We were lucky to catch up with Angelica Trygar recently and have shared our conversation below.

Angelica , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I am someone who has always been creative. As a child, I always wanted to grow up and be a singer. I would always participate in different choirs and sing wherever I could. As I got older, I realized I needed to be more versatile to get more work in the industry. I knew that my roots in classical singing training would only get me so far. So in college, I majored in Musical Theatre at Columbia College Chicago. Once I got to Columbia College, I knew I had to network and branch out even more, so I started auditioning and acting in student films. I would attend networking events in Chicago and collaborate with other filmmakers at Columbia. Something that sets me apart from others is my drive. My mentors tell me that I have a vast go-getter personality. That is probably from starting as the underdog and working my way up quickly. I still remember my first day at Columbia. I kept asking my advisor what if I never got into a single project. I remember having such worries, and now I look at all the work I could get on my own and with agents, and I can’t help but be proud.  I also try to do character performance work whenever I can.

When my mother passed, I found performing  to be a huge outlet for my grief. It also provided me with a vast and supportive community of people who were there for me when I felt like I didn’t have a family anymore. A few people in the industry went out of their way to look for my well-being. I’ll never be able to thank my friend Keith enough for the hours he spent talking to me about things. A couple of individuals even made sure to include me for holidays Deborah Bulgrin and her husband, Tom. The Bulgrins motivated me to continue and took me in as their own. Losing Deborah on 12/22/22 has been rough on me. One day I hope to make some music education memorial for her. Being creative is life-changing. I feel like most other lines of work don’t have the love and support that being creative has. I mention these people because they shaped me so much into who I am as a creative today.

If I ever have enough funds. I  would start a grief group one day that provides individuals with creative outlets. My grief group would also focus on individuals with no family members left or a support system. I feel grief support groups fail to include people who don’t have people in their lives. I remember going to a grief share meeting, and I felt even worse when an elderly man said, “Me and my 15 grandchildren don’t know what we’re going to do because my wife passed.” I remember sitting in my chair and thinking .. I don’t have anyone, which made me feel a lot worse. If I have enough funds, I eventually want to start an organization that would be a safe outlet for foster children who are neglected or abused. I want to have a haven for them to go to. I would call the organization after my mother. “ Saint Halina Safe Haven” even though my mother was far from a saint, she would always tell me she would be honored as a saint one day because of all of the adversity and pain she went through. If anyone honored her in any way, it would be me. I also want to add a music education hall and dedicate it to the late Deborah Bulgrin, who called herself my music mom.

Angelica , 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 someone who has always been creative. As a child, I always wanted to grow up and be a singer. I would always participate in different choirs and sing wherever I could. As I got older, I realized I needed to be more versatile to get more work in the industry. I knew that my roots in classical singing training would only get me so far. So in college, I majored in Musical Theatre at Columbia College Chicago. Once I got to Columbia College, I knew I had to network and branch out even more, so I started auditioning and acting in student films. I would attend networking events in Chicago and collaborate with other filmmakers at Columbia. Something that sets me apart from others is my drive. My mentors tell me that I have a vast go-getter personality. That is probably from starting as the underdog and working my way up quickly. I still remember my first day at Columbia. I kept asking my advisor what if I never got into a single project. I remember having such worry, and now I look at all the work I could get on my own and with agents, and I can’t help but be proud. Now I function as someone who can provide versatile acting. I also try to do character performance work whenever I can.
When my mother passed, I found acting to be a huge outlet for my grief. It also provided me with a vast and supportive community of people who were there for me when I felt like I didn’t have a family anymore. A few people in the industry went out of their way to look for my well-being. I’ll never be able to thank my friend Keith enough for the hours he spent talking to me about things. A couple of individuals even made sure to include me for holidays Deborah Bulgrin and her husband, Tom. The Bulgrins motivated me to continue and took me in as their own. Losing Deborah on 12/22/22 has been rough on me. One day I hope to make some music education memorial for her. Being creative is life-changing. I feel like most other lines of work don’t have the love and support that being creative has. I mention these people because they shaped me so much into who I am as a creative today.
I am hoping to be able to start a grief group one day that provides individuals with creative outlets. My grief group would also focus on individuals with no family members left or a support system. I feel grief support groups fail to include people who don’t have people in their lives. I remember going to a grief share meeting, and I felt even worse when an old man said, “Me and my 15 grandchildren don’t know what we’re going to do because my wife passed.” I remember sitting in my chair and thinking .. I don’t have anyone, which made me feel a lot worse. I eventually want to start an organization that would be a safe outlet for foster children who are neglected or abused. I want to have a haven for them to go to. I would call the organization after my mother. “ Saint Halina Safe Haven” even though my mother was far from a saint, she would always tell me she would be honored as a saint one day because of all of the adversity and pain she went through. If anyone honored her in any way, it would be me. I also want to add a music education hall and dedicate it to the late Deborah Bulgrin, who called herself my music mom.

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

My journey as a creative has taught me to have so much more compassion for people. I feel like many people who have limited environments don’t explore as much and don’t know how to understand different ways of generating income. My journey of uncertainty has not been easy. If it weren’t for learning how to hustle as a creative, I wouldn’t have been able to bounce back so quickly and adjust to a parent-free life at 23. More people should be taught how to get their work as an entrepreneur or self-employed individuals in case they ever run into any unprecedented circumstances.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I have to say that starting grad school at NEIU two weeks after my mom died and having a supporting role in a musical at my college was a big demonstration of how resilient I could be. I remember my first day being in class; I held in my tears until the end. My professor Dr. Pepper showed an amazing amount of kindness that I will never be able to forget. I also met one of my best friends, Susanne, that day. She told me that she was able to tell that I needed a friend, and we bonded pretty quickly. I knew I had to keep going and learning my craft. If I would’ve sat home alone, my depression would’ve gotten worse. I look back, and I still can’t believe how I was able to pull through all that. At the last show for the musical, I was in Adam Goldstein; the director gave me a letter about how I was able to pull through despite adversity. I will never forget that letter, and I should still have it somewhere.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.angelicatrygar.com
• Instagram: www.instragram.com/angelicatrygar
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/angelicatrygar
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@angelicajoytrygar8593

Image Credits
Derek Braasch, Sonny Krueger, Bradley Laborman, Nancy Vela, David Wolfgang von Ehrlicher, Ashley Whitaker, Patrick T Simmons