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I think that I was a pretty lucky child growing up. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, I got to experience many different forms of art. Bits and pieces of film, street murals, rap, and theatre is what has shaped me into the person I am today.

One of the most frequent questions I get is, “Why did you choose to move to Austin?” Either chuckling or rolling my eyes I respond, “Well, I came here originally for school. I go to the University of Texas.” Over the years I have realized that the answer to that question has changed from a simple, blunt response into something much more different and complex. I came to Austin because of school yes, but also because of other things greater than that. I am a mobile person. I enjoy new things, new experiences, new people, new food, etc. I do not think that I can stay in the same place for too long. There is something that excites me about going around the world. I create homes wherever I go. Of course no home will ever be as close or the same as the one I originally grew up in, but each one is still a part of me. The friends I make, the buildings I inhabit, the places I shop at in each place I go to are still a reflection of myself during a time period of my life.

A lot of those qualities are reflected in my artistic process and work. I mostly enjoy participating in film and theatre but I am always interested in branching out and trying different mediums of art. Eventually, I hope to be a film actress. Growing up I could relate to film more. I feel that it is a very intimate, internal experience between the story and audience. I hope that in the future, my work as an actor/artist will impact people in some way. Whether it be impactful because it is purely entertaining/entertainment to watch, because it touches upon an issue in society, or because it helps guide someone through a certain something in their life.

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I truly enjoy collaboration most of the time. I think it might stem from earlier in my acting career. I was very young and a lot of directors would take the approach of telling me every little thing to do on stage. I still had many good directors, but I think I noticed this approach when I was working under my high school theatre director. It was not a good collaborative relationship. When I got to college, being around very like minded people made me very open and interested in collaboration. I think that a group of young people collaborating on a project can lead to very good and very innovative ideas.

Throughout the past couple of years, I have redefined and refined my thoughts on collaboration and how to collaborate effectively. I have learned that rehearsals and collaborations are works in progress. A space to collaborate should be a safe space for everyone. People should be working in a space where they can grow and learn without fear. Collaborators should speak from their experience and acknowledge that not everyone shares that same experience. It’s important to remember that we can speak in draft! Members of a collaborative group should respect how everyone else may be learning in their own ways. I know to be open to receiving as well. Something that I took away during my time here is that creating a list of meeting agreements with your collaborators that have some of these ideas written is a good way to practice and keep up with many of these statements.

I’ve gotten many opportunities to put these ideas into practice recently. Performance as a collaborative practice has been exactly that -- practicing collaboration through creating performance. For most of my collaborative projects I’ve realized one of the hardest things for me is to open up and share my ideas with others. It is always hard putting out ideas within a group at first, especially when it is the first time collaborating on creating a piece of work with a certain group of people. However, once I pass that initial bump of sending that first idea out into the group, I definitely become more comfortable with speaking and engaging with other members.  What is enjoyable about collaborative experiences is seeing how projects developed over time. What might start as someone suggesting something could turn into something that is a carefully thought out and interesting piece of work. What makes collaboration better is knowing that other collaborators in the group share the same feeling.

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This is a collaborative self portrait that I worked on with Grace. We spent a lot of time getting to know each other and we both talked about our lives and what got us to this point. I created a collage I thought reflected our conversation and a lot of things that we learned about each other. I decided to do both of our self-portraits side by side to reflect the literal conversation aspect between us. This collage reminds me of the concept of "emergence" because it was created from aspects of both of our lives. This collage could only be created through our collaboration. Any other separately done collage would only reflect us individually.

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Theatre helps us see different perspectives from our own. We get to see motives incorporated into life’s conflict and resolutions. Artists get to put themselves into emotional and intellectual situations that we might not even know before. Theatre has been evolving more into taking risks and advocating for new and diverse voices. We are sharing experiences with other actors on stage and audiences. It has said that people come to the theatre to experience real human connection because we get little of it in our own lives.

Theatre, film, and the arts is a vital tool in promoting social and political discourse. It can help create a dialogue in communities and help society examine itself in the mirror. We can present real life problems then attempt to create solutions. The arts explore a lot about self, gender, racial, and sexual identity. The arts can also be used as a way to amplify different voices. I believe that even though our country has tended to silence these voices in the past, recently there has been a shift. Slowly, but surely we have started to make these voices accessible to various types of art forms and with that, allow spaces for these marginalized voices to become amplified.

As an artist, I have always said that I hope that my work will impact people in some way. Theatre and film have educated me a lot about aspects of the real world. Through school settings, I have been able to learn more about my fellow artists and peers. I have been able to learn about what matters to people from different backgrounds and different walks of life. I learned how to have many more of those important types of conversations as well as learned to be able to sit back and listen to others. Through this, I feel more confident in taking on and tackling those topics and using it to influence and inform my art.

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This piece titled, "3 in 1" was a video that was created by Grace, Catherine, and I. It was centered around the theme of "together/apart". This piece was definitely made around each of our lives and the way that collaboration and art are involved within it. It is like looking at a slice of life of each of our lives. It also highlights the reality of the pandemic and the lessons and stories that we've created out of that.

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Everyone’s practices and habits look different. As individuals, we all have different perspectives, ways of thinking, and ways of doing things. Fact of the matter is, most of the time, everyone’s own ways of doing things are true and right for themselves. There are a number of habits that tend to be seen as universally good. However, I have also learned that as human beings, we must find ways where we can understand and be compatible with the different ways that other people do things. I think that is one of the keys to great communication, collaboration, and understanding between one another.

I really try hard to treat others how I would also like to be treated. Especially when it comes to someone’s time, respect, process, etc. Being in creative spaces can be both a safe space, yet a vulnerable one. I always come prepared, I show up to meetings and rehearsals, and I am present! I believe that with a good attitude and positive manifestation that the world, as well as the people around you, will bring that same energy back.

I try not to think that I have all the answers. However, I think that there is a difference between not knowing and not trying. Oneself knows when they are willing to be flexible. I am always adapting. I am used to adapting. Something I remind myself constantly is that the world is always changing. Nothing is standstill. If the year 2020 has taught us nothing else, it is that something can always happen and things can always change. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, theatre and the way we present theatre and film has been changing. It is always important to not resent trying new things! A lot of it requires experimentation and it is okay not to know all the answers! I am always attempting to not be afraid of trying new things or experimenting with new platforms. To keep elevating as an artist, you must be always elevating yourself and the way you view art.

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Exploring movement over the Zoom world was something that I never experienced until recently. Using your body over zoom and using movement over Zoom is a lot different than doing it on a stage.  I am curious to explore more of how to use my full body in movement. I feel as if I can use my whole body more. This is just one example of how our practices and habits are constantly changing and updating to keep up with the changes in the world of theatre. It is about adapting, trying new things, and working things out.