June 18, 2020

Meet Shae Johnson

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shae Johnson.

Shae, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve always been a creative person since a child. During my late teens, I started to have severe anxiety and seemed help in therapy, which lead to me being diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Moderate Depression. To work through my struggling mental health, I started to journal my feelings. As a way to make my feelings easier to digest, I turned my feelings into poetry. Writing poetry became my way of expressing myself in a beautiful way without feeling so heavy. It helped me do the work that has to lead to me overcoming my depression. Poetry helped me find my voice and now I want to use my experience to help others find their voice. I released my first book, Soul Tea, in March 2019. Since then, I have been able to reach so many people who speak highly of my words. I have been able to help people understand their feelings and feel heard. I am now working on my second poetry book.

Has it been a smooth road?
My journey has not been a smooth journey. One thing that I can say about healing is that it is not linear. There has been so many ups and downs. While battling my depression, I lost my grandmother, who was a big part in my life. That pushed me into a darker place. It took real determination, honesty, and support from my tribe to help get me out of that space. I used my poetry to work through the emotions that came with that. Also, during that time, I went through a transformation spiritually that helped me shift my perspective on life. I went from not wanting to live to wanting to live the greatest life that I could. I now have an understanding that my journey has created a better, stronger me.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
I like to call myself simply a Creator. But to break it down, I am a storyteller. I write poetry, fiction and screenplays. Though poetry is my specialty, I like to create stories to honor my expansive imagination. My book, Soul Tea, has to lead me into a bigger field to create. So far, that’s my greatest accomplishment. It’s something that really shines a light on my heart and mind.

I have also done modeling and designing. I did modeling for five years and ran my own t-shirt line from 2012-2013. Each field has helped me network and meet some amazing people that I can still depend on today. I would say that’s another accomplishment for me–building some dope relationships. I would say that my passion sets me apart. I am fully aware of my purpose in this lifetime. Just like anyone else, I want to be financially stable but it’s not my number 1 goal. I want to help people. Help them find their healing, their voice and their purpose. I want to be a light to others.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love the diversity of Detroit. There are so many different kinds of artists and creatives. But I’d love for it to be more events and spaces for these artists to truly allow their art to flourish.

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Ally Baird (event pictures) and Christon Marie

Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.