We recently connected with Cate Caplin and have shared our conversation below.
Cate, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?
Music, dance, theatre and the performing arts has always been valued and embraced in my family. For as far back as I can remember, every birthday, special occasion and gathering of celebration included an outing to enjoy some sort of creative production. I used to joke with my parents that we were spoon fed the arts, how could we possibly want to pursue any other profession?! And yet my father was also a very successful and passionately committed law professor and practicing lawyer and my mom was a visual artist and professional family councilor. My artistic goals and ambitions emerged quite organically and there wasn’t much searching or uncertainty about what path I wanted to take.
Sometimes I look back on my school days and my adventures at performing arts camps and international exchange school summer programming abroad… I think about every thing leading up to my moving to New York when I dove into the professional theatrical arena head first with no looking back and I ask myself what it would have been like if I had gone after a “regular” job instead. I’m not even sure what that would have looked like for me, what specific area of focus I would have channeled all my creative talents INto…. Sure, I had random summer jobs in high school but they felt like just extra curricular activities to make a little extra money, nothing I would seriously stick with over time…
I’ve enjoyed teaching and coaching over the years but it has been as a Guest Artist at an Arts Institute of some sort and related to my creative training and experience. I’ve talked to young high school and college students who don’t have a strong calling and are unsure of what direction they want to go with their life’s pursuits – I always thought it would be much harder NOT to know what you wanted to do…. for me there was always a strong calling, first to DANCE and then that morphed into different connected areas of creative expression. I had a beloved teacher once who said to me that you define who you are by defining what you are not. I’ve carried her words with me over the years and it has proven itself to be true even within the creative arts profession.
Am I HAPPY as a creative artist? It is most definitely a long and hard life path to journey. There is no set structure to work your way UP through, no promised steps of advancement when you accomplish one level of success or another. You must be constantly in training and evolving mode and you are forever searching and shopping for the next job, the next opportunity, the next meaningful relationship that might open some new door of possibilities to continue the work that you love to do.
Some artists lose the love – they lose faith during dry spells, during times when work is scarce and the future is without any definitive promises. To survive in this business it requires endurance, tenacity and self motivation to get UP every morning especially when you are not required to be anywhere within someone ELSE’s schedule or set regime.. But when there IS no job, it’s vitally important to fill your day with activities that keep your mind, spirit and body active, inspired and challenged and then also know when it’s time to take a vacation, getaway or “Artist Date” with yourself just to breathe, digest and replenish your creative coffers.
How do you do that as an artist? Cultivating and maintaining friendships that offer support and guidance is a vital first step, looking for classes, seminars and activities that keep you growing mentally and physically is another important key to maintaining sanity (!) and finding time for quiet reflection, meditation and mindful practice is the peace that will fulfill you as you continue to pursue your dreams whatever they may be….
Cate, 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 started as a dancer early on in my journey, but training and professional work has lead me into related avenues of production as a writer, director, choreographer, producer and film maker. I’ve worked with some amazing teachers and mentors along the way and I am grateful for each and every new opportunity and challenge that arises on my creative path. My first love now is as a Director, but I come to each new project with a perspective stemming from all the experiences that came before, enhancing my approach to the current assignment ~ truly all areas of artistic focus go hand in hand.
I love collaborating and learning from others, I love developing new scripts as well as doing classic works of theatre. As I extend my work as a director and choreographer into music videos, film and television, I still remain open to learning more from the other artists I am surrounded by and ones that have joined my production team that bring their own technical expertise and strength to the collective effort. Ideally it should be never ending process of growth and evolution for all involved.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I think the beauty of being a creative artist is that each and every new project or assignment has a beginning, middle and end and then you can move on to whatever’s next. So even if there is a particularly difficult or grueling piece that you are working on due to the circumstance, the personalities, the time restraint or all of the above (!), once you cross the finish line, you can evaluate how it all went, identify what you learned from it all and then move on! I think many people get stuck in other more “traditional” jobs that simply continue on and on unless you quit the job or get fired… Yes being a creative artist is HARDER in some ways because you don’t have the security of a steady job and there’s no guaranteed employment, success or stability and you are always having to sell yourself and shop for the next assignment, but what that gives you is freedom of choice. It requires self generated motivation to keep on keeping on but to me that freedom is invaluable.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
In the earlier part of my career my drive was to achieve my goal, to be a professional dancer. As I was accomplishing my dream dancing with 3 professional ballet companies, my interests and opportunities opened up to include musical theatre, television and film and with more training (and many more auditions under my belt) those aspirations became reality as well. The drive seemed to be coming from a place of wanting to learn more, experience more, wanting to interact with more specific producing organizations and networks….
As the years went on and I crossed over to the other side of the table as a director, producer and choreographer, my drive has shifted more towards what it is I am inspired to SAY through the work and “put out there” as an artist. My interest has shifted towards teaching and training the next generation of artists and theatre makers and I’m also thinking now about legacy and giving back. Additionally I have grown as a philanthropist through my work with the Caplin Foundation, a family foundation my father set up years ago supporting non profit organizations. Now I am able to create dance and writing scholarships, support theatres with grants offsetting some of their day to day running costs and contribute to special programming, sponsor trips and activities for church groups and underserved communities… the list goes on.
The arts shed light where there is darkness and in challenging times like these, we need them more than ever. Everyone needs support and if I can be a part of nurturing the continuation of inspiring and engaging creative work, I believe the world is a better place because of it. It gives me joy to be able to help others, especially in honor of my family and all those touched by the Foundation.
Contact Info:
- Website: CateCaplin.com, MatingDanceTheMovie.com. DanceInFlight.com
- Instagram: @catecaplin
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cate.caplin
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cate-caplin-469ba66/
Image Credits
I do have the rights to use all these photos