This pandemic has forced me to prioritize my career goals in ways I wouldn't have had to confront when I was hamster-wheeling in my former performer-for-hire life. What would I be doing even if I weren't making money doing it? How do I channel my visions for an equitable, just society using my platform in the arts? How much of my personal resources am I willing to invest to make this happen?
I've never been good at self-promotion. It is one of my biggest shortcomings, and possibly the primary reason I'm not more successful by conventional financial standards. Talking about my accomplishments always felt to me like bragging. In my experience, the people who hype themselves up the most have generally the least amount of goods to back them up. (Not always! But often.)
That's why my dedication to making ensemble vim a success feels so natural; it's not about me. There is a real need in the Atlanta community for intersectional artistic output. Unity has always been our mission, and all the synonymous buzzwords surrounding it like worker drones around the queen bee: Togetherness. Collaboration. Cross-discipline. When the arts combine forces, amazing things can happen.