Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Christiana Wheeler. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Christiana, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’ve all been there before where things are tight financially and we start asking ourselves in the small/simple joys like a cup of coffee is worth it. Have you had an experience like this and if so how did you think about this sort of spending?

Being still in the beginning stages of my business and journey, this is something I’ve been experiencing this year and especially getting closer to my dance company’s first show. The most important thing is paying my dancers, so no matter what happens they must get payed because they are helping me make this whole show possible. On top of their payment there is of course paying for the performance space, costumes, posters, etc. Over the past year I have worked extra hours, saved a lot, and purposely not bought groceries so that I can make this happen comfortably. It’s the lifestyle of an artist and harsh reality that you are not guaranteed to be approved for the grants you apply for nor are you guaranteed ticket sales. But the whole point of this is that you will do whatever you need to do in order to make your vision come to fruition. I am so thankful for my business partner/co-choreographer, Tom Wingerd, for without him splitting cost of dancers and venue with me it would be much harder to create this show. I also think that with having few funds you find other ways to make things happen, you start to make connections with people who also want to be involved in your art and by them being involved in your work you are also helping them gain experience and vice versa. When community comes together to make dreams happen it’s so beautiful, because we can’t rely on getting the grant money or getting the recognition but we can ask for support from friends and our closer communities.

Christiana, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Christiana Wheeler and I am a interdisciplinary artist specializing in dance. I began my dance training very young at various studios in Washington State where I grew up and graduated from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, where I received my Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Dance spring of 2021. I currently teach a variety of dance techniques at studios in the Boulder and Longmont, CO areas and work with ages 5 to 50 teaching group classes as well as private lessons. When I moved to Colorado two years ago I started my own dance company, CarnivalGlass, as company director/choreographer I aim to create dance performances and films that emanate the wonders of the language of dance through my eyes and the lovely dancers I have the pleasure of working with! Currently, along with my company, I am performing with Animus Movement and Wild Heart Dance, occasionally working with Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema and was accepted into their fall film premiere Fall of 2022. I connect with dance as my primary outlet of self expression as I learned to dance before I could read, speak, and practically walk, dance is everything to me! My goal is to create and perform art that provokes the community to see dance through a spectrum of thought, expression, and aesthetic.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

I think this goes for most professions, but attending social events, performances, and working with other artists’ companies has grown my audience much more that if I were to only use social media. Meeting people in person and having them get to know you and then sharing your social media makes a bigger impression and helps you network and meet people that not only want to support but might want to be involved in your projects! Going out and meeting more likeminded folks helps connect our communities while also growing your business as well as friendships and partnerships.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

It’s extremely fulfilling to include others in my creative work, through working with my peers on a prompt, idea, or project I end up gaining even more ideas and learning from others outlook on the work and seeing further possibilities. Being an artist, no matter what form of art is your discipline, it can be lonely because you’re always in your head digging deep to create vulnerable work, I think it’s really important to share and have conversations with your peers about your work to gain more perspective and support. Through including people in your process it is so rewarding to share art with others and learn more about yourself in the process.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.christianawheeler.me/
• Instagram: Christiana_dancer18 and Carnivalglass_
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjgd_SygGG-A2tjARVrOqHQ

Image Credits
For the first photo: IG: @GraceCreativeStudios Point shoe pose in street: IG: @photo.by.jun Yellow pants: Jesse Rarick Snow and other fabric one: IG: decarbonazul