I think one of the most beautiful things in life is the unique, lived experience. There tends to be a general assumption that people of similar identities have similar lived experiences. Annie and I have created a piece based on our experiences as young women in our industry, though our interpretations and emotions tied to the subject vary at points. One may consider one of us a realist and the other an optimist and I think that is completely allowed.

These variances in lived experience and our emotions we attach is what makes us unique and beautiful. In our dance, there is an osmosising of Annie’s lived experience and her emotional attachments into my lived experience and emotions, as well as vice versa. Without Annie’s realistic outlook, I think my music would suffer. It would only sound soft and melancholy. Whereas, after working with Annie’s ideas and her dance, I think I add moments of optimism or hope. There is a duality to the piece that only scratches the surface of how unique each of us, how we see the world, and how we chose to present ourselves to the world. 

There is something I have come to learn as I embraced the fact that I am a young woman in an male dominated world. The motivation I feel to make change and shine a spotlight on the female identifier in my industry is not motivation for myself, but for those who come after me, before me, and for the present. This has never been a self serving action for me. I think it stems back to my love for people’s life stories and being a woman in my industry has taught me how to empathize with those who have struggled and faced difficulties. 

Most of my understanding and appreciation comes from these interactions with others and their experiences. I like to allow for the stories of others to speak through me as a designer. In a very corny way, I feel more powerful because I am channeling the voice of many women/people and not just myself. I think my art tends to be more powerful too. I am not the only person making it a priority to highlight people of minorities or identify as a member of a minority. I think that is a sign that the precedence we are placing on these subjects are taking effect in the minds of our audience.