Bringing Joy!

In this vast world that we live in, with all the chaos that surrounds us on a daily basis, things are often forgotten. This has been the case throughout history for a population that grows larger every year.

However, this has changed and continues to get better for a community of individuals in mental health recovery. In 2020, through all of the chaos of Covid, sits a small building in Phoenix, Arizona, off of 16th Street that speaks loudly. Inside its walls are members of a clubhouse called Community 43, which was founded to bring together those of like minds.

Community 43, also known as C43, is unlike your typical behavioral health clinic. What would normally fall on staff, is put in the hands of both its members and Social Practitioners alike.

Side by side, they run the clubhouse, cook the food, participate in all decision making, as well as interviewing potential staff. There is nothing that members and staff don’t do together to keep C43 running as smooth as possible. C43 offers its members a variety of opportunities to engage in a purposeful work order day. Members can work on: culinary skills, tech support, maintenance, horticulture, administration, employment, and creative development.

Quietly within the walls of C43 lies one of its members. A brilliant artist with a history that speaks louder than paint brushes and canvases. Miciah Beard enjoys the artists life while at C43. However, before discussing that, let’s dive into his life. He grew up in Tucson, Arizona, where he first discovered his love of art and where his desire for cooking started to boil. Being raised by a single mother wasn’t easy, but it allowed him to grow close to her.

Throughout his life he’s lived in four states gaining experiences that defined him. He made his way back to Tucson, where in 2010, he entered, dazzled, and won the Iron Chef competition. His love for cooking didn’t stop there, as he is no stranger to the food and beverage industry. From prepping and delivering pizza to working for a local Steak and Chop House, which gave him much of the experiences that made him who he is today. But there’s more.

He continues to dazzle everyone at C43. “What got you into cooking?” He was asked.

“I think my main interest in cooking from a very young age, is that my mom didn’t know how to cook, so I was reading cookbooks before I was ten trying to cook stuff.” He proclaimed.

 

“Why do you enjoy cooking?”

“Food has the power to bring people together.” He continued, “It’s the one thing that everybody has in common, so to have that power is a blessing I think.”

“Can you share with us what your life looked like before it became too much?”

“It was a long journey,” he began, “When I started out I was really rebellious, always getting into trouble, but I slowly got better and learned from my mistakes.” Then, his mother passed away which led him into a downward spiral that brought him to C43.

After coming here, the Creative Design Unit and Culinary became another part of his life that helped to define him. Overcoming difficult situations that changed him, he began producing amazing art that can be seen throughout the clubhouse. Beard has been productive and one of the calmest and most talented people we’ve known.

For example, last year, C43 experienced what could have been a disastrous Thanksgiving, if Beard had not saved them. With members not knowing what to do or how to prepare the meal, he jumped in and taught members and staff how to cook the turkey, prepare side dishes, and watered their mouths with delicious desserts. Others will usually save Christmas, but for this community, it was Beard who saved Thanksgiving.

Through it all, food became art, paintings became murals that expressed what often gets held inside, allowing him to express to everyone who he truly is and who he has become. His style, his techniques, meant more than he realized.

“Beard is a brilliant artist with a history that speaks louder than paint brushes and canvases.”

 

Completing the mural at AZ Holistic Health

Bringing joy to others and loving that his art doesn’t have to make sense, is just a small part of who he is, that we are privileged to see. But with him, as with others, there is more to than meets the eye. We all try to live life the best we can. To respect and love others as they are, is so crucial today. He had this sound advice to give to us.

“Don’t be afraid to ask for help. You don’t have to do it alone. There are people out there that can make things easier.” In this busy society where everything speaks louder than us, is a hidden force that often cries for freedom, a force that’s visible to those, who aren’t.

To learn more and get involved visit https://community43.org

Community 43 is based on New York’s original Clubhouse, Fountain House. The Clubhouse International model has been replicated in more than 300 locations in 32 countries and 32 states. It currently serves more than 100,000 people with mental illness worldwide. Thanks to the Stead family’s vision, we are able to bring this model to Arizona and share it with the community.