Me (the girl in the ribbon headband) with MMM teaching-artists and birthday boy, Matteo. (L-R: Linney, Issa, Aki, Marco (look closely), Matteo, Fran, Anna, Rayyn, Kara, Laurie, Cobbie)

The My Masterpiece Movement (MMM) can be found along an ordinary street (Mabolo) in an ordinary residential village (Valle Verde). It’s the home-turned-school of writer/ teacher/ entrepreneur/ inevitable world leader Anna Escay-Cortez but you’d never figure any of that out unless you actually stepped inside. I was 16 when I first heard about it.  At a summer camp in Laguna, we were forced by the emcee to introduce ourselves to campers we had never met before. I ended up having a conversation with a girl named Nina who told me that she had graduated from college and was teaching Creative Writing for kids in Libis. “Wow,dream job!” I exclaimed to myself. After three days, camp ended and I eventually forgot about our brief exchange.

Five years later, in a slightly serendipitous manner, I found myself sending my resume to a creativity school for kids in Pasig. I hadn’t graduated at the time but I knew for sure that I loved art and that I loved kids and that this place had the best of both. It was only later on that I realized that this was the school Nina had told me about at camp. Previously located in Libis, Anna, the owner and founder of MMM, decided to move the school to her house, dedicating the entire ground floor to classrooms, a library and an art supply cabinet. She e-mailed me on the very same night that I applied and scheduled an interview with me. It was a Thursday, March 17, when I found myself at the door of the ordinary house on the ordinary street of that ordinary village.

One of the murals on the wall. Wolves in the Wall, I think.

I entered the backdoor, through the kitchen and was surprised by how white it was inside. The walls were white, the floors were white and hanging all around were different murals they had made during the previous Neil Gaiman run. Beautiful, colorful paintings of Wolves in the Wall and Coraline and Stardust taped onto big empty spaces. I was impressed. I sat down with Anna, who is both beautiful and intimidating but ultimately: passionate, and we talked. I was hesitant about working there, had never really considered teaching kids as a career path, was worried about the pay, my social life and my summer but when she asked me if I was onboard, I said yes. She was in love with the school and everything it represented and I wasn’t in love with anything bigger than myself but I wanted to be. I really really wanted to be.

So I said yes. I began work on March 29.

The curriculum for that semester was Greek Mythology and I was excited. To teach is a beautiful thing but to teach literature? It’s a fantastic privilege. MMM is known (and this was also one of the reasons behind my yes) for their unique curriculum having done The Little Prince, The Wizard of Oz, Where The Wild Things Are and currently, Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief. I didn’t know how they were going to pull off Greek Mythology (Hades! Oedipus! Cerberus!) for kids as young as three-years-old but I was interested in finding out.

There are things that I will never forget about MMM. The walls of the classrooms with statements like ‘Inside me is LOVE‘ written on them (I found out later on that these statements were actually power words that the teachers used to make the lesson more real to the kids), shelves filled with different kinds of paints and brushes and toys and musical instruments, a library with some of the most interesting books and, yes, the stress (!) which was horrible and delicious at the same time. The stress, which completely re-adjusted my sleeping patterns. The stress, which left me feeling fulfilled and happy and excited. The stress, which I actually miss.

I will never forget their shadow plays, something I have never seen any other school attempt. Their shadow plays are an intricate part of their program with scripts and props, a projector and drawings on acetate. The illustrators recreate a summary of the story of the day on acetate and it is performed for the class, narrated by a single storyteller. It is enchanting.

I will never forget the Art Beats, a musical extension of MMM. The Art Beats is an MMM band that  performs at the parties and events that the team gets invited to/hosts. It is spearheaded by Anna’s husband, Rayyn Cortez. The Art Beats is composed of various teaching-artists who have collaborated and composed songs together, songs with messages that constantly encourage the listener to be the hero of his own story. I will never forget their events, each laboriously worked on, every excruciating detail carefully ironed out. The best part is the reactions of the children when they get exposed to this strange and magical breed of teachers. The first time I saw Anna read Neil Gaiman’s New Year’s Eve Benediction at Boho Avenue, I almost cried. MMM is not soft or half-assed or typical. It is a reason to believe in good things again.

Kids, beware of Medusa! Shadowplay practice at Level 2.

But more than any of that, I will never forget the people. It is the people and their love (and their magnificently huge hearts) that make up everything that MMM is. I’ll try to write about each of them in the order that I met them because, trust me, these are people you’re going to want to meet too.

Anna is the head of everything. Nothing goes through without her approval. “It’s either pass or fail,” she says, usually during brainstorming meetings. She’s a boss in every way: honest, strict, meticulous, punctual and overall, pretty no-nonsense. But she’s got a completely other side to her, too. That ‘please-take-care-of-yourself-because-you-are-special-to-me’ side. That ‘I-bought-you-a-cake-because-it’s-your-birthday’ side. That ‘today-we’re-not-going-to-work-as-much-because-I-think-you-guys-deserve-to-have-fun’ side. The loving, caring side of Anna Escay-Cortez that makes her less like a boss and more like a mom. I think that motherhood is not just a role she’s assumed, it’s who she is. It’s every facet of her and it spills out into every part of her life. Even us. Motherhood (and a love for arts) is what propelled her to put up MMM in the first place. She has three kids: Aylli (8) and the twins, both 5-years-old, Rayne and Tory. She calls them her Wonder Kids and I swear, they really are. They’re probably a bunch of the most intelligent kids I know and Anna’s devotion to them is astounding. Yes, even though there were times when she made my blood run cold, you have no idea how much love and respect I have for this woman.

