howie was born in the suburbs of Virginia Beach Virginia. It was here that his parents forced him to join their fundamentalist doomsday cult - the cult that would forever shape him as a human being.

he attended Norfolk State university on a full scholarship and completed his BFA in Spanish Literature in the top 2% of the entire university.

after being kicked out of his parents house he struggled quite a bit with life. After all he had no real social skills just a massive amount of academic knowledge.

what he did have though, was a dream. Perhaps because he never received the recognition and love that he wanted from his parents he then spent the next 20 years in search of stardom. Unfortunately, as a result of his C-PTSD (subcategory being Religious Trauma Syndrome) he was unable to allow himself to truly succeed. In one word, he was AFFECTED.

it was at this point that he decided to become a ballet dancer having never taken a ballet class in his life. He was so hell bent on achieving vengeance and revenge upon his parents and the people that betrayed him that he was actually successful. He went on to dance for various ballet companies, modern choreographers, and he even choreographed an entire opera. Eventually he grew bored of ballet. the opportunities for men are sparse and eating disorders are real. During this time he also moved to NYC where he lasted a few years, became popular, partied too much, and had to move back home.

But damnit the boy had fun. Who doesn’t want to be a young spoiled socialite in NYC?

It was the best of times and the unfortunately the worst of times.

Having grown tired of being treated like a stupid dancer he decided to use his degree. He began teaching high school in colonial Williamsburg. He continued teaching in Norfolk VA. Realizing that being a public school educator wasn’t for him he then began working as a children’s librarian. It was there that he first achieved creative professional success. He planned large scale multi day city festivals as well as smaller scale children’s events.

Now this was when howie discovered the artist inside of him. One day when grabbing supplies for the kids at the library he happened upon compressed charcoal. There was something about the medium that he fell in love with. He couldn’t stop drawing in charcoal much to his husband’s dismay considering the entire apartment now had his dirty charcoal covered handprints, smudges, and dust were on every surface.

But his husband never asked him to stop. His husband could see what the artwork was doing for him. It was the first time that any kind of therapy began to work. and that is what the artwork meant to him. it was therapy. it was a manner for him to express the years of pent up anger that were subconsciously guiding him through life.

While the artwork was the catalyst for his own growth and recover, it wasn’t the cure. He and his husband decided that it was time to move. He could only grow but so much in the place that had caused him so much pain. So what did he do? He chose the gayest place that was the furthest away from home: Seattle.

Now that the fence was removed from this flower, Howie’s recovery went into overdrive. The artwork started flowing from his hands. He became a man obsessed. He knew the power that art could have over a person - he himself had felt it. And now he needed to share that feeling. That brings us to where he is right now.

He lives in Capitol Hill, Seattle with his husband and his dog. He paints, draws, and writes on a daily basis. He made his debut into the Seattle art scene having two of his drawings shown during the Capitol Hill Artwalk at Six of Pikes. He then became the artist in residence for Nook and Cranny Books. Then he received notice that Meniscus Literary Journal would be publishing one of his poems. Almost seconds after that he discovered he would be showing his work at The Fishbowl. This is where he is right now. He finally believes in himself. He finally loves himself. And he finally has accepted that he is indeed truly fabulous.

This brings us to the moral of this story. Success is not measured in money. It’s not measured by any arbitrary rubric created by another person. Success is the result of personal goals and personal achievements. It’s about saying what you want and then making it happen no matter what.

Most people thought he would fail. They thought he’d end up being a drug addict on the streets dying of aids. Or maybe that was just his mother.

Regardless of what anyone else thought about him, Howie knew that inside he was a good guy. A talented, intelligent, and stylish guy that just wanted everyone to feel the way he felt on the inside - appreciated, respected, and loved for being 100% who he really is.

So he makes art. He writes poetry. He does this for all the future kids that won’t have anyone to believe in them. He does this hoping the kids realize that he’s doing this for them. And even if they don’t it’s all gravy. Just know that you would love yourself for exactly who you are. this is how you continue the legacy of howie.

Thank you.