Growing up as a ballet dancer, I knew I wanted a life in the arts. In what capacity, I wasn’t sure. I flip flopped often between writing, film editing, acting, dancing, choreographing and film production. I spent my time in university dabbling in every single one.

 

I eventually centred myself around becoming an actor and went to work after university to get an acting agent, attend more acting classes and star in student and short films in Toronto. However, making a career as an actor requires patience and money. I had the patience, I had the drive, but I did not have the funds.

 

So I got a side job. Then I got a side-side job. Then I got one more job. I juggled these in order to make ends meet, all while trying to dedicate the rest of my time to acting. I diversified my work by starting a travel blog for my writing and working as a social media assistant for small film productions. I fall under the umbrellas of both Thirsty Creative and Starving Artist. I am able to financially support myself in a moderate sense but long to have a full time career in the arts (thirsty creative). However I also am not able to reach all my financial goals while pursuing acting (starving artist).

 

Though I have monetary obstacles, I also have faced other external and internal obstacles in my quest toward my dream career. Micro-discouragement shows up in all of my social circles. From acquaintances to colleagues to family, I am told it’s a “hard” career, that they support me but they worry about me. On the surface these seem like caring sentiments but in truth, these words reveal to me that many people in my life doubt my ability to succeed. These external comments feed my internal conflict of wondering if I really am “good enough” to have a full time career. Confidence is vital in a career in the arts, and I struggled with this for a long time. Not fully recognizing my talent in acting, writing or storytelling held me back significantly.

 

The most surefire way to gain more confidence is to consistently get experience in your field. The catch 22 that most artists face is that to get a job, they need experience, and to get experience, they need a job. This never ending loop can keep many artists stuck. Chez Flaneur gave me a chance to get moving once more.

 

Chez Flaneur enabled me to get more experience in writing (something I have long been wanting to do) by hiring me as a copywriter to help launch the website and newsletter. Throughout this process I have gained both tangible and intangible benefits. Earning a living wage for creating art and getting a job title for my resume are both huge steps toward a successful career. However, the experience I’ve gained is perhaps more valuable. Though I am not perfect, the opportunity to learn and even make mistakes in a real world scenario is incredibly beneficial to my progress. I’ve now been able to experience writing under a deadline, integrating new ideas to past work, writing in different voices and tones, working with clients for an optimal product, making my voice heard in a discussion and more. I have gained more confidence in my time with Chez Flaneur and have used these skills to pitch my own writing to different publications. I plan on utilizing these experiences to keep growing!

 

I have confidence that the production companies that Chez Flaneur is developing will provide these same experiences for many artists on a much larger scale. I am so excited to see where Chez Flaneur will take me and other members of our community!