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

Aimee, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project was writing and performing a one woman show, ‘untouchable’ inspired by true stories from my childhood. Furthermore, the piece has since been transformed into a short film. Since I was 3 years old, I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and had to take various medications/injections that made me sick every week. And later I developed Perthes Disease in my left hip, which resulted in using a crutch for the duration of middle school. Not to mention, the already awkward situations a budding teen has to navigate: dodging bullies (even a teacher), attending good ol’ church youth group and asking way too many questions, and enduring the humiliation of being the high school mascot. untouchable will premiere and make festival rounds starting this year.

Aimee, 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?

Originally from Washington state, I graduated with my MFA in Acting from University of Montana and continue to study and assist with classes at the Howard Fine Studio in LA. My favorite kinds of projects are inspired by true stories and based on history. I aim to share important and relatable stories that help others feel seen. I want to create dangerously and to not be afraid of the ugly, yet honest stories that shine a light on what everyone is thinking, but nobody is willing to talk about.

Acting: Having grown up in theatre, I have gained knowledge on and offstage, with experience in company management, stage management, production management, education director and more. My favorite theatre roles have been Ado Annie in Oklahoma!, Ivy in August: Osage County, Smee in Peter and the Starcatcher, and Alma in Summer and Smoke.

Writing: Other than untouchable, I have written a few short musicals based on history in the Pacific Northwest as an educational program to tour schools and performed in most of them as well.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

In the book, The Creative Habit, Twyla Tharp highlights the basic fears that result in resistance of creating. My lesson has been to overcome that resistance and I believe all creatives, including closet-creatives, need to hear this.

“People will laugh at me.
Someone has done it before.
I have nothing to say.
I will upset someone I love.
Once executed, the idea will never be as good as it is in my mind.”

I was never ready to be a ‘creative’. The biggest lesson I’ve had to learn it to commit and just start. It’s risky, sure. It’s definitely scary, yes. But what have you got to lose?

Contact Info:

• Instagram: personal: @aimeepaxton for untouchable @untouchable.short.film
• Other: Behind the scene making untouchable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSBBA1lz6B4

Image Credits

Primary photo/headshot is by Alley Rutzel.

Photo in pink bedroom:
On set of untouchable with Director, Kendra Ann Sherrill and Producer, Rachel Baker.