We were lucky to catch up with Diny Kim recently and have shared our conversation below.
Diny, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
When I first started dancing 10+ years ago, the job of a “choreographer” didn’t exist quite yet as a career choice. I was working full time in the finance-tech industry as Senior Finance Manager. But because I loved dance so much, it naturally became quite a serious hobby, and a daily part of my life. As I grew in my skill and connected with the people in the dance community, I naturally started to book dance jobs, and over time it grew difficult to manage both jobs. I was in a place where I had to turn down some dance jobs, because I had to work during those times. Trying to manage both schedules felt overwhelming. It was then that I experienced my first burnout. My sister was in a similar place in life, and we decided we needed to book a vacation to “get away” from our busyness – in March 2019, we booked a flight to South Korea for October later that year.
Two weeks before our flight, I had friends and coworkers all begin to ask me the same question – it was so specific, and repeated so many times by people from different circles that I felt like it was divine. The question was “Diny, what does your ideal life looks like? What does your ideal day look like?” I had never thought about that before, so when asked this question, it peaked my interest and I began to search deep within my heart for an answer. I responded “Well, I love my finance job, the company I work for, and I feel really connected to my coworkers. I don’t want to leave this job, but physically being here in one place full time 40 hours a week limits my ability to accept dance jobs. My dream would be to work part-time here, almost like a contractor, choose my own hours, and come and go as I please when I want – this way, I can have more time for dance. But my work would never let me do this – it’s impossible! There are things in life I can’t give up – things like health benefits, 401k, etc. but since this is just an ideal dream, that’s what it would be.”
I then went on my trip to Korea – my sister and I spent a majority of the time in prayer, talking to God about our dreams, visions, and purpose in life. It was nice being able to step away from the routine busyness of our lives and look at all the things we were doing from the outside, and analyze our progress looking in. After this healing and restorative trip, I flew back home on a Sunday. I knew back in March, 7 months prior when I booked my flight, that I would probably need the next Monday to rest (jet lag is real) – so I took PTO that day, and had planned to return to work on the following Tuesday. Tuesday morning, as soon as I walked into my office, my boss, supervisor, and the entire exec team requested to meet with me. They sat me down and told me “A lot of things happened while you were gone. One of our biggest clients (we had an entire full-time resource team working solely for this client at the time) has decided to stop working with us and outsource to a different company out of state that was more affordable for them. We didn’t want to bother you since you were on vacation, but we had to let go of half of our team, There were 2 people in the company that we decided to give an option to, and you are one of them, because we felt like you were such a valuable asset to this company. Your option is – how do you feel about working part time? Almost like a contractor? It won’t be full-time anymore, but you can choose your own hours, and come and go as you please and work remotely when you want to. You can also keep all your health benefits, 401k, and anything else that comes with being a full-time employee. What do you say?”
I couldn’t believe the words I just heard. It was literally verbatim what I had been praying for. Not only that, the Monday I had decided to take off for jet lag, happened to be the day they let go of half of the team. It was almost like God was saying “I’m going to remove you, my precious daughter, from this environment of stress – go play, take some time off – and when you come back I’m going to gift you with the exact thing you’ve been dreaming of.”
And this is how I was able to make the bold jump into my career full-time as a dancer and choreographer, and I was able to invest more time into my dance studio business and grow it to where it is today. I am so grateful for this miracle, and I owe it all to God’s provision in my life. He knows all the small details – my desires, passions, dreams, & aspirations – and I feel like He’s walking with me every step of the way as I go about life in this present day.
Diny, 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?
My job mainly consists of dancing or choreographing for artists for their music videos or concerts, and I also do creative directing as well! I’ve worked primarily in the Kpop realm, and have done choreography directing for soju commercials and other ad campaigns. I teach classes both locally and abroad, and am represented by the world-reknowned dance crew GRV. I also own a dance studio with my sister Eileen (Rūts Dance Studio), established in Jan 2019. So I definitely consider myself both a creative artist and an entrepreneur!
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
One of the main things I can think of is that for people in the creative industry, schedules can vary significantly day by day. It is difficult for creatives to have a regular routine, and as a dancer especially, all-day rehearsals or shoot schedules can mean that late nights are a standard part of life. It is very different from a 9-5 job, where you can “turn off work” after 5pm – as a creative, I’m always thinking, brainstorming, and creating 24/7. Since all dance jobs are gig-based, we have to have the flexibility to take on big projects in short amounts of time, and be able to deliver within the production’s timeline both effectively and skillfully.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Personally, the main I reason I entered the dance industry is because I wanted to find language and capability to express the creativity that lives inside of my brain and have a platform to share it with the world. I love performing, and I love having an outlet to express my creativity and my work. I also want to show the world that there can be good, honest people in the entertainment industry – it can be a very dark, broken, and lonely place sometimes – I want to utilize the talents that God has given me to reach the people in those places and share light, love, and hope. I want to succeed, and do it faithfully and with excellence – and be an example that good people can win!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.therutsstudio.com
- Instagram: dinykim
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnL_RjTZEtcSGFIKudcXsig
Image Credits
Clay Dizon