My lines are freedom. Starting. Moving about, creating a path; ending when done; connecting when it feels right; releasing when needed. Freedom to begin again. My lines are joy. Twirling, circling, being, questioning. Joy to move about. My lines are gratitude. Gratitude to move about, pen to paper, breathing through each mark, giving thanks to each creation that is made. My lines are peace. Forming one section at a time, flowing lyrically to their own tune. Peace in solitude. My lines are breath. Drawing air in, deep and slow and then expanding; expelling it even slower, falling into a calming state. My lines are empathic. Highly attuned to the emotions and feelings of others, holding space for the viewer to determine what is being received. My lines are a way of being. A way of learning and going through; a way of connecting, communicating, meditating, feeling, loving – a joyful way of being. Freedom. Alexa Wajed is a Buffalo-born creative entrepreneur and an Alumnae of City Honors High School. She is a visual artist, trained chef, and jewelry designer. Alexa received her BA in hospitality management from Canisius College and participated in a semester abroad in Bulle, Switzerland. After many years in the corporate sector, Alexa returned to school to earn an additional degree in culinary arts. She had the unique opportunity to have an externship on the Amalfi Coast in Positano, Italy for 10 weeks. Alexa is a creative entrepreneur and a mother of two. She enjoys helping people understand and adopt healthy eating habits, mentoring the youth, and creating abstract art, and unique hand-painted jewelry sold online and in local gift shops and galleries. She is regularly socially engaged through several non-profit organizations while also co-owning and operating a creative agency Eat Off Art.