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

Alright, Helen thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

A big risk I took was actually at the start of the pandemic in 2020 when I said goodbye to my comfort zone of working a 9-5. I was working a corporate job and while I’m grateful to have had the career, I felt no passion for it. Ever since I was a child, music and dance was always my passion. I took it very seriously and during my time off from work I was either writing songs, practicing belly dance, or planning & reading books on how to finally start my business. I knew that a big part of starting a business was investing, so I worked overtime at this corporate job, saved almost every penny I could, and trademarked my company name BellyPOP.

Soon after doing so, I was laid off due to pandemic-related budget cuts. I now had 40+ hours to myself that I didn’t have before. I used every minute of the new time off I had from being newly unemployed to create my online courses for BellyPOP. Simultaneously, I started creating educational bellydance-related content on TikTok. With time & consistency, I was able to grow my social media platforms and cross-promote my classes, growing my current student base to over 450 & counting.

Helen, 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?

I’m a professional belly dancer, singer, & content creator based out of Central & South Florida.

Singing was my first passion as I started at 8 years old. From my early life to present day I’ve been involved in multiple vocal competitions, televised programs, and special events. With 5 original singles out on music platforms & counting, I currently perform at special events of all kinds.

I got into belly dance through singing, because I was exposed to the dance while at a recital at my arts’ school. After falling in love with it, I quickly took professional classes, which, years later, has allowed me to perform at weddings, more televised programs, teaching master classes, and so much more.

Serious content creation started more recently in 2020 and I love every minute of it. Through funny & informative videos on TikTok & Instagram related to the aforementioned art forms, I was able to grow my platform to 600K. With this platform, I now offer brand collaborations in the fashion, dance, travel, beauty, & music niches.

Something I’m most proud of in my career overall as a singing & belly dancing performer & content creator is that even after being told “no” so many times throughout the years, I was still able to chase my dreams full force. All of us as artists are unique but my goal & message for my followers is that every person is a diamond and has the potential to sparkle. A coal must go through pressure to become a diamond. This is why I often refer to my followers as sparkles. I want my Sparkles to feel inspired by my work & do the same in their own lives.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

That you need to play it safe. Growing up, I often heard this sentence from various people I knew, many of them in my circle at the time. Granted, the sentence always took different forms, such as, “Are you sure you want to major in music? Will that get you money down the line?” or “Showbusiness is just a dream. People rarely make it.” Consequently, I internalized these words. I changed my major in college from music to something more universal, Hospitality Management, and didn’t chase my dreams as hard as I could have for the longest time.

As the years went on, this passion I had for performing never went away. It was my calling. I had to unlearn all the internalized statements about needing to play it safe. Life and success are all about taking risks. No one has ever become successful by playing it safe.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Non-creatives tend to have this idea that when you’re a performance artist or content creator that it’s “not a real job” and that couldn’t be further from the truth. I put in more hours as an independent contractor than I ever have working a 9 – 5, and yes– I make money doing what I do.

When you choose to become a full-time professional in any arts industry, you do your own marketing, public relations, negotiations, practice, content, and so much more. It is actually very insulting to hear people not in this industry say that what I do is not a real job, when, in fact, it’s the most complex career I’ve ever had.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.helenblondel.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/helensingerdancer
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/officialhelenblondel
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/helenblondel
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/helenblondeltv
• Other: www.tiktok.com/@helensingerdancer