“Everybody matters,” she said during a teacher-training seminar. “Everyone brings something new in.” This was a time when the pressure was piling on each of us and we started disintegrating, coming apart like frayed clothing. Anna sat us down and looked at each of our tired little faces. “I do believe in everyone here,” she said. And it was like the word of God had come to life. Because she meant it. And we felt renewed. Even though our projects and proposals went through a tedious pass-fail system with Anna, we, her chosen teachers, were an eternal pass. It was gratifying.

Teacher Kara and Baby Charlei

Her sister, Kara, on the other hand, is a painter and illustrator who does a lot of the hands-on work. When it comes to conceptualizing art and design, the teachers refer to Kara. If Anna is fire, Kara is water. She’s more subdued and sweet, always smiling and laughing. I remember afternoon lunches with her, talking about everything from zodiac signs to her residency in Sagada. What she loves most, though, is her baby: Charlei. Kara’s got a heart bigger than the world. She’s got a heart for kids, a heart for us, a heart for Charlei and a heart for art. Though she is second-in-command, she is neither condescending or intimidating. Kara is the voice of reason, the one you hug when you’re scared or talk to when you’re lonely. Many times, she’s helped us figure ourselves out, drowning us in her seemingly infinite wisdom. She’s patient, cool under pressure and an undoubtedly amazing artist. We’d spend a lot of nights taking art classes with Kara and though I’m not much of a visual artist, she’d look at my creations every time and deem them beautiful. Kara, I think, feels a lot like home.

Teacher Nica with Tory and Christian

It's time to say goodbye with Teacher Erica

Then there are the teaching-artists: Linney, who became my first Masterpiece friend, who left a month before I did, who, in my mind, is the ultimate Masterpiece teacher. Nica, who looks (and dresses) like a Greek goddess — so that semester was absolutely perfect for her. Nica, who teaches so well and loves the kids so much, it actually made me jealous that I wasn’t and couldn’t be as good as her. Erica, who I was scared of at first but who turned out to be one of the biggest sweethearts of the bunch, who taught me the ropes and took me under her wing. Fran, who is currently taking up Film in UP, who talks fast and is The Ever Reliable One. She has a backstory I’ll never know but all those layers and all that depth make her so real and so lovable. CC, co-owner of the I Love You Store, with a really pretty tattoo on her arm, who is beautiful and has a honey-coated voice that I love hearing. Marco, with the crazy curly hair, part of the band Musical O, who makes great music, whose passion for music know no bounds.

Teacher Laurie and a bit of Teacher Fran in the background

Laurie, who is so full of life, who plays bass for Sleepwalk Circus and co-owns The Junkie Shop (in Cubao X). Laurie, who is pretty and spunky and all kinds of cool.

Teacher Cobbie

Cobbie, who is witty and good with computers and makes the kids laugh harder than any of us. Cobbie who is probably one of the nicest, most talented guys I know.

Teacher Aki and Baby Charlei

Aki, still a student at CSB, who dreams big and loves hard. Aki’s hugs early in the morning weren’t random, they were ritual.

Teacher BB

BB, who sings for Juan Pablo Dream, who loves organic food, whose charm and talent and magic touch (she used to stroke my hair and it always made me feel safe) make me miss Masterpiece the most.

This is just a skeleton of the people who were there. They made me fall in love with them just by being themselves. They took me in. Me, who is shy and awkward and weird. They embraced me and loved me, made me part of a community, shared their lives, food, time and stories with me. They made MMM an experience, not a job. I will always be grateful.

MMM has a particular way with children that sets them apart. They give them wings and artistic autonomy. They let them color outside the lines. Initially, I thought it would be chaotic. Children with paint and colored pencils and minimal instruction but, no. It is beautiful. It is beautiful to see kids take on the pen or the crayon and draw mountains, pirates, robots, princesses, fairies, mommies, daddies, ships and hearts. It is beautiful to see them make paper planes instead of paper boats, to stretch their imagination, to let them exercise the freedom they have in art. It is beautiful to see them smile in wonder at their once-blank canvas, so sure of the story behind their work. “It’s a monster and he’s eating Odysseus, Teacher!” I have to kick myself for only seeing scribbles. Of course it’s a monster! How could I have missed that?

It has been a month since my departure from MMM, caused mostly by personal issues, a life crisis and wrong timing. But I think of the many ways this story could have gone. I could have not sent in my resume. I could have said no. But I would’ve missed out on the privilege of watching squiggly lines transform into kingdoms and monsters and heroes and dinosaurs. How could I have missed that?

MMM is Narnia behind the wardrobe  door. Once the seemingly ordinary facade is abandoned, it paves the way for a world where magic is real. A world where there is dancing and singing and creation. A world where life blossoms at fingertips and smiles. A world where we are creatures, special and unique and mysterious and yes, a little bit strange. A world that believes the best in everyone. A world that dreams. A world where the masterpiece isn’t the finished product, it’s the process. A world where the masterpiece is you.

For more about MMM, visit www.welovemymasterpiece.com