We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Deven Zimmer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Deven below.
Deven, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
Before the age of 24 I threw my very first, 2 day cirque showcase and theatrical production with my close friend. No, really-A circus show in a theater with absolutely no experience of putting on a production. This idea came to life in my parent’s living room with a glass of wine, an inspiring Disney movie and $40 to our name. What started as a “what if” became a “when do we start” within 30 minutes. We had no experience putting something this large on, but we were no strangers to the stage, having years of performing experience both together and separately. Along the way, we crossed paths with countless talented individuals and we just felt like our local scene was missing out on some incredible talent and creators. When the idea struck us, it was like a fire ignited. It was about more than just putting on a show; it was about breathing life into dreams. We knew our city had incredible talent and we wanted to showcase it through the use of story telling, visual art & entertainment. We were both full time students, gigging and working part time jobs, we put our heart and bank account into this idea which later became the most important passion project I worked on. It went from “how do we write a storyline?” to ” how the heck do we convince a theater to let us run this thing?” to running rehearsals with 20+ cast members including foot archers, trapeze, knife juggling and more.
This journey didn’t just reveal who I am; it also showed me the incredible strength of community. Through the ups and downs of creation, I learned firsthand the magic of teamwork and the lasting impact of daring to dream big.
Deven, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’ll touch on entrepreneurship as well as hooping-which led me to my greatest experiences:
Entrepreneurship has always been in my blood. While other kids were doodling pictures for their parents, I was crafting custom pieces and setting up shop in my little pillow fort store. I’ve always loved the freedom that comes with being your own boss. But what really lights me up is that feeling of crushing a job and knowing you’ve done or created something that others can appreciate.
When people ask what I do, “professional hula hooper” always gets a weird look. But this plastic hoop has taken me on the most extraordinary journey of my life.
During high school I stumbled onto a hula hooping video online and I was absolutely captivated. I practically begged my mom to drive me to Walmart so I could get my hands on a hoop, and from that moment, I was hooked. I brought my hoop to school to practice in the dance studio during lunches and my dance instructor started pushing my to perform. I avoided it for so long, but I’m now so incredibly grateful for that push. When I performed in dance numbers I had a blast, but when I performed with a hoop I felt unique.
Despite initial ridicule and the inevitable judgement of being a teenager playing with a kids toy, I persisted, sharing my progress online and gaining attention from the hoop community. Soon, I found myself performing with television networks and teaching workshops around the world. These were experiences I never imagined were possible, let alone from dancing with a hoop. My life took some unexpected turns and I put my hooping on hold, later to reignite my passion during the covid lockdown,
During lockdown, I found creativity on the TikTok platform, recreating trends and later catching the eye of some celebrities, influential figures and some television shows. The opportunities and incredible support from strangers were UNBELIEVABLE. But of course, with the spotlight came the inevitable hate comments, especially regarding my appearance. I even received some intense threats simply because of the way I looked. I then started creating videos that were considered “clap backs” turning their negativity into an act for empowerment. Truly, these ding dong doo doo heads created the most incredible story and experience for me (And heavily boosted my posts, that’s not the important part, yet still highly embarrassing to their mission and incredible for mine). Those videos were simply me being fed up, but the responses that followed were truly beyond anything I could’ve imagined – women from all walks of life reaching out to share their stories of self-love, their battles and the impact that a random video I made had. People who struggled with their weight or their appearance or fear of being ridiculed for the things they loved filled my inbox daily, explaining that my video gave them motivation, courage, or simply made them smile. Something I created, impacted another person’s day, even if only for 15 seconds.
I realized in that moment that no matter what I do, I will NEVER take my ability to create a positive impact for granted and I hope to do that with EVERY project, routine, collaboration or piece of content I work on.
To this day, I’m still deeply involved in creating content, performing, teaching, and crafting hoops as I navigate my journey. With four theatrical productions already under my belt, I’m looking forward to conjuring up even more magic in the near future.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
Get engaged. Be there for fellow creatives by showing up, starting with your inner circle. Take a friend along to their events or shop openings. Share their work on your platforms and always give credit where it’s due. Spread the word by referring their work to others. Every small action counts!
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
I think everyone is a creative or artist in their own lives. I think those that consider themselves non-creatives sometimes feel as though artists or creatives wake up and immediately do great things, create stunning art, or had a million dollar idea that worked for them right off the bat. But in reality that’s not normally the case. It’s delusion, its hitting rock bottom, its getting ridiculed and torn down multiple times, or failing at something 100 times and putting it down for a week to get it right on the first try when you pick it back up.
My insight?
Everything. Is. Possible.
I’m not even trying to do some shitty, half-ass, heard a million times, motivation speech. YOU CAN DO THE THING YOU WANT TO DO.
My journey with a hula hoop sounds impossible- and It would have been if I didn’t keep showing up for myself. Everyone in the world can doubt you and that’s fine. If you doubt yourself, you’re effectively shutting the door on your own opportunities.
Sometimes, it requires total and utter delusion. Other times, it takes hitting rock bottom. Sometimes, you simply reach a point where you’re sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. And sometimes, you just have to take that first step and start something.
I firmly believe that doubt and fear are creativity killers. So, you just have to go for it, without dwelling on the “what ifs.”
Contact Info:
- Instagram: call_me_alaska
- Youtube: call_me_alaska
- Other: TikTok: call_me_alaska
Image Credits
@Grifisson_photography