We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Loren Holmes a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Loren, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project that I have worked on would have to be my documentary and show, Mother, may I? I decided to look into the lives of single mothers and children raised by single mothers. It was in doing this work, that I decided a film needed to be made to bring awareness to the many issues that this community of women faces.

I am a single mother and I know far too well the challenges that it comes with. We can tend be pushed to the side, forgotten and in some spaces, shamed for our current circumstance. I wanted to create something that not only brought awareness to this but also shows that women who are single parents are not ONLY their situation. Many of us are artists, entrepreneurs and women who are constantly ensuring that our children have the best.

This project began as a documentary and was later transformed into a stage work. The stage work consisted of images edited by my cinematography, Jasmine Williams. It was presented in Barnstorm Dance Fest as part of my Artist in Residence in 2023.

All of the work that I do is centered around women of color and their many struggles and triumphs. We are more than our circumstances, we are absolutely conquerors. Both elements of our lives should be highlighted AND our stories should be told by us.

Loren, 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 am a 35 year old Black woman from Beaumont, TX. My dance journey starts there! I began at the age of 7 and have been dancing, creating and acting as a carrier of the arts ever since. It wasn’t until I moved to Houston that I really became part of a dance community.

I took some time off first moving here, then in 2012 I was brought into a whirlwind of dance thanks to my professor, Shani Sterling at Houston Community College. I met Harrison Guy of Urban Souls and Chris Thomas of Sonkiss’d. They both offer two very different styles of dancing but both are so very unique and amazing. Since then, I have been part of Urban Souls II, Sonkiss’d Dance Theater (now Sonkiss’d Dance Concepts) where I am also the Assistant Director. I have been blessed to perform internationally as Professional Dance Artist and have been doing so since 2015. It was in 2018 where I had the idea to create my own dance company, Hearts in Motion, where I would offer my dance services. I was already teaching at studios, offering choreography and lessons to young dancers so in my mind, it just made sense as the next step in my career. It is with that company that I have been able to connect to many organizations such as, Texas Youth Action Network, Giants Inc. (based in Canada,) Arts Connect Houston just to name a few.

As I mentioned, I began working on a documentary in 2023 and I now have film producer under my belt. From dance to film, I have been able to use my talent to span across multiple avenues. I have applied for and been accepted into the Artist in Residence with Dance Source Houston and the Anderson Center for the Arts.The most recent grant that I have received is the Let Creativity Happen Grant in 2023. With this, I was able to take Mother, may I? from the stage to an art gallery as an immersive experience.

What I am most proud of is the work I have been able to do in the community. Creative Moms Connect is a mom meetup group that I created to give mothers an outlet and a safe space to share whatever they may want about motherhood. It is also a place to connect and share with resources with like minded women, free of judgement. I have also been huge in the community as someone who is known for being able to book gigs for dancers throughout the year. Whether I am the choreographer or I am playing the middleman, people know that they can depend on me to look out for them. I am a huge advocate for dancers being paid fairly for their work and want to make sure that I reflect that in my own practice as an entrepreneur.

I want anything associated with my name to remind people of creativity, kindness, care and advocacy. As a Black woman, we can get a bad wrap and with all that I do, I want the world to know that we can be and are so much more than what they may think of us.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

PAY THE ARTISTS FAIRLY! I wish I could scream this at the top of a mountain. It is so sad that even in 2024, we still have to say this. The term starving artist should never have become a thing because if we were paid what we are actually worth without having to have 1348 jobs, we wouldn’t ever be starving.

Share the artwork of local artists! Just because you aren’t interested in something doesn’t mean that those that follow you wouldn’t be. No matter the art, I do my best to share what people have going on. It’s so important that society do so because the arts are an important part of community and what that can look like when we share the happenings of artists is beautiful.

Oh, did I mention to pay the artists what they are worth?

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

The biggest resource that I realized I should’ve been using is grant writing and collaborations. Collaborating has been the reason many of my projects have been happening. We can not underestimate the power of a genuine connection that allows you to tap into and have access to their followers and community of supporters.

Grant writing has been something that I have been slowly getting better at but it is still something that had I known, I would’ve gotten myself more information and how to write them. Now I know, there are workshops and discussions all centered around helping you learn how to apply for grants.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @heartsinmotionhou_
• Facebook: Hearts in Motion HOU