When I was teaching Intro to Acting at Louisiana State University, the first assignment I gave my students was to write a Personal Manifesto. “C’mon!” I’d say when inevitably met with dumbfounded expressions and groans. “It can be anything! What gets you up in the morning? What makes you tick?”

Well, surprise surprise karma came back to bite me because here I am trying to write my own personal manifesto of sorts for the silly “About Me” section of my website, and guess what? It’s f**kin’ hard. So if any members of the THTR 1025 class see this, my sincerest apologies for my flippant description of that assignment. 

In the interest of 21st-century shortened attention spans and my own desire not to drone on, I’ll try to keep this short.

Connection.
Creativity.
Curiosity.
Compassion.
(Alliteration wasn’t my goal starting out, but it looks like the universe had other plans). 

Connection

My connection to others and my connection to myself are the two things I value most in this world. When it comes to my relationships, I embody the maxim “quality over quantity.” My friend group is small, but the connections I have to those I’m close with are deep. As I get older, I’ve come to appreciate how rare those soul-level friendships are. When they do come around, it’s like being struck by lightning. Buzzy. Electrifying. And maybe a little scary. 

Creativity

It’s not just that I love creating - I love being around creativity. Consuming art expands my brain and allows me to see the world with a more vibrant color palette. I love discussing and analyzing anything from pop culture to avante-garde art exhibits and everything in between. You can read more about my actor-specific Artist’s Statement here!

Curiosity

Learning is the BEST. It was only after I left graduate school that I realized how much I love being a student. As your classic millennial whose schooling revolved around right answers and high test scores, it took a while for me to get comfortable in a state of unknowing (and to be honest, I’m still working on it). But the payoff is huge! Curiosity about what I don’t know has turned me into a voracious reader, an excellent conversationalist, and a dynamic teacher. Constantly rethinking what I think I know means I am always growing.

Compassion

A friend once described me as “squishy-hearted” which I liked much more than “bleeding-hearted.” Plus, it feels like an accurate description. My heart is certainly not hard. I enjoy caring for others. I am trying to be better about caring for myself. My tendency to lead with compassion definitely has roots in my background as an actor where I was constantly stepping into other people’s shoes and looking at the world through their eyes. It is a skill that has made me an excellent leader and friend and one that I continue to cultivate even as my path has led me away from the stage in recent years.