The Origin of Different Drum

At a very young age I set out to leave a home afflicted by many abuses. I was only 12 years old at the time, but I was determined to better my life and do for myself what my mother could not do for me. This long strenuous journey unfolded to the discovering my purpose.

At first I was completely alone and destitute. Most days I struggled to find food. Pan handling and begging grew more and more humiliating with every day. Showering was nearly impossible. I was constantly being harassed by men seeking sexual favors. There was never anywhere to sleep; the nights I could find a place to sleep I was almost always awoken to fierce early morning chills. These were the mornings when I cried the most. Why me? I wasn’t a bad person; I was absolutely trying to better myself. I was a stranger to the world, no one knew me, no one trusted me and there was nowhere for me to turn for help.

Lack of sleep and lack of food takes a toll on your mind. I frequently found myself in a zombie like state just scanning city sidewalks for a place I might be able to get some sleep where no one could see me.

I eventually left the comfort of the towns I knew and ventured off to Venice Beach California, where I made my new bed in handball court number 3. In Venice Beach homelessness was normalized and there was an abundance of $2 pizza to be had. I started making due by helping regular vendors set up each morning. I then moved onto making art from the supply’s donated by other artist on the boardwalk. I eventually had a grocery cart I would move from the handball courts to my vending spot every day. I discovered that sleeping during the day was much safer & warmer and would often be caught snoozing when attempting to sell my art. Fortunately, other artist took me under their care and looked over me during those unscheduled snoozes.

I began to find much joy and healing being surrounded by the beach and ocean. Venice offered an openness to my unique character and a venue to utilize my skills. I built my stock of art and art supplies to live from and I soon discovered organic farms and gardens peppered across Southern California that would allow me to pluck and eat organic healthy foods.

Over these past 21 years I have traveled internationally and across the US selling my art and artistic services to get from place to place. I discovered the need for basic nutrients and opportunity wasn’t a struggle I faced alone but a struggle that millions face worldwide.

More disturbingly, it wasn’t a lack of food, houses, opportunity or work that was the issue, but the lack of distribution. Worldwide approximately 1.3 billion tons of food produced gets lost or wasted annually. Empty houses out number the homeless 6 to 1. Unhealthy diet contributes to approximately 678,000 deaths each year in the United States alone. Oddly enough, we also have a huge growing number of people who are willing to face these issues who lack the funding and resources to help others, who are sick to their soul of their day jobs and want to serve others to their full capacity. This is when it became clear to me that something had to be done. No one should have to suffer in this way, now or ever again.

I started my path by enrolling myself in school. I attended the Art Institute of Hollywood and received honors for my academics while still living on the streets out of my small car. Shortly after the birth of my daughter I founded a small artist collective just outside of Joshua Tree and was well on my way to delivering these much needed services to artist and wellness practitioners. 10 months into our business I became mysteriously and deathly ill. I was unable to work, unable to create, unable to think clearly or even stand up with our fainting. My mind was plagued with spells of depression and insanity. After weeks and weeks of medical tests I was diagnosed with Hashimotos. I was forced to close up shop and went on another soul seeking mission to heal myself back to health.

To my discovery, those years of malnutrition as a child and adult was just the sort environmental factor that can contribute to triggering Hashimotos and a slew of other auto immune diseases. These illnesses have no cure - their treatments are usually vague and do little to address symptoms like brain fog, nausea and body pain. Its no surprise that 23.5 million Americans suffer from auto immune disease and that number is growing everyday. People of all walks of life, every class and every creed are suffering alike.

I did heal myself from the verge of death, and have had to do so on occasion from the occasional flare up triggered by stress or infection.

Just last year [2016] I had to travel to Canada to treat an infection in a tooth that was triggering a flare up so bad is was causing heart failure, a treatment my medical insurance wouldn't of approved for months. While in Canada I received treatment from the Native American Health Clinic in Vancouver's Down Town East Side. The clinic in turn put me in touch with native elders as an alternative to counseling for my depression. I was soon set on a spiritual journey to discover my roots, visiting with Native American Nations from Vancouver to Calgary, to my home reservation in Siksika Alberta. It was then I laid eyes on the horrible living conditions still being suffered by Native Americans today.

I witnessed a complete lack transition from the abuses of genocide to modern living. I have scene visited tribes across Canada, down the west coast of America and across the United States to Pennsylvania. Every single one, despite wealth, size or reform suffered from family violence, sexual abuse, neglect, malnutrition, drug abuse and a complete lack of resources. It occurred to me, this is not just on reservations, but has its hold in every community in one way or another.

It was with these most recent travels I understood I had not defied death and survived these many years for nothing.

I am an advocate. For artists who don't have the resources to reach their potential. For the millions suffering from lack of nutrition or health treatment. For the millions left in homelessness with no where to go. For our native American Nations and healing the suffering and abuses of our ancestors.

I have not lived, suffered and deified death with out cause. I am still here, and as long as I'm alive I will fight so no one should needlessly suffer they way I have. I will do everything in my power to grow my cause and improve the health of our people and restore balance to this Earth.

I am asking for the cooperation of everyone alive to stretch their means and join a purpose that is bigger than you or me, Different Drum Art's & Wellness is the actualization of this purpose.

Thank you, for reading, listening and taking action.

Ashley Evers, Different Drum Arts & Wellness Founder