- If you can express yourself artistically, that helps you to become part of the community.

And when I was homeless, I didn't feel part of the community.

(bright uplifting music) Hi, my name is Kateri, and I am an artist here at Daybreak Arts.

The experience of being homeless has given me a lot of interpersonal strength and values that I didn't have before.

I didn't appreciate things like I do now.

I appreciate people more.

I appreciate the community more, because I wasn't a part of it at one time for four years, and I still have a fear of being homeless again.

And it's affected my art in that I'm able to concentrate more, because I want to focus on being creative and not just surviving.

My creative process all began up here, of course, in my imagination.

I use wood because it's available and I love the smell of wood, it's easy to work with.

I have a piece that you'll see, but the story behind that is very personal to me, because it involves my daughter.

We were estranged for over 30 years since she was a teenager and had no contact.

We were strangers at one time, and now we're getting to know each other, and so there's a bond developing, so that's special.

- One of the hardest parts about experiencing homelessness is having barriers to income and traditional employment.

Many of our artists have dealt with homelessness because of physical disabilities, mental illness, abuse, trafficking, all kinds of different things that led them to homelessness.

And so, being able to use your creative talents and the skills and things that you can cultivate and leverage to earn income for yourself is one of the fundamental ways that we're bridging art and entrepreneurship here in Nashville, that we're bridging art and community.

It's really developing our artists into being leaders and artists in their own right within the community outside of our organization.

- Come and experience Daybreak.

Come and experience your creativity and your talent, and give to the world in that way.

- [Narrator] This "Npt Arts Break" is made possible by the generous support of the Martha Rivers Ingram Advised Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.