The 55 Year Old Version

• Posted on Oct 11, 2020

I watched The Forty-Year-Old Version on Netflix the other night and I thought, “Damn if this Sista is struggling, what should I be feeling/doing at 55?” I have been juggling a career in Early Childhood Education (a career that I have actually come to be an expert at and love) and a life in the arts since the ’90s. Most thoughts of fame and stardom have faded. I continue to sing, act, write and create because it’s like breathing. IT’S WHO I AM. I can’t imagine not thinking and living in a creative way. It is unfortunate that we live in a society that measures your value based on how many people know your name and how much money you make. We all want to have some level of success, but everyone’s definition of success is different. Of course, I want to be compensated for my time, energy, and work, and I would like my work to be respected by other artists. Most importantly, I want my work to continue to make an impact on a crowd or a room of 2. There is nothing like someone sharing that they were having a bad day and listening to one of my tunes or my version of a cover tune turned the day around for them. There is nothing like a parent or classroom teacher sharing that my children’s book Corey’s Dreams prompted conversations between them and their children or students about setting goals and making plans to see their goals realized. There is nothing like running into a young person who I worked with in Pre-k or Kindergarten who has thanked me for teaching them how to write their name.  I have come to understand that using all the gifts that The Creator has given me to make an impact on humanity in a profound and positive way is what moves me the most.  I am blessed to have found and know my purpose. I have discovered and understand the value in that, and it really doesn’t matter what anyone or everyone thinks. I’m going to continue to be an artist in my way. The 55-Year-Old Version of Colie Aziza works for me. I ask The Creator to continue to bless and work through me, and I pray that others working to define their purpose find their way. Ase’

Colie Aziza