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

Alright, David thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I started writing songs during the pandemic to help me navigate my emotions. I struggled for almost a decade with substance abuse and finally got sober four years ago. However, living alone during the pandemic and seeing all contracts cancelled was heartbreaking. I was determined to remain sober and push threw in a healthy way. So many creatives that make a full-time living from choreographing, teaching and performing lost all sources of income almost overnight.

I love singing as a hobby; I’ve performed in musicals in ensemble roles, but singing alone always made me feel nervous, and still does. But, when I’m alone and sing, it’s one of the best feelings I get—peace, harmony and balance.

Once the pandemic was over, I started doing music videos of the songs I had created during the COVID Lockdown Era and a few weeks ago, I was able to film a new music video with a professional videographer in Las Vegas, where I had just finished performing as a lead character in a show on the strip. One of my best friends, Amber Teolis, flew in from Canada to be in it, and it was very emotional as I have wanted to have her in my music video since I started making them. She has been with me threw so many ups and down. Finally, performing together in this music video was extraordinarily healing and a reason why it’s so meaningful to me. She is an outstanding dancer.

That was one of my most meaningful projects, as it was entirely created out of my love for singing and was a celebration of how far I’ve come. As a recovering addict, finding a passion to dive into when times get challenging is a huge victory. When I give keynotes at different conferences, I motivate others to find their voice through different hobbies or art forms. Simple idea but very effective.

Art saved my life, and making this music video reminds me that everything always works out. It’s also meaningful because it reminds me that everything is just an idea until you have a plan and take action.

Here is the link to it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPr7FUEm2As

David, 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?

Artistic Bio:

From rural Loretteville, Quebec, Canada, multidisciplinary artist David Houle battled addiction for a decade; he now motivates audiences to face their struggles and inspires them toward a path of recovery and healing. In 2019, as a guest keyboard artist and dancer with Montreal’s atypical metal band Deadly Apples, he performed at the 25th Vans Warped Tour alongside Simple Plan, Good Charlotte and Blink 182. He also performed at the VIVO X El ROCK festival in Peru with Slipknot, The Strokes and Bullet for My Valentine and toured with Marylin Manson. Both of his parents served in the Canadian Armed Forced, and after his mother passed in 2003, he decided to study dance full-time, later graduating from the School of Toronto Dance Theatre. In 2015 he worked alongside Cindy Lauper in the Tony Award-Winning musical Kinky Boots in Toronto. In 2020 before the global pandemic, he was set to debut the world premiere French adaptation of it in Montreal with Serge Postigo and Just for Laughs Productions. Singer/Songwriter David Houle was also the lead character for two productions of Cirque Du Soleil and a dancer for the Canadian Opera Company. He is also the choreographer for Billboard charting artist Dion Todd and has just finished performing as a lead character in a show on the Las Vegas Strip.

My art: I am a multidisciplinary artist. I have been a dancer, acrobat, and aerialist for over a decade and am now a choreographer and keynote speaker.

My inspirations and focus: With time, what matters to me has changed, and my main focus is allying my different passions with my vision in a way that helps me feel heard, fulfilled and present.

My mission; Threw my Keynote speaking business, I want to remind others that every day you have the choice to start over. Many people after addiction find it hard to find their voice and set clear boundaries. Trust me; I’ve been there. I’ve learned over the years that we can change our narrative with courage. With love, we can find the strength to face our struggles and learn how to live with them. Not live trying to hide them. As a recovering addict, I remind myself that every day, we have the choice to start over and move forward with patience and love for ourselves. At the core of my speaking, I strive to help you gain a new perspective into the habit of listening while sharing my struggles and recovery discoveries. My goal is to inspire you to find joy and set realistic goals while healing as you start over. To help you see that you can do this, now is the time to start breathing and living again.

My speaking expertise is in; change management, Health and Wellness, Leadership, Mental Health and Mental Wellness, Peak Performance and Productivity, Personal Development and Growth, Resilience and Adversity.

I’m most proud that I finally have the confidence to pursue my dreams and live my life on my own terms. I’ve spent too many years worrying about what people think. For anyone that has struggled with addiction or knows someone that has, overcoming it feels like a second chance at life.

Silly extras: My first language is French. I love golfing and competed internationally as a racewalker for the Canadian Track and Field team.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the limitless possibilities. I can’t think of any other career where you can constantly evolve and do so many different things. I started as a modern dancer, then went into more commercial dancing, then worked for Cirque Du Soleil. I worked with Cindy Lauper in Kinky Boots, the musical and have been a choreographer for a few years while also doing keynote speaking. I even toured with Marilyn Manson. Thinking back on all the fantastic things I’ve done in the last decade makes me excited for the next ten.

The possibilities are endless as a creative.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

If I’m candid, I find them fascinating, but I don’t understand what they are.    

Contact Info:

• Website: www.davidhoulespeaks.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/__davidhoule/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-houle-9143261b2/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpFOaoEp0Kl1OjYtAenXrdg
• Other: Nice article link to my music: https://www.buzz-music.com/post/get-taken-into-david-houle-s-vortex

Image Credits
Photographer: Kyle Michael Kuhlman