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

Hi Gabby, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Since I began pursuing a full-time creative lifestyle, my goal and focus has definitely shifted. At 19, my goal was pretty simple: work hard and try to “book stuff.” 2020 made it really clear to me that booking was not the thing I love most about being an artist: it’s creating. I realized that you don’t have to be “booked” to feel blessed and what I’ve found to be true is that when I pursue what is meaningful to me, the blessings follow.

The most meaningful project in my life right now is a group that my peer and friend, Cat Keaton, and I decided to start in our Atlanta community called “The Writers Circle.” We were sharing written work with each other in a little dive bar in Nashville over the summer, deep into the thrill of sharing and bouncing ideas with a friend, and we concluded our time with the mutual sentiment that we both longed for a regular time and space for this kind of meeting to occur. Thus, the Writers Circle was born. The root of the idea was that we were both hungry for a grown-up, creative “church” in a sense- a few hours out of the week spent in the company of people also hungry to grow, create, and connect. Thanks to me and Cat’s shared passionate and impulsive nature, we set the plan in motion quickly, hosting a group of 8 or so people in her basement, sitting on pillows and sharing our stories and ideas with each other. Almost 2 months later, our group is still meeting weekly, growing, and leaving us feeling hungry and inspired with each evening spent together. We have an online community of 50+ members from all over who join and support from afar and in-person when they can. I am genuinely so excited to see where time takes us all!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Defining myself is one of the most difficult things I am ever asked to do, but in short, I am a dancer, actor, and photographer based in Atlanta, GA. I grew up in a house keen on music, books, and movies. I have been creative for as long as I can remember: performing in my first community play at age 4, building a budding photography business by age 16, and abandoning a full college dance scholarship to move to Atlanta and pursue a life as a performer by 19. However many years later, I love all of the same things, but find myself to be much more ambiguous. This has been a season of dipping my toes in new waters, new cities, and new passions. At the root of it all, I love stories. I love people. I love connecting with others through creating.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

The book that has changed the trajectory of my life and my career is Julia Cameron’s, “The Artist’s Way.” If you’ve ever had a conversation with me about art (or…life) I have more than likely brought this book up. I’ve now completed the 12 week course 3 times: on my own, with my mother, and with a long-distance friend. It was recommended to me by a number of creatives I admire greatly and I cannot recommend it enough. I have recently revived my podcast, “The Gabby Gabs Podcast” on Apple and Spotify and dedicated an entire 45 minute episode to pitching the course to anyone willing to listen, but in short: The Artist’s Way taught me that my dreams are not just “okay,” but necessary and productive to my life and the lives of those around me. That dreaming is an integral part of God’s Will and inherent nature. That EVERYONE is an artist. That art is important.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

The Artist’s Way! Gosh. Again, I will try to express this briefly, but for a long time, I let some very narrow ideas and opinions about creative living filter through my subconscious and harm my artist child, which, in turn, harmed me. I spent much of my life longing to be a devout Christian as well as a successful creative; 2 things I had determined were central to my identity. I struggled to be “good” and humble, but also hungry and confident. I made so many conclusions about who I am and what I am made for without considering that there may be a God or Creator or reality in which the “rules” I had been convinced I needed to follow actually did not apply. This book taught me the importance of TRUE self-care, which turns out to have a lot less to do with pampering and a lot more to do with brutal honesty, compassion, and self-respect- principles I didn’t actually learn a lot about in the churches or dance studios I attended.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @gabbyfenimore
• Other: @gfenimorephoto @writerscircleatl @thoughtsfeelingswhatever @gabbygabspod

Image Credits
Izzie Huljev, Ansel Firmalan, Darvensky Louis