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

Hi Coley, thanks for 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?

I feel incredibly fortunate to have art and creativity at the forefront of my life. My daily routine is always changing; the projects that I’m working on and the people that I’m working with are always shifting. It feels like a gift to get to spend my time in this way, even when I feel overloaded or uninspired I try to remind myself of the privilege I have getting to work as an artist and a dancer. That being said I often think about how life could have been different and the many decisions that could have shifted my focus or career. When I was younger I read “The Beach” by Alex Garland. To be honest, I don’t even remember what the book was about, but there was this one specific passage that stuck with me. In that part of the story two characters sat discussing the idea of the universe being infinite, and with that came the possibility of other worlds that exist much like ours, but with slight variations.
That idea stuck with me and it’s something my mind explores from time to time. I think the idea has increased in popularity with superhero and science fiction movies exploring the idea of a multiverse. There are even apps and websites that are used as “universe splitters,” the idea is that when you’re having trouble making a decision you can use the app to make the decision for you because quantum events are occurring simultaneously. So, whatever decision is made in this plane of existence, the opposite decision is being lived out somewhere else.
I might be geeking out a little too hard right now, but all this to say that I often allow myself to imagine the different versions of my life that may have occurred and how vastly different my daily routine could be. I think these types of mental exercises help me to feel more gratitude and joy in the path my life is taking.

Coley, 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?

Coley Curry is a Filipinx dance artist, storyteller, facilitator and filmmaker. Born in Chicago, IL and currently living in Arizona. In their movement they aim to create spaces for community, ritual, healing and taking ownership of personal history and cultural narratives.
Coley has her MFA in dance from Arizona State University. She is a faculty member at Chandler Gilbert Community College. Additionally, she is the Associate Director for the Arizona Drive-In Dance Film Festival and a board member for Dansense. Her film work has been internationally recognized and awarded by the IASC. She has received grant funding and recognition from the Faculty Women’s Association at ASU, Arizona Commission on the Arts and the Tempe Arts Council.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

One of the most rewarding aspects of working in the creative fields that I occupy are the people that I get to collaborate with and learn from. I have had the chance to work with some of the most inspiring, talented, brilliant human beings through dance and art making. Right now I’m working on several different projects and I have the opportunity to create work with artists here in Arizona, while also helping with a project happening in Philadelphia and working towards future events in Seattle. I love how artists find each other, uplift each other, influence and stimulate one another.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

There was a period of time when I was doing a lot of social media management and content creation for businesses and individuals. Doing that work allowed me to expand my knowledge of design and engage my creativity in new ways, but it was also a challenge, because social media sometimes feels like this ever changing monster. The algorithms are always shifting to favor whatever is popular and towards whatever keeps people engaged with their phone longer. So it’s a double edged sword. On the one hand I’ve had opportunities come through social media, and I’ve definitely been able to make connections that I value and want to nurture. On the other side of that it, can feel like a dystopian place to occupy and like an unproductive place to send energy.

And for artists and creatives it can feel like it pulls our energy away from other work we might want to explore, if we focus too much on building and creating for an audience.

My advice is to stay in conversation with yourself about what you want to achieve and how social media can help or hinder that. There’s no easy answer and it’s going to be different for everyone.

Contact Info:

• Website: cocurry.net
• Instagram: @aynako.curry

Image Credits
(black and white images) photo credit Nino Ortiz