Some support is all you need to keep your passion burning—a message from Zander Cloud
Dear PHAME community,
I am a 19-year-old—soon to be 20—autistic person, always finding ways to express myself through my own kind of art.
I joined YouTube when I was 14, with the purpose of making short, small and funny videos. I would talk about my videos with my parents, but I don't get a lot of attention on the internet.
It’s my favorite type of art, because once you post on the internet, no matter what, it will stay there for the rest of your life, and onward—in a way, you’re making a legacy for yourself. My art is so important to me, but for a while, I didn’t have the encouragement I needed to keep going.
Then, in December 2020, I found PHAME and I signed up for an online Video Production class.
Honestly, it makes me tear up in happiness at how supportive PHAME is. Some support is all you need to keep your passion burning.
If you have an artistic passion, PHAME will have your back. This is why PHAME is so important—and it’s why I’m writing to you to ask you to support PHAME today.
I hope you’ll consider making your contribution today. All gifts made by June 30 will be matched, up to $10,000, so your contribution has double the impact.
And the impact you have is so important—PHAME has definitely changed my life for the better.
I wouldn’t be as confident in my art without the support I get from PHAME—and I might not be making any videos at all. My morale plummeted in the months after I graduated high school in the midst of the pandemic. I had found that having an audience works both ways—sometimes it was demoralizing. I posted videos on TikTok and there’s a certain amount of negativity on there. Not constructive criticism—people saying things that are meant to tear you down
That’s my favorite part about PHAME, encouragement from teachers and other students to continue what you’re doing. I love singing songs and creating videos and stories; I get to express myself in ways that don’t give me a whole lot of pressure while also giving it my all.
My love of music started when I was a toddler. I used to have musical traditions for everyday things, like lunch and going to bed. Eventually, this set off a chain of reactions that made music my blood. I wasn’t a fan of pop music when I was a kid, which is crazy because I absolutely LOVE it now. I distinctly remember myself, a 10-year-old kid, listening to the radio on the way home, and Dynamite by Taio Cruz starts playing. It was the first pop song I loved.
It’s part of why I love being in Rock Ensemble at PHAME. I get to sing music I adore. And just like theater in my high school years, it feels like a second family.
PHAME has given me so much confidence that, when I was chosen to perform with some other members of Rock Ensemble recently, I was ecstatic. I’m really looking forward to performing more, and hanging out with other people was one of the most fun experiences at PHAME so far.
This community has been very welcoming. It’s hard to put into words. All the love thrown around. Between the students, audiences, and PHAME friends like you, I feel so lucky to have found PHAME.
Recently, I fell in love with a new song, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from Encanto. With my obsession with singing and my video editing skills, I made a video where I sang all the parts and combined them. My goal with the videos I make is to get it out there to the world. Every time I finish something it’s always so satisfying.
This time, I showed my video off at the PHAME Cabaret, and I posted it. It’s the first video I’m really proud of—it’s good, and it’s so me, all the things I love most all in one piece of art.
I’m so glad I found PHAME to feed my passion for music, for singing, and for making videos. I’m so glad I have this community. And I’m so excited to see where my art will take me next.
Please make your contribution today.
Sincerely,
W. Zander Cloud
PHAME Student
P.S. Your contribution fuels the passion and ambition that keep us artists going—and you can have double the impact you have when you make your contribution before June 30.