Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Leila Henry. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Leila, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I have always known art would be a part of my life. I was a very shy child. Like, EXTREMELY shy. In fact, I somehow thought it would be fun to invite my entire kindergarten class to my 5th birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese’s, only to have a full-blown meltdown when my class, their parents, Chuck and his gang sang Happy Birthday to me. I could NOT handle the dozens of eyes piercing through my soul. I HATED being the center of attention (ironic, right?). Verbally, I rarely had words to say, but I was filled with so many thoughts and feelings that HAD to come out! At 5 years old, dance became my first love and Richard Simmons was my first dance teacher. I wore OUT my mom’s “Sweatin’ To The Oldies” VHS tape. Dance quickly became my first outlet for self expression.

I eventually attended a very tiny Montessori elementary school that fostered and embraced creativity, individuality and self-expression. I credit this school for watering the creative seed that had been planted years earlier. Every year, we would perform plays, art and music were highlighted, and we were even encouraged to get creative with our class presentations. We created full-on SNL-style skits en lieu of the boring and stationary regurgitation of facts in front of a poster board. This school was also a small, tight-knit community that I grew up with from ages 6-12. And when I say small, I mean MINISCULE. For reference, I graduated the 6th grade with 7 other kids. Yeah, THAT small. It was what I knew, though, and I loved it. I finally felt seen. Outside of school, I was attending regular hip-hop dance classes and my passion for dance was absolutely flourishing.

I had to transfer schools the following year. I went from a small, tight-knit private school, to a massive and overcrowded public school and I felt like 5-year-old Leila at Chuck-E-Cheese’s all over again. I was in an internal fight-or-flight nightmare that first week. The free and creative atmosphere I had known for the last six years was replaced with a cold, rigid structure with teachers who couldn’t wait for the school day to end. Making friends as the “new girl” felt nearly impossible. I was in constant fear that I would say something stupid, so I just…didn’t talk.

One day it was announced that the school would be having their annual talent show, and you know what? Despite my social anxiety and fear of judgment, I didn’t hesitate to sign up. I knew right away that I wanted to dance. Yup, I was going to dance SOLO. I got right to work, spending HOURS choreographing my first dance ever to “I’m A Slave For You” by Britney Spears. In hindsight, I don’t know how I got away with using that song, but I digress.

Finally, it was the night of the show. At least 250 hundred students, faculty and parents filled every seat in that auditorium. As I looked at the crowd backstage, I could feel the fight-or-flight attack threatening to kick in, but I knew I NEEDED this moment. I walked onto the stage with the curtains closed. As the curtains opened and that Britney banger started playing, my life changed. For the first time, every bit of shyness, self-doubt, and anxiety LEAPT from my body. In that moment, the stage became my second home. The crowd ERUPTED in cheers as I danced, and it continued for the duration of my performance. It ended with a standing ovation, and when my euphoric high came down and reality set in, I stared at that crowd on their feet like a deer in headlights. I was absolutely shocked by what I had done. Afterwards, every other student ran up to me and exclaimed, “I had no idea you could dance like that! I thought you were shy!” Let me be clear. I was still shy, and I was still quiet, but that night my 13-year-old self found her artistic voice. I knew from that day on, I had the unique power to connect to people through art. I knew I had to hone my craft and pursue it for the rest of my life. I never looked back.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am an actor, choreographer, and earring designer from Chicago, but I am now based in Los Angeles. On the surface, I am a multi-hyphenate, but at my core, I am a storyteller.

In the dance world, I started formally training at age 10, primarily in the realm of hip-hop, but as my passion for dance grew, I began to explore jazz, ballet, and other styles. I started developing my choreographic voice as the captain of my high school dance team, and it continued to grow throughout my college years as a dance major at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and beyond. I danced for artists like Chance The Rapper and Jennifer Hudson, but I knew dancing for artists wouldn’t be enough for me. My quiet, introverted self, had a LOT to say, and I was going to do it through storytelling. Dance was the chosen medium. I created many dance works for stage and over a dozen dance projects on camera, including a series of short dance films based on the 7 deadly sins.

