Multifaceted Sanity: The Hustle

I’ve been an artist in a lot of arenas most of my life. Dancer, Choreographer, Stage Manager, and Author top my list. Dance, stage management, and choreography are all very social activities. I collaborate and dive into art with fellow creatives.

When authoring took over my life, I found myself buried in my creative process as a solo pilot. Granted, there’s collaboration with my photographer, editor, and marketing manager. That gives me an outlet to be human, but it doesn’t take the edge off the time I spend buried under blankets, with my hoodie up, lost in a world of fantasy.

One of my favorite sayings these days is that I spend an exorbitant amount of time with my imaginary friends. You see, these characters don’t ACTUALLY exist. They’re in my head, then translated to a computer document. This bizarre half in fantasy, and half in reality, existence was very difficult for me at first. Now, it’s become second nature. Authors get lost in their make believe often, though. It makes us weird. That stereotype in movies of the author who never leaves their dark dusty house is true. We get so lost in creation that we forget to eat, sleep, and exist in reality. I’ll come out of my furiously focused typing and realize nine hours have passed. Surrounded by empty water bottles, snack wrappers, and general dishevelment, I’ll come back to the land of the living completely discombobulated.

Thank goodness for my other creative outlets. They bring balance, and offer a route that rejuvenate and reset my thinking.

I’ve been the stage manager for Festival Ballet Albuquerque for many years. Stage managing ballet productions is a joy. Watching grace and beauty on stage brings a vibrant reset for me. The music is full and captivating. The artistry is delicate and incredible.

Choreographing is a different animal. I love getting in a room with dancers and really diving in. The combination of physical movement and cerebral creativity is like nothing else in this world. I leave the dance studio exhausted and fulfilled. Everything that’s pent up releases in choreography rehearsals.

As I write this, I’m the choreographer for New Mexico Shakespeare Festivals 2024 production of “The Tempest.” There aren’t words to express the magic of the experience I’ve been gifted.

Here are a few pictures from my choreography life.