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

Tijen, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

This is a perfect question, as I am experiencing the aftermath of taking a risk right now.

I grew up in the midwest, had an amazing upbringing, danced my whole childhood, spent my early teens and 20’s in college, and after a little time off decided to start working my first corporate job. I worked at that company for a couple of years before deciding to pursue dance more seriously and make my move to NYC.

I got a new corporate job to make my move more feasible and comfortable, and continued working that job for 3 years. While it provided me with many resources I was grateful for daily, I quickly began to realize that so much of my time and energy was still dedicated to my job instead of dance. It took a few years of deliberation, weighing pros and cons, and unlearning old ways of thinking to come to my next step. I quit my job to dedicate my time, my energy, and my mind to my craft.

In this process I continued to come back to the song lyrics by The Avett Brothers “I went on the search for something real / traded what I know for how I feel.” I have spent years making decisions solely with my mind, always choosing what is “logical.” Although that has led to a great life, I knew that there was more for me, a world I wanted to create for myself and for others.

It has been such a freeing and fulfilling experience so far. Living in alignment has been a liberating experience and I feel my essence called back to me. I feel like I have returned home. I know that each step can and will be figured out.

Anytime you move from a place of comfort to a place of unknown, you are experiencing risk. The bridge that gets you to a place of comfort is trust. I am choosing to trust my skills, my heart, and my passions. I am leaning into trusting the universe, believing that I will be held and guided through this experience.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My favorite creative identity that I hold is dancer. I think many creatives know that to have deep understanding of one form of art, you must explore other areas of creativity as well. To that idea, I am also a model, choreographer, and teacher. I see art in everything I do, which is my endless source of inspiration.

My love for dance has always remained while modalities varied since childhood; I started in classical ballet when I was 3 and while supplementing my studies with jazz, contemporary, hip-hop, and musical theater. I was then drawn to ballroom dancing and competed for 5 years during college. All of this learning led me to where I am today; my ballet experience turned into my passion for heels, and my ballroom dancing led me to the world of salsa and bachata.

The demand for heels classes, choreography, performances, and spaces has expanded greatly in the recent decades as the desire for sensual exploration and sexual expression have become more encouraged and accepted (although, there is still work to do on this front). When I took my first class, heels offered itself as a home for me. It embodies femininity, confidence, strength, softness, and grace – everything I had been craving in my art. I had grown up feeling uncomfortable in my body, wishing I could change it to be more “suited” for ballet and my many forms of dance. When I started dancing heels, that old mentality quickly unraveled and I understood that not only my body, but my mind and my heart, were something to celebrate everyday. And what better way to celebrate than through movement.

When I hold spaces for dancers, whether it be teaching a class, rehearsing, or performing, my classes are centered around exploring, knowing, and owning who you are wherever you are. I believe everyone has a unique set of gifts to share and dance is the medium we use to understand those gifts. I am proud to provide spaces in which dancers of all levels can progress in their dance journey and connect with themselves simultaneously.

When I perform, I aim to remind people of what love is. All of my movement comes from adoration of myself, of my audience, and of the world. Using my art to tell that story is what fuels me to continue sharing my gifts.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal is to use dance as a way for people to feel at home in their body and mind, no matter where they are. Being confident in who you are starts with accepting who you are and I have found that movement is a powerful tool to do that. There is nothing more liberating that taking full ownership of your essence at all phases of life. I tell my students that who you practice being in class becomes who you are in the world.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

When you have a creative calling, you don’t seek it out, it finds you. I’ve been asked many times about what it feels like to live passionately, and when I explain it, it always comes back to the idea that it feels like falling in love. It is an unshakeable knowing. You feel it so core to who you are, nothing can or will stop you. I often quote one of my favorite poems by Sarah Kaye, “When you fall in love, it is discovering the ocean / after years of puddle jumping. It is realizing you have hands.”

In essence, being creative is the act of falling in love. You are committing to being open to the energy of the world and alchemizing it into something tangible. You are chosen for this work and although it is difficult, it is what sustains you and therefore you keep returning to it. You don’t have to be understood to be creative. Your only responsibility is to keep creating.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thequeentij

Image Credits

Geo Mantilla, Patience O.