Art has always been a powerful outlet for self-expression, healing, and identity exploration—especially within the transgender and LGBTQIA+ community. Through music, painting, pottery, poetry, and countless other creative forms, people find ways to process their experiences, celebrate their truths, and share their stories with the world.
One of our incredible CAB members, Zianni Orange, embodies this beautifully through their song CATHARSIS. This piece is more than music; it’s a journey of release and reclamation, a testament to how art can transform personal experience into a shared medium.
We honor Zianni’s artistry and the broader truth it represents: creativity is not just an outlet, but a lifeline. A way to affirm identity, connect with others, and inspire change.
Zianni had this to share about the song and it’s origins:
I made this song while still in college studying Studio Production at SUNY Purchase. I was still trying to find my identity as an artist, while reaching new ground skill-wise, as well as keeping that novice exploration alive. I named the song Catharsis because I felt creatively blocked for a long time, especially surrounded by my peers, where it seemed like their artistic voices and careers were taking off better than mine. It was just an expression of pressure and talent that I'm always trying to express. As a trans person who is a musician and always putting myself out there, it is important for me to show the world that we are multifacteted people deserving of the same life everyone else is afforded. The world wants us to be confused and unsure, and just because of that, we have to excel. I think my music can show that. :-) - Zianni Orange (they/them)
I made this song while still in college studying Studio Production at SUNY Purchase. I was still trying to find my identity as an artist, while reaching new ground skill-wise, as well as keeping that novice exploration alive. I named the song Catharsis because I felt creatively blocked for a long time, especially surrounded by my peers, where it seemed like their artistic voices and careers were taking off better than mine. It was just an expression of pressure and talent that I'm always trying to express. As a trans person who is a musician and always putting myself out there, it is important for me to show the world that we are multifacteted people deserving of the same life everyone else is afforded. The world wants us to be confused and unsure, and just because of that, we have to excel. I think my music can show that. Thank you so much Em and everyone at the Center for Trans Care for letting us artists showcase our work!
If you’d like to discover more about Zianni, you can find them on social media @zianniorange
Thank you to Zianni for sharing their incredible art! If you’d like to showcase your own art, please feel free to email us at centerfortranscare@edu