We recently connected with Lorraine Devon Wilke and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Lorraine, thanks for joining us today. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?
I was fifteen. There was a group of musicians getting together in the new town to which we’d just moved (Crystal Lake, Illinois), originally tasked with playing the folk masses at the Catholic church my family belonged to at the time. I didn’t play guitar, so wasn’t sure there was the place for me in this project, but my mother insisted: “Honey, they have plenty of guitarists… they need singers!” So I happily joined and it ultimately became the one of the most joyful experiences of my young life, lasting, in various iterations, throughout my high school years.
As for that first dollar: We quickly evolved beyond church activities (and much to my parents’ disappointment, I evolved myself right out of the religion), and before long we were being hired to play private parties, compete in talent shows, etc. My very first dollar earned as a creative was a “gig” at someone’s house (don’t remember who or where) for which the group was paid the hefty sum of $50.00… which meant we each walked away with about $5. Whoo hoo!
But let me tell you: when you’re a kid, and you’ve just begun to realize you have this tool, this singing voice, and people actually want you to do something with it, it is a grand day. When you get paid $5.00 for it? Well, hallelujah!
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.
Many years ago when my son was very small, we were driving down a neighborhood street and, apropos of nothing, he looked at me and asked, “Mommy, are you an artist?”
I had no idea what spurred the question, but when I answered, “Yes, sweetheart, I am,” he smiled brightly and exclaimed, “You’re so bwave!” (sic)
Why his three-year-old mind ascribed courage to the description of “artist” mystified me, but the more salient point was that HE WAS RIGHT.
Being an artist IS brave… because it not only takes the clear-eyed discovery and assessment of one’s talents, one’s urge to create art of whatever sort one is compelled to create, but, as a profession, it’s one of the most challenging, difficult, misunderstood, sometimes misguided, often maddening, occasionally exhilarating, and endlessly fascinating things a person can do with their life. And while some are clearly more successful than others at the pursuit and realization of goals, I have a feeling even A-listers would agree with that assessment!
As for the question, “How you got into your industry,” it’s a strange one to answer for me, because it seemed art was always just around, part of world I lived in, so the transition “the industry” was just the next natural step as I evolved out of school and into the grown up life of finding my way and making a living.
I was fortunate to have parents who were deeply immersed in the arts, all of them: the obvious ones like music, theater, and books, as well as the less obvious ones: sewing (my mother made our dolls’ clothes), design (she’d artfully and regularly rearranged the house), artwork (we often made homemade cards for the neighbors), and live shows (backyard carnivals were a recurring event). When it was discovered I could sing, she encouraged me to join that first group I sang in, and both my parents applauded the plays, musicals, and performances I did throughout my younger years. All of that was the launching pad for my “life as an artist.”
Though it is said one doesn’t DECIDE to become an artist; doesn’t DECIDE to pursue a creative career; one is CALLED. That may or may not be true for everyone, but it was for me. I don’t remember ever making a decision to pursue the creative life; it was just who I was and, therefore, what I would do: BE a singer. BE an actress. BE a writer. BE a creative. The actual decisions were the ones that took me to where that calling led: to theater school in college, a rock & roll road band; the pursuit of acting in Los Angeles, living the dream as a New Wave rocker throughout the ’80s; to songwriting, screenwriting, involvement in the indie film world; other bands, recording a CD, various musicals; becoming an op-ed essayist; writing novels, etc.
Goal #1 was to always invest myself in worthy, meaningful projects that appealed to my artistic sensibilities while working with talented, creative people who made collaboration a joy. Goal #2 was to be successful enough to make a living, create an audience, have impact, and inspire others, while leaping forward/upward to open doors to more and greater opportunities.
To the degree that I’ve been able to do that with my various, sundry endeavors over the many, eclectic years of my artistic career, I’ve been delighted. That there remain goals I’m still reaching for sometimes frustrates me, but it also keeps me energized and inspired to continue. Mostly because I still have stories to tell, still have the urge to get up and sing… write a song… act in a play… engage with audience. I’ve accepted that those urges will be with me to the end, for which I am grateful. Because being an artist is not only “bwave,” it keeps you young, keeps you engaged, keeps you creating.
So, what I’m most proud of, to answer that question, is learning to honor and value the life-affirming elements of artistry, the creative life, despite my own not necessarily following the paths I thought it would way back when I began. Where it HAS led is a place of great joy, love, and creative contribution.
That is truly the most worthy journey.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
In my early Los Angeles days, when I was waitressing to keep the bills paid (that ubiquitous “straight job” of so many creatives!), a customer asked me what else I did with my time. When I brightly told him I was an actress, he responded with an epic eye roll and sniggered, “You and everyone else here in La La Land!”
I remember my face getting hot, embarrassed that he was framing me as nothing more than a naive young girl who was just one of many delusional dreamers. It was condescending and dismissive; it made me angry. But over time I came to realize just how easy is it for non-creatives to see those who might, say, come to LA to pursue a dream, head to Broadway to get up on those boards; put a band together to snag a record deal, or write a novel in hopes of a bestseller, as simply foolish dreamers looking only for the fame and fortune part; wanting only the glory and perks and benefits of being known, or wealthy, or influential. Certainly there are some whose pursuit of a creative career IS based just on those shallower goals, but for most?
