Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyrecho (Ty B).
Hi Tyrecho (Ty B), it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My venture within the creative field was one of many trial-and-error moments. Growing up on a small island of Crooked Island, I found myself at the pinnacle of academic and creative freedom, leading choir selections, acting in school and church-based productions, and talent shows for homecoming and that led to me venturing into many mediums as an adult or more the mindset of “try everything once”. With that and moving to Nassau, I found my comfortable spot with writing and graced my first stage back in 2022. Over the years leading up to this point, I’ve release small projects of written media which gave me a slight following form my art. With a slow and rather steady climb with this and gracing more spaces, I was shortlisted for my first production with The Dundas Center for The Performing Arts in January 2023 called “Still Standing” where I was casted as choir member one, which was the start of my professional career in art but creation in general. The Dundas was the first place that gave me a space to grow more confident in my ability as a writer and creative and allowing me to explore more spaces within that field from acting, stage manager and directing. In 2023, I tackled 8 productions within The Dundas space, namely “Still Standing”, “Evening with Susan Wallace”, “The Settin Up”, “You Can’t Lead a Horse to Water” as an actor, “As You Like It” and “Mr Speaker” as stage manager and Shorttales 2023 as “prop manager. That year was pivotal in my development as an artist and taught me new things within the artist space. I also started my solo showcase journey that year, with two solo shows in May 2023 at El Greco and August 2023 at ICE Gallery.
With the evolution within my craft, I made the brave choice to go on a poetry, musical tour entitled “While You Were Out”, which would see me tackling mini shows at different venues. This tour was inspired by my father and my sister that died. The show material spoke to the absence of one person and what they might have missed. I also wanted this to be an opportunity to connect with different audiences. and expand my reach artistically. This tour saw me having shows at The National Art Gallery with a mini production, solo shows at “Studio Cafe”, Fusion”, Hillside House”, and ended that year with a play i wrote, casted and directing myself and stared in. December 2024 entitled, “Home”.
Overall, as artist, I graced a few artist residencies, namely with Ice Gallery that further help shape the artist I am today. Connecting through words and emotions are very important to me and I am happy to be able to conceptualize my ideas into a full form.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
One of my main challenges would have been the constant fight with imposter syndrome. Much don’t know, but imposter syndrome is the experience of feeling like a fraud, doubting your abilities and feeling inadequate and fearing exposure. With such rapid growth and the lack of fear of opportunity., I found myself in rooms with people I looked up to for years. Thinking you don’t belong in these spaces is evident because you are just starting your journey sitting with people who have been doing this for years. I had to remind myself that I am allowed to fail and succeed in a space I love. I was allowed to exist as myself and ride my own wave of creative freedom and expression.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
At my base, I am writer. I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. With this love for writing, I’ve used it to venture into other areas, with my first form as a performer being a spoken word artist. I’ve built off that into venturing into acting, directing, stage design and playwriting. I’ve tackled solo shows, scripted musical productions and a full-length stage play, learning the intricate details and ways the system runs. I’m most proud of my ability to continue without knowing. Alot of what I’ve one is self-taught and my ability to venture into unknown spaces without clear answers and willing to figure it out as I go is something I’m very proud out. I feel my humility and my art sets me apart.
I write from a place of raw experience and human emotion. Using aspect of my life, I’ve told stories, true or not, that have touched lives of people that don’t even know me but the heard my truth. People are attracted to my art in ways that can’t be explained and they are rooting for me because I represent a small demographic of people that share the same values.
All my work is inspired by healing and the raw emotions of love, self-development and connection.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Alot of people might not know that I am deadly afraid of spiders. More surprisingly, my artist’s name was a mistake. When performing at a local venue, the host couldn’t pronounce my original artist name and settle to calling me Ty B and it remained Ty B since that day. Ty B is a combination of my first name (Ty)recho and my last name (B)onaby. Cute right?
Contact Info:
- Instagram: whatistybdoing and wywostudios
- Facebook: Ty Bonaby
- Youtube: What Is Ty B Doing?
