin deep to discover her value; she is simultaneously losing her best friend to teenage fame-popularity. The taunting and feelings of awkwardness about her skin causes her to sit in the shadows. Through the encouragement from a teacher Sasha realizes her gift in writing. As she develops her writing skills, she begins to see her value and the courage to stand up to her taunter, her best friend.
Just as Sasha found her voice, so has Tatyana. She has moved past sitting to the side.
Tatyana said, “Within in the program, I was just trying to put on a mask to blend in with everything. I noticed the moment I said, that I am not going to do that; this is what is good, this is what I think is creative ; let’s work together and try to blend our creative minds and make this great . That’s when things began to happen. When I spoke out and was being myself things started to work.”
This upcoming senior says she knows that she is meant to perform and be on stage. She is a writer who desires to write books and inspirational poetry as well. She has clarity of purpose, “I want to inspire people to be themselves, be original, know your worth, love who you are and don’t compare yourself to others”. Just Be You!