My name is Andrea Augustus, and I am the founder of Poetic Black Gurl LLC™, an education consulting firm where we work with schools and organizations to create creative, full-spectrum wellness programming.
I like to say I came into education through the back door because the front door was locked.
From kindergarten to high school, I was always a good student who earned top marks. Once I got to college, though, I felt like the school system hit me hard. I attended a PWI (Predominantly White Institution) around the time we were transitioning from the Obama administration to the Trump administration, and a lot of my peers and professors were hyper-conservative, leaving students of color with little to no places to process some of the heaviness we were experiencing. Everything changed. I had come from a vibrant, diverse public high school in SoHo, Manhattan, a true melting pot. Now, I was navigating a place where I felt invisible and insignificant.
There were no spaces to process what it meant to be Black, first-gen, and far from home. I had no professors of color. There were no culturally relevant mental health resources.
Like many students of color, I struggled in silence. And eventually, I dropped out.
Back in New York, I found myself working long hours as a waitress. I would come home exhausted, with clothes smelling like chicken, wondering if this was all life had in store for me.
So I started writing poetry. Not for class. Not for performance. Just to process what I was going through.
Poetry became my medicine. Then, slowly, it became my mirror.
As I began performing at local open mics, I found myself in a community surrounded by other artists using movement, sound, and storytelling to heal. I was healing. I was inspired so much that I went back to school to study art therapy and education. I wanted the language, the training, and the tools to help others do what I had done for myself: process pain through creativity.
While studying, I launched Poetic Black Gurl™, a wellness company rooted in cultural relevance and reflection. What started as a few grassroots workshops soon turned into a business model where art wasn’t just a healing tool, but a viable vehicle for long-term impact.
I began structuring my programs in ways schools could actually adopt. Vision boarding sessions turned into schoolwide SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) programs. I was creating space and wellness systems.
As I began to build, I realized something that changed my entire approach: artists deserve infrastructure. We became an approved DOE vendor in NYC. We got certified as a Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprise. I studied city contracts, RFPs, and procurement codes the way I once studied poetry, and it paid off.
That’s when everything scaled. We moved from one-time events to multi-site partnerships. From personal purpose to public contracts. From passion to structure.
It’s easy to romanticize entrepreneurship, especially as a creative-but the truth is it is challenging. The real magic happens in the systems you build behind your creativity. I didn’t just want to build a brand; I wanted to build a process that other educators, artists, and organizers could learn from.
Today, Poetic Black Gurl LLC™ is in its expansion phase. We’ve worked with certain schools for years now, building trust and impact over time. We’ve hired local teaching artists to help lead our programs without compromising our values.
Every workshop is a reminder that healing doesn’t have to be clinical or cold. Healing can be as artsy, colorful, and creative as you want it to be.
I’ve learned that consistency is key. Consistently show up for the community you are serving. Show up scared. Show up prepared. Show up passionately. Show up consistently.
I now speak to principals, superintendents, and nonprofit directors with the same confidence I once brought to the stage. I’ve learned that our voices and our stories are so powerful.
Poetry was a doorway that led me to help myself and help others.
If I’ve learned anything, it’s that creative entrepreneurship doesn’t mean abandoning your roots. It means finding ways to deepen them, share them, and build a legacy from them. Embrace yourself wholly.
For anyone reading this who’s wondering if your art can support you, grow with you, and take up real space in the world, this is your sign.
Follow your dreams, and the universe will reward you for your bravery.
Photo Credits
Photos courtesy of Andrea Augustus – All Rights Reserved
Guest Author Bio
Andrea Augustus
Andrea Augustus is a writer, educator, and founder of Poetic Black Gurl LLC™, a wellness and education company rooted in storytelling, joy, and culturally relevant care. Through art and advocacy, she creates space for students, families, and organizations to heal, reflect, and thrive
Blog / Website: Poetic Black Gurl
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