We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Christi Leigh. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Christi below.
Christi, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I came to this realization later in life. I often feel I barely existed until my thirties. I had my first child in my teens and barreled onto the hamster wheel of responsibilities and jobs and bills and didn’t slow down until fifteen years of mindless toiling and building a life unconsciously came crashing down on me. I read a self help book (one of my many addictions) that plainly described that my own fear was the single thing standing in the way of what I actually wanted. I, in that moment, for the life of me, had NO idea what I wanted. Never even thought about it. That was page one of a book that I never picked up again but it started me on this path of self discovery: who am I and what do I want. So I found my voice and I’ve been forcing it on unsuspecting groups of people ever since.
I was fortunate to meet some very supportive mentors early on who guided me on how to make the switch from the corporate lifestyle to a creative one. It’s a tough thing to break free from, and I’m grateful I had people encouraging me throughout the transition. Once you’re free of it, man, there is no desire to go back.
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?
I am feral. I am an adventurer, risk taker, and problem solver. I’m excellent at all three and so I have accumulated an insane amount of experience and stories throughout my life. I have no problem getting into trouble or sketchy spots because I can get out of it somehow, always have. This is the center of my passion in writing and performing: I am a storyteller. I wanted to do this full time, and having started amid a global pandemic, there were no opportunities to practice my newly discovered passion and craft, so I started making my own opportunities. I performed in backyards and parking lots and underground warehouses. I have a business degree and a lifetime of experience in business so learning to run shows myself and marketing and building audiences and rooms came easily.
I’m also a fun hang and a pretty solid, compassionate human, so that helps. I love people, and I started On The Run Comedy Productions with one goal in mind: to create joyful experiences. I’ve run hundreds of shows and produced a festival in Winter Park, CO. I think the spirit around why i started this business has really set it apart. I don’t really care about the money, there’s always more money. I care about the experience for the venues, the audiences, and the performers. I enjoy curating an awesome show audience members will talk about at work the next day, I absolutely love being able to provide work and income for artists in a packed room where everyone is ready to have fun. And I adore nurturing relationships with other business owners that are like minded and want to provide these experiences as well.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Artistically, as a writer and performer, every single day you don’t quit is a testament to your resilience. It can be such a grueling process, with hours and weeks and months of writing sometimes with little reward. It is a very difficult thing to stay motivated and not get discouraged. Having a community that can commiserate is helpful, and having mentors who have already been through those milestones and encouraged me to keep going has been incredibly valuable. In the business side of things, running my own festival with just a few years of comedy experience at all was a major task. I’m grateful I had a computer guy do the web design because I run websites with the acumen of a kindergartener with a crayon, and that is being generous. I curated and funded the majority of the festival and ended up cashing out my 401k to pay for it all, but it couldn’t have gone better and I am really proud of the end result. There will always be more money, and we experienced an entire weekend of 17 shows, 35 comedians and countless laughs, that’s what matters.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
Any time you attend an event or purchase a ticket or album or work of art, you’re supporting an artist. I find that working artists understand this because they are active participants in the creation of art and are very willing to support one another. I would encourage everyone in society to begin a creative endeavor if they are not doing so already. The disconnection from creation is the biggest hurdle to creating a thriving ecosystem. It is so much easier to accept and support the arts when you feel you are a part of all creation. It is what connects us as humans, and it just feels good!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://christileigh.com/
- Instagram: Christileigh_5280
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/OTRComedy
- Twitter: @Christeasecomic
Image Credits
Nick Holmby