I’ve been acting for as long as I’ve been dancing, but I didn’t pursue acting professionally until adulthood. My love of storytelling via dance finally lead me to lean into acting, taking formal classes at The Second City Chicago, The Green Room Chicago, and eventually John Rosenfeld Studios in Los Angeles. Despite being naturally soft-spoken and introverted, there is something so liberating about diving headfirst into other characters! I absolutely freakin’ LOVE the process ,and I’ve now worked on numerous indie films, commercials, and a web series.

Earring design was one of the rare blessings that came out of the pandemic. As you can imagine, I had a lot more time on my hands, and was feelin’ crafty. I’ve always loved big, bold earrings so I grabbed some wooden shapes, acrylic paint, earring hooks and posts and started painting! It is now a full-on earring business called Aksent Mark. I am over three years into it, and Aksent Mark has become more than a new creative outlet, and a colorful, quirky, and abstract way to express myself. Aksent Mark encourages people to be unafraid to express and to be unapologetically bold while doing it.

My mission as an artist is to connect to others through work that is so powerful and potent that you have no choice but to take notice. I want my work in all areas to spark conversations and make people smile, laugh, cry, and maybe even tap into emotions they didn’t realize they had. During uncertain times, I want to offer people an escape, or maybe a bold pair of colorful earrings that brighten their day.

I am most proud of my resilience and determination. There are so many things that have threatened my artistic journey along the way, but my passion, drive and resolve to share my voice with the world are unwavering.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Can I be transparent? Almost every year of my LA journey has been on huge resilience test. Let me walk you through it.

I moved to Los Angeles at the tail end of 2018 to pursue dance (primarily). 30 days after moving to LA I entered my first ever freestyle battle. I made it into the top 6 (YAY!) and during the following round, I dislocated my right knee—badly. The entire show came to a screeching halt, an ambulance was called, and I was wheeled across the floor with the huge cypher of dancers and dance lovers awkwardly applauding for me as I smiled and waved, despite the IMMENSE pain I was in. Yup! I had just touched down in LA to pursue DANCE and I couldn’t believe that that pursuit was already being compromised. Welcome to LA, Leila!

I spent the following year recovering and getting settled in LA. I could have easily spiraled into a depressive state (to be honest, I did for awhile), but I didn’t stay there. During my recovery I realized that what I love most about dance is the storytelling aspect—acting! I enrolled in a few acting classes and fell in love with it. I wound up making a full pivot to acting, and just as I was about to seek out my first acting agent, the pandemic hit. Great! Once again, my resilience was put to the test. Thankfully, my acting classes had all shifted to Zoom, so I used that time to hone my craft. I had faith that I would emerge from that rough, uncertain time, and I would be lighting up the big and small screens soon enough.

Post-pandemic, I was finally ready to dive headfirst into the TV/Film and commercial industries. I signed with a commercial agent and a manager. I had my team in place. I felt SOLID. Nothing could get in my way—except the writer’s strike…then the SAG strike. Oof. Don’t get me wrong, I fully supported both strikes and joined my fellow actors on the picket lines. The timing, however, left me with a deep-seated frustration that was difficult to ignore. Still, I plowed on. I went on to book several short films, a web series and started Aksent Mark, my handmade earring business.

Throughout my 5 year LA journey, I’ve had to remember this: As long as we KEEP GOING, the momentum will never cease. Timing is not in our control. How we use that time IS within our control, so focus on what you can control, keep that passion and determination alive, and everything will fall into place.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn is something I (and maybe society) had taught myself at a young age, especially as a woman. For years, I had been conditioned to keep myself small. I was afraid to take up space, physically and energetically. I thought and dreamed BIG, but I lived small, in an almost apologetic way. As a shy kid, it was comfortable and easy to stay out of the way and to remain socially invisible, but deep down, I wanted to do the opposite. The older I got, especially in these competitive industries, I knew that I could no longer live that small. The incongruity between my big dreams and small actions did not serve me. It held me back, big time.

The process of learning to take up space is ongoing. It is vulnerable and frightening and requires getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. As scary as it is, the growth I have experienced has been extraordinary. Doing big things that scare me is now a way of life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/AksentMark
• Instagram: @leila.henry
• Facebook: Leila Henry