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

Hi Emily, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I would definitely have to say the two plays I was in this summer for the women’s playwright collective Not Forgotten play festival!
I appreciated the festival before I even auditioned, as it was founded as (and still is) an organisation for female creatives and playwrights to get their work put out there, which is so important in this industry and society.
But being apart of the festival meant I met so many amazing people, and got the chance to work with them on such important material that really opened my eyes to certain aspects of society that I hadn’t paid much attention to before.

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 name is Emily Nolan, I’m a British performer who is based in Manhattan! I moved to the US by myself from Liverpool, England when I was 18, because I got a scholarship to train at the American Music and Dramatic Academy (AMDA), and I graduated this February!

Since then I’ve been performing in gigs around both Manhattan and Brooklyn, my performances range from performing my own songs (I play acoustic guitar so my style in terms of original material is based around that), to collaborating with other artists on shows, and established musical theatre showcase series around Manhattan.

I am also a figure model for the School of Visual Arts (SVA), the New York School of Arts (NYSA) and Grand Central Academy (GCA), which has been such a unique and incredible experience, and a really great way for me to access storytelling in different forms :)

Some of the things I’m most proud of in myself is moving to a new country (and new continent!) by myself before ever having lived alone before. Learning how to live and exist as an adult, doing adult things while still feeling like a kid in college was really hard, but I think it shaped a lot of who I am today and really boosted by independence mentally. Of course my parents have been a huge help, my dad especially. And I’m so grateful for them and would not have been be able to do this without them, but a lot of things I had to figure out on my own, which has been extremely rewarding.

Another thing is that I found since being in New York, I’ve really found my sense of style as a songwriter. I have connected with the parts of myself that I want to write about and have been pleasantly surprised at the audience responses, the amount of people that could either relate or just really enjoyed my music. That to me is a really great achievement.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Definitely when I write a song that people can relate to. Sometimes I post snippets of my new songs on social media, and get really surprised when people write in the comments sections telling me that they relate to the lyrics.
For me, that’s rewarding both as an artist and as a human being, because I’m connecting to people through art/ music and experiences alike. It’s a whole new level of not being alone in this industry. And it’s really warming to know that people can find (and have found) comfort and community through my art.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I read “Outliers” by Malcom Gladwell recently, which I thought was a really interesting book in perspective to this industry and its mentality.
The book is non fiction, and basically answers the question “what makes a person successful”. It’s very interesting and analyses based off of significant historical events and people.
Gladwell talks about success as a whole and, of course, there is no 1 answer, especially considering that the idea of success is very subjective and personal to everyone.
But it made me think a lot about what I would consider to be success in my art, and in my industry, and how do I get there? What factors lead into it?
“Outliers” really opened up my perspective about what that looks like in both a practical and mental way.
It was a really interesting read! I would totally recommend it !

Contact Info:

• Instagram: x.emily_n
• Facebook: Emily Nolan

Image Credits

I don’t have any sorry! :(