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

Aurelia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I don’t think there is a more viable path for me personally. I love creative work, it is how my brain works and where I really thrive, whether it is curating music for film and television, curating a personalized wine list for a hospitality client, or directing a play. I love letting that part of my brain do heavy lifting. I’m also a people person and enjoy client facing work, and seeing my work make people happy or improve their lives in some way, that’s part of why I love making art! I wouldn’t be fulfilled right now as a bank teller or corporate project manager, but that’s just me and that’s just right now. There is no one career that is Best or Most Noble, people and circumstances evolve and doing what is right for you in that moment is the biggest priority! You can be anything while being an amazing artists, some of the most phenomenal artists I know are teachers, IT professionals, line cooks, you name it! We all contain multitudes and the journey is the point, nourish yourself for the moment you’re in, but maintain momentum towards your ultimate happiness.

Aurelia, 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’m a creative person from a creative family! I was always surrounded by books, music, and films, and it absolutely informed my perspective on life as a whole. My academic background is in theatre and screenwriting in addition to race and sexuality studies. I used those backgrounds to leverage a multifaceted career as a music supervisor for award winning documentary films, a podcast producer, a director of both stage and audio only works, a writer, and a creative entrepreneur in the hospitality space, working with clients to plan get togethers of varying sizes with a focus on wonderful food and beverage options. At my company, 163 Creative, we call ourselves “a bespoke creative services company with a focus on arts, entertainment, and hospitality”, that covers all the hats I wear pretty well!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I want to foster and encourage connection and celebration! There’s not enough of that in today’s society. We are communal beings and only get one turn on this planet as we are right now, that alone is worth celebration. Our legacies are not long lineages or names on buildings, they are people thinking of us fondly after we are gone, sharing stories, recipes, habits we have taught them, and others carrying on those stories to those who have never met us. That idea is what drives me in all of my endeavors.

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.

I think many who are not a part of a creative community, or not closely connected with someone who is, understands the labor involved in doing creative work. So much of our work results in experiences that are seen as entertainment to those partaking in it as consumers, and society has long tried to pigeonhole any kind of artistic work as a hobby but there is so much physical, mental, and emotional labor involved in art marking and in art as a business. I think the height of lockdown gave people a glimpse into the importance of artists. While we were all relegated to our homes, art in the form of books, TV, Films, podcasts, music, filmed plays, livestreamed performances, kept us all connected and in touch with our humanity, in addition to keeping us all from going stir crazy. If we treat those things as hobbies and not skilled work, and artists as layabouts and not laborers, we lose culture, we lose each other.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://163creative.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/aurelia_nicole
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/aureliabelfield