Let’s hop on the wayback machine and start with when I was 14. I’d hang out in my dad’s class—he taught a vocational class for ages 16 and up on my high school campus. My summer breaks could get really dull because we lived on the outskirts of town so I’d go to class with him some days just to pass the time. I remember being obsessed with getting a butterfly tattoo on my shoulder. I also wanted to name the child I never wanted to have Noëlle Starlight so we’re clear on why 14-year-olds aren’t allowed to vote and get tattoos.

Sometimes you know the Universe nudges you to a fork in the road and if you choose the correct direction it will change your life forever.

By the time I was 17, I was fully immersed in this alternative culture that embraced creativity, was centered around music, and welcomed freaks and queers.