Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1324147
"WHEN I WAS YOUNG, I WAS TOLD THAT THE ONLY OCCUPATIONS THAT A RESPECTABLE YOUNG LADY SHOULD EVER CONSIDER WERE WIFE AND MOTHER, TEACHER OR NURSE. I CHOSE ART SO I COULD BE CREATIVE FOR LIFE AND ON MY ARTISTIC JOURNEY, I HAVE DONE THEM ALL." – BROOKS WHITTLE DANTZLER into who I am." While in school, he met and married his brilliant wife, Candice, and they decided to settle in Macon. "I always thought I'd have to go away to pursue what I wanted, but here you can pursue it on a deeper level," he says. When Laurence was a baby, Brooks saw the void for childcare that offered a creative outlet and an inclusive environment to children. e couple made plans to purchase the building so special to her and spent their "first anniversary at a planning and zoning meeting." e Creative Alternative Preschool opened in 1986. Along came son William in 1988. Willie D, as he's known, is a performative and visual artist. He is the owner of Fresh Produce Records in downtown Macon and – prior to COVID-19 – toured with his current band, Guerilla Toss. In his young adulthood, music took him to Portland where he witnessed how the art of an area can influence a culture. He saw "lots of community involvement there, and wondered why am I not doing that in my town with people I already know?" And so, he came home again. In 2008, their family suffered an unimaginable tragedy when a roadside accident took their beloved patriarch. After the accident, Brooks took sanctuary in the cottage. Firm in her call to education, she taught Advanced Placement art in Bibb County Schools, where she worked until she retired. Today, she teaches all levels at e Creative Alternative, serves on the 567 Center for Renewal's board of directors and inspires others to follow their dreams. "When I was young, I was told that the only occupations that a respectable young lady should ever consider were wife and mother, teacher or nurse. I chose art so I could be creative for life and on my artistic journey, I have done them all. Now, I have wisdom to share," she says. Brooks has since rekindled her love with Don and feels "incredibly blessed that I've been able to have these two relationships." ough grief never gets easier, she and her boys are all thriving in the city where they were raised. "e city is more progressive. More people care and they're trying to make it better. You have to participate," she says. Brooks is living proof that there are connections in the people, the buildings and the art of a city, and that those connections are worth choosing. DECEMBER/JANUARY 2021 | maconmagazine.com 65