Today we’d like to introduce you to LaTonya Andrea Patterson.
A.Abyla, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
As a native of Chicago, working as an accountant since completing my degree in Economics from Northern Illinois University, although I had a passion for theatre and fine arts, especially studying acting while in high school. I used this passion to work voluntarily as a community ambassador with All Stars Project (ASP) a 501(c)3 national nonprofit that uses a performance-based approach to help inner-city youth and their families create success in their lives. After finishing my M.S. degree in Entertainment Business class of 2011 from Full Sail University, I have decided to utilize my business management skills to help entertainment-inspiring artists, such as poets, small business entrepreneurs, filmmakers, and dancers across the country, bring their project vision into reality.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The journey has not been easy for me, in 2011 my son, Victor was diagnosed on the autism spectrum a shock and blow that put me and his father through an emotional roller coaster. Fighting for my son’s educational and therapeutic care, all trying to balance my career as a full-time accountant and part-time volunteer working on projects took a toll on my mental health. In 2012, the anxiety meltdown ultimately led me to spend a week in a mental health hospital for intensive therapeutic care, during this very difficult moment in my life, used my time to write. I questioned myself for years as to why I have a son who is autistic, who in my family has been diagnosed. My creative writing in poems and songwriting increased to handle my mental health using the stage name A.Abyla Lloyd (my legal name is LaTonya Andrea Patterson) due to being a late discovery adoptee at age 45 discovered I was adopted as a young baby. Filled with anger and confusion I secretly kept writing more poems, more songs. I have watched my eldest brother, Andre perform as a Chicago local gospel artist, who passed away in his late 30s, my motivation to perform my poems deepened. Asking myself again why me? Why my family? In need of a drastic change, my son lived full-time with his father, Ona who has been an awesome support to my fight for my mental health, which has become my catalyst for my creative venture.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I relocated to the West Coast, Las Vegas Nevada in 2015, and offered to work as a full-charge bookkeeper for a surgical bariatric private practice, then as a general accounting supervisor for MGM Resorts International, again working voluntarily for community projects representing the corporation such as carrying the MGM banner leading the company team during the Las Vegas Pride parade, in honor of my late brother Andre. I have challenged my creative writing to perform my poems in spoken word, reading my poems in various open mics in the Vegas area. One of my favorite venues, Cork n Thorn at the time was located in Summerlin, NV.
In 2019, I moved to Santa Monica to work as an accountant for the Community Corp of Santa Monica given the chance to start my journey in the State of California working in Santa Monica for an organization that provides residential and utility supporting services to individuals and and family who seeks residential in Santa Monica, later was offered an opportunity to work for a prestigious entertainment business management firm in West Hollywood, CA as a Senior Business Management Accountant. This was the step I needed to cross over from accounting to further develop my skills in entertainment project management and performance. Learning capabilities in entertainment tours, events, business development, and brand development. However, due to the COVID pandemic, my time with the firm was shortened but the desire to serve the community never went away. Not willing to stay at home I was determined to keep myself employed and developed my skills in business operations management, communications, and non-profit accounting.
Like so many impacted, how business and social communities together took root of the mental health disparities associated with both the pandemic and the George Floyd unrest and protest. My desire went away from being solely behind the scenes to being a stronger advocate of community change. I want to leave a legacy that is not just about counting numbers but leaving an impact that will inspire others to fight for their mental health and the health of their community. Transitioning from being a volunteer in fundraising and event planning to working as a full-time employee. I seized the opportunity to work as a donor engagement associate with Pasadena, California nonprofit organization, which provides programs designed to help people with disabilities achieve their personal best career readiness and social development. This organization allowed me to utilize my communication, business development, and project management skills in fundraising events.
The support went beyond while living in Los Angeles while on my way to work, shocked I watched a woman completely nude walk into a Pasadena, California grocery store. I have never seen anything like this in my life! This inspired me to take a break from driving and independently take public transportation around the LA County area. So many more experiences of homeless individuals who had their own stories to tell just from the look on their faces compelled me to create a mini-PSA documentary based on a poem I had written titled Landing Pages. My documentary was not to exploit homelessness in the LA area but to educate cause and awareness on the frailties homelessness can bring to anyone from anywhere. This project changed my ambition to become an artist who performs as an entertainer to an artist who inspires, edifies, and educates.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
With a focus on community, I use open mic venues and social media influence to connect with my audience and develop my brand’s vision. Starting a production & publishing company, Cognitive Inspirations. Open mics is about community, this is why I travel to different cities using my stage name A.Abyla Lloyd across the United States to visit open mic venues. Watching talent in their community allows me to learn about the culture of the city. Allows me as a minority woman to introduce my creative work to people with diverse theories of creative expression and logic.
Working on my short PSA on LA homelessness was an emotional project which triggered my fight for myself and my son’s survival. I learned that homelessness is not about drug abusers, it can be a working-class citizen, a mother with a small baby, and a housewife who is tired of the abuse. I stopped caring about the superficial idea of having it all to impress strangers and started advocating care for those who need assistance to speak up. It was an honor to see my PSA project, which I titled “Frailties” awarded in March 2023 a Communicator Award of Distinction in the category of Cause and Awareness selected by the juror from the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts (AIVA). Thanks to Los Angeles filmmakers like Andrea Walker-Williamson, who is also a Full Sail University alum, I can contribute to her film and community projects representing her organization and production company, Create Noise.
This year, I was also selected to serve as a board member for a new nonprofit family housing and support service organization, Premier Destiny in Phoenix, Arizona. I am proud to currently assist a Chicago southside nonprofit organization, Greater Chatham Initiative, which recently earned an Emmy award for the short-form documentary titled “The Making of the Mahalia Jackson Court”, my contribution will assist with economic small business foodservice development and restorative services in conjunction with the new Mahalia Jackson Court conveniently to serve the communities with events in my childhood corridor. Preserving the past while nurturing the future is my focus for the year ahead. The new year will be a busy one!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cognitiveinspirations.com
- Instagram: @a.abyla_lloyd
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@
cognitiveinspirations
Image Credits
A.Abyla Lloyd Rene Thomas
