Athens Drive is filled to the brim with talented people. There are artists, actors, musicians, athletes, writers and photographers. Athens Blueprints likes to put that talent on display. This year they asked students to submit their creations to be showcased in their gallery. One such student, Neaveh Brooks, junior, submitted a total of five creations of her own; three art pieces and two original songs.

“I took magazines that I found and l put them on paper… I took my pictures from…a fashion magazine, I guess it was feminine forward,” said Brooks, “I think being a woman and especially a black woman, I’m always going to be limited and being able to show that I can do exactly what every man can do is important.”

Brooks is a part of the Athens Drive Torch and used the skills she has gained to put together her three art pieces. These art pieces are collages from magazines, expressing Brooks own feminist ideals. Inspired by her family and background, Brooks has always been an activist and a feminist. Having grown up in a very political black family that marched and instilled their ideas in her, she has learned that she is so much more than her skin colour or her gender. These ideas are depicted in the art pieces.
“I come from a long line of black women and men who have done similar things like me,” said Brooks, “I think it’s important to me to have the responsibility of doing something good for the people around me.”

Brooks also submitted two original songs, “Kid” and “Broken Heart Syndrome.” Both songs are based on her own experiences. “Kid” follows the changes that come with high school, from feeling lost inside yourself and wanting freedom but not being able to achieve it. Brooks wrote this song inspired by her experiences in the beginning years of high school. She found that it was difficult for her to navigate and adapt to these newfound changes in her life.
“[Kid] explains how high school is and how hard it is to navigate it when you don’t really have anything. It’s kinda just about wanting to have that freedom but not really having it,” said Brooks.
Broken Heart Syndrome, on the other hand, is about a self-fulfilling prophecy, A reflection of past relationships that have been mostly one-sided. Brooks noted that even though she hasn’t been in many relationships, crushes can hurt just as much.
“At the end of the day, the reason they hurt is that you made this perfect image of that person and they didn’t live up to it, thus resulting in you breaking your own heart,” said Brooks.

Both songs are meaningful to Brooks because they are based on her personal experiences. She wants to continue being creative and continue songwriting after high school. However, she doesn’t yet know what field she wants to go into. She loves being creative, and she doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.
“No matter what it is that I’m going to do, people will always see either my skin colour or gender first,” said Brooks, “But being active and proactive, it lowers the chance for people to see me as not only that but as a person.”