JustArts Gallery
Tulsa, OK
Elevating the creative voices of people confined to carceral institutions across the US.
MessageCollection: Patrick Holzer
I'm a 49 year old author of a soon to be published book serving a life sentence for murder. I grew up hard and I grew up fast. I come from a broken home, I had early aspirations and dreams of one day being a USMC. I got into trouble as a juvenile doing a roof burglary in a RadioShack. I got in trouble again, a good friend pressed charges on me for burglary of habitation and use of an unauthorized motor vehicle. I eventually revoked and they gave me my first bid of 7 yrs.
I got out of prison at 23, got a really good job building mobile homes. I thought I'd caught the tiger by the tail and I was on top of the world. Well I was still lost, empty, and broken inside. I grew up gang banging, selling drugs, stealing, searching for a real identity. My dad was a biker, drugs and alcohol, violence took the place of what kids need to be grounded, hurt people hurt other people, my mess is my message to you readers everything that glitters don't shine. When I got this murder case I was still lost, empty, and broken, no direction in life. I got involved with gangs and was a leader which landed me in ad-seg for 10 yrs. I grew very passionate about art and I started doing greeting cards and trying to learn how to do portraits. I got out of seg, I started walking with a new purpose, when you feed your mind with knowledge you start to grow, you build a tool box, your old way of thinking goes by the wayside.
Doors start to open, you can't get in trouble reading a book, artwork, writing, exercising to keep your body fed. This becomes a routine, you develop skills that will and can open doors to success. If we can get out of our own way sometimes! I finally got my GED, got into the Craftshop doing leather work, this is something that I've always wanted to do so now there is nothing that I can't make or learn how to make. I've always been crafty with my hands, being creative opens a new can of worms so if you have ideas of customized work, color schemes, size I can bring your vision to the next level. If you would like to reach out to me I won't let you down.
I got out of prison at 23, got a really good job building mobile homes. I thought I'd caught the tiger by the tail and I was on top of the world. Well I was still lost, empty, and broken inside. I grew up gang banging, selling drugs, stealing, searching for a real identity. My dad was a biker, drugs and alcohol, violence took the place of what kids need to be grounded, hurt people hurt other people, my mess is my message to you readers everything that glitters don't shine. When I got this murder case I was still lost, empty, and broken, no direction in life. I got involved with gangs and was a leader which landed me in ad-seg for 10 yrs. I grew very passionate about art and I started doing greeting cards and trying to learn how to do portraits. I got out of seg, I started walking with a new purpose, when you feed your mind with knowledge you start to grow, you build a tool box, your old way of thinking goes by the wayside.
Doors start to open, you can't get in trouble reading a book, artwork, writing, exercising to keep your body fed. This becomes a routine, you develop skills that will and can open doors to success. If we can get out of our own way sometimes! I finally got my GED, got into the Craftshop doing leather work, this is something that I've always wanted to do so now there is nothing that I can't make or learn how to make. I've always been crafty with my hands, being creative opens a new can of worms so if you have ideas of customized work, color schemes, size I can bring your vision to the next level. If you would like to reach out to me I won't let you down.