Not so much.
What might elude a non-creative is just how the heart and soul of a true creative works; that compelling urge to follow a sparked idea, a persistent thought, a channeled impulse, and bring it to life in the form of art. The brilliant concept that wakes you up in the middle of night and demands you crawl out of bed to write it down. The second verse that finally hits while you’re driving home and you have to pull over to record it on your phone. The perfect color for that confounding art piece that comes to you as you’re making dinner and you put the pot on simmer to go to your studio. That NEED to bring inspiration out of thought and imagination into the real, tangible world.
YES, an artist wants an audience. Art is communication, and every conversation needs a Part A (the artist/art) AND a Part B (the audience). So YES, a creative needs some measure of success to get that audience. If that develops and evolves into fame and fortune, WONDERFUL; for most artists, it won’t. It will develop and evolve into smaller successes: neighborhood art exhibits, self-published books, Equity-waiver productions, guerrilla filmmaking, online Etsy stores, etc. But whether success is large or small, loud or quiet, the true creative continues to create… because that is who they ARE, what they DO; it is what moves them… and moves them to move others.
If I were to convey any useful information or insight to non-creatives, it would be all of that. To honor creatives, not make fun of them, not to dismiss them. Regardless of the measure of their success, regardless of their fame or lack of it; their wealth or lack of it, even the depth or breadth of their talent, if they are creating, honor that. Because they are contributing to the upliftment and enlightenment and enjoyment of others. That’s worth something.
As for the creatives in the room, I share this wonderful, inspirational quote from the amazing Billy Porter :
“We, as artists, are the people that get to change the molecular structure of the hearts and minds of the people who live on this planet. Please don’t ever stop doing that. Please don’t ever stop telling the truth.”
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I’ve been around a while; I am what is known as an “older artist” (said with a wink and smile). Which means I’ve gone through various iterations of my creative career over the many years in which I’ve been immersed in it. When you’re young, you have an idea of how it’s going to go; at least I did. Despite my eclectic talents, all of which served me well at different times of my journey, my biggest dream, my one non-negotiable plan, was to be a globally successful singer-songwriter/rock & roll star.
I had the goods, I had the chops; I had the top-line musicians, managers, producers, engineers; I had some famous people convinced of my imminent success, some who wanted me to write songs with them. I had powerful people tell me, “I’m going to make you famous,” others who cooed, “I smell money,” while getting my music to big-name muckety-mucks. Heady stuff for a young singer/songwriter, so I wasn’t wildly off-beam to assume it was all going to go the way I/they planned.
It didn’t. I got close; got the tapes to prove it, my memories are strong. But damn if the gold ring didn’t keep slipping just out of my reach. At some point it became clear I was “aging out” of the rock & roll paradigm (as one guy put it, “nobody wants old in rock & roll…unless you’re famous old and your name is Mick or Cher.” The wave I’d ridden for the bulk of the ’80s rumbled to shore and despite my undeterred abilities, my continuing talents, my still presentably youthful image, the eyes and ears that had been focused on me were now diverted away, to younger, newer, more current artists.
So yeah… pivot. More like death. Seriously. For me, giving up that dream as I’d imagined it WAS like a death. It had never occurred to me that it wouldn’t come true. Never. There is foolishness in that, I’ve learned. That’s the part of me that is now all wise and resilient, the part of me that suffered for a few years feeling empty and lost without that very specific goal to keep me moving forward. But eventually I had to uncrimp my hair, come up with a new plan, and reinvent myself without the identity of “rock & roll singer.” It may sound silly now, but it was as painful a pivot as I could make.
BUT, as artists are wont to do, we uncurl from that ball of despair and come into the daylight to look around and think, “OK, what’s next?” It took me a minute; but I lived a lot of life after that era — films, plays, marriage, baby, more music when I could — and ultimately I realized that one of things I happened to be good at, and something that didn’t rely on the age of my body or look of my face — was writing.
So I wrote. A lot. I wrote hundreds of articles, created a blog, was a Huff Post contributor (they still run my old articles!); got published everywhere I could, and from there I emerged with enough confidence to take on another big goal… writing a novel.
Since that pivot, I’ve written five novels: two I self-published, one was pubbed by a brilliant small press; my fourth, THE WEIGHT OF FABLES (literary suspense) is currently getting shopped to agents and publishers, and my fifth, titled CHICK SINGER, is being lovingly fine-tuned. It’s fiction, yes, but a story inspired by my years of singing and the pivot I’ve just told you about. It’s not my particular story, but the narrative I imagined is filled with the heart, soul, lessons, and love I accrued on that magical, musical journey. Stay tuned… hopefully both my new books will be out in the next year!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lorrainedevonwilke.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorrainedevonwilke/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lorrainedevonwilke
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/LorraineDWilke
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-8tpSlBMJzjqKual3lVt6A
- Other: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/lorrainedevonwilke
Image Credits
Eric Frahm, Meg Broz, Dillon Wilke, Maureen Grammer