What followed were struggles for employment and survival, but these experiences added value to my quest. I embarked on a secular journey for a while. I also worked in TV and cinema production, party animation, children's theater in schools for education and entertainment, and as a theater teacher for children and young adults in modeling agencies, among other freelance jobs.

I delved deeper into spirituality and resumed my academic studies, starting a BA in Theater at the Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo. Soon, I joined the Grupo Teatral Parlendas, a turning point in my career. We wrote public notices at the state and federal levels in this group of young artists and won many. We began as an emerging group with a unique formation of people from diverse backgrounds and plenty of enthusiasm.

Another phase of family difficulties emerged, leading me to pause my university studies for financial and mental health reasons. However, what came next with all the projects we wrote and were accepted for was extraordinary. We delved into group theater research, creating opportunities to train with professionals in various fields: sociology, theater, singing and voice, dance, capoeira, acting, and Brazilian popular culture. We were also involved with various social movements, using art as a tool for intervention, education, and support for these communities. We researched languages like Agitprop, using this aesthetic for artistic demonstrations and music that unites people against social injustices.

We won about seven public notices and two awards. We embarked on a journey that I consider my heart's anthropological path, intensifying my research and understanding that artistic creation is intrinsically linked to cultivation, just like the word 'culture' comes from 'cultivate'. In urban settings, artists work through physical preparation and diverse classes, while in rural and indigenous areas, work is related to the land, farming, singing during work, and so forth. This is rich, spectacular, and fascinating. We discovered that the indigenous people in the communities we visited (Alto Rio Negro, AM) were great artists, telling their stories, reviving their dances, reconnecting with their roots affected by colonization. Those days were filled with celebrations, nature integration, sharing work and food, dancing, and learning. Conversely, we presented our show 'Marruá', which is about a wild, non-conforming bull. Built through travels by the group, the show featured poetry, music, and awareness about labor exploitation, gender issues, abuse of women, community and family building, and the fight for culture, life, and social justice.

Back in the city, inspired by our experiences in the forest, we fought alongside peripheral communities, especially during the 2014 World Cup, when they faced sanitization processes. Through festivals, endless meetings, demonstrations, workshops, and community exchanges, we managed to stay. We succeeded collectively because we learned to understand others and their needs, and how capitalism distances us from a sense of unity and belonging, isolating us in a frantic search for a comfort that is extremely uncomfortable, that kills, that exploits.

As a result of this process, we wrote our book, Caderno de Apontamentos, and released it with a CD, compiling our rich journey and offering other collectives the chance to learn from our experiences.

In conjunction with this artistic journey, I worked on myself as a human being and strengthened spiritually. I took on many responsibilities in my spiritual community, Templo de Umbanda São Sebastião, an Umbandist Spiritualist School conducting devotional religious activities and deep self-knowledge. I've been part of this group for nearly 20 years, researching the relationships between mind and spirit, Afro-Brazilian and indigenous devotional music and dance, altered states of consciousness through entheogens like ayahuasca, and knowledge of forest medicines for mental and emotional health, chemical dependency, and self-awareness. I also became a Curimbeira, singing to the Orixás, African deities, and assisting in mediumistic processes. Contemporaneously, I studied for five years with the Instituto Internacional Rosa do Ventos, learning tools to be a Lucid Multidimensional Facilitator, studying topics like lucid projection and spiritual and psychological self-care. I also delved into shamanic-based Family Constellations with TSFI- Integrated Phenomenological Systemic Therapy. In the community, we learned various elements like construction, reforestation, cooking, and everything necessary for communal living. Additionally, we organized charitable events like the ‘Festa de Cosme, Damião e Doum’, catering to about 1000 needy children and families with food, theater, music, and spiritual celebrations within the community, honoring ancestors and spiritual lineages of Umbanda.

During this period, I also traveled to Rio Branco and Cruzeiro do Sul (AC/AM, BR) to experience the religiosity of indigenous and riverside communities producing Santo Daime/Ayahuasca. This exchange with Igreja Flor da Jurema contributed to my research on the use of entheogens, the syncretic spiritual musicality present in Pajelança, Umbanda, Santo Daime rituals, known as Umbandaime.

I underwent another change, shifting from artistic activism to studying Afro-Brazilian Rhythms, transforming it into an international project called Wind Drums. This research took me to 7 countries and 43 cities worldwide, sharing Afro-Brazilian knowledge, its musicality, workshops on African archetypes, shamanic and women's retreats, connecting people with our community in Brazil, and strengthening cultural ties in every sense of the word. This filled the next 9 years (2014-2023) of my Independent Research.

During my journey, I’ve connected with diverse communities across the United States and internationally. In the U.S., my work has reached from the bustling streets of New York and Boston to the sunny beaches of Florida and from the vibrant cities of California to the serene landscapes of Utah and Hawaii. I’ve also impacted states like Connecticut, Maryland, Colorado, Arizona, New Jersey, New Mexico, Texas, and Washington.

Internationally, my work has resonated in the historic city of San Juan in Puerto Rico, the cosmopolitan city of Toronto in Canada, and the culturally rich Mexico City in Mexico. I’ve also had the opportunity to connect with communities in Denmark, Estonia, and Norway.

This extensive reach has broadened my perspective and enriched the Wind Drums project, making it a truly international initiative. The project continues to spread Afro-Brazilian culture, teach percussion and sacred songs of Umbanda, and heal generational traumas through music and self-awareness. As a self-taught, I’ve leveraged my language skills to enhance the project’s impact. Through the Wind Drums project, I continue to exemplify leadership and leverage music as a tool for cultural identity rescue, fostering change, and social justice.

In 2021, during the pandemic isolation, I found the opportunity to resume my academic education, compiling the BA credits I acquired at Pontifícia Universidade Católica (SP), and applied for a BS in Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies, where I completed my Bachelor of Science in 2022. This allowed me to write and contextualize my multifaceted experiences in academic research, papers, and extensive reading that spurred me to aspire for an MA/Ph.D., connecting my previous knowledge with what I wish to materialize in research: music, art, community, oral tradition, body expression, music therapy, and mental health.

So, feel free to visit my ePortfolio and learn a bit about my multidisciplinary journey filled with enriching experiences. I hope to grow and prosper with your support in this year of 2024! Let's do this together!