We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Katie Hale a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Katie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you share an important lesson you learned in a prior job that’s helped you in your career afterwards?
As an actor, you get told ‘no’ a lot. Sometimes it’s because you don’t have the voice type a casting director is going for or you’re too old/young, fat/thin, whatever. It might be that you’re just not their cup of tea. Getting told no again and again can be discouraging, and I’ve definitely shed a few tears over the years over opportunities I wanted but didn’t get. I learned, though, that being told no isn’t fatal. Sometimes it shows you something that maybe you need to work on. Maybe it encourages you to look at what you’re doing in a different way. Perhaps it inspires you to find a new mentor/teacher to work with who provides you with a fresh perspective.
Now when I approach a situation where I’m opening myself up to a possible ‘no’, I can ask myself: what’s the worst thing that can happen? Someone says no? Been there, done that, and I survived!
Katie, 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?
I’m currently fronting Colorado Springs’s newest jazz and swing band, Katie Hale and the P-47s! We focus on the great swing tunes of the 40s and thereabouts, hence our very cool name (the P-47 was one of the main U.S. Army Air Forces fighter planes in World War II). We even have a personal connection with the P-47: our guitarist/manager (and sometimes clarinetist) Boyd Sweeney had a grandpa who worked on P-47s during the war!
I’ve loved music all my life, and I grew up watching the fabulous old MGM musicals and hearing Dixieland jazz (my Dad’s favorite) and Broadway tunes (Mom’s preference) on the turntable. Playing horn in bands and orchestras growing up gave me important ensemble experience, and after earning degrees in performance and education from Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, I studied acting. Bitten by the acting bug, and with help from my oh-so-patient-and-supportive husband, Philip, and my three boys, I cultivated a career that came to include stage, film, and voiceover work. I then got my first taste of singing this fantastic jazz and swing rep when I met pianist/vocalist (and now, good friend) Michael Suser and started working with him and his band, Night and Day. Then, a big move to Colorado Springs, and here I am, fronting the P-47s! It’s like a dream come true to be singing this music that I love so much with awesome people like my bandmates, the aforementioned Boyd Sweeney, Dalan Neuenschwander on sax, and Scott Webring on bass. We take pride in keeping this music alive and, hopefully, bringing it to new audiences every time we perform.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of my work with the P-47s is being able to connect with people through our shared experience of the song – it’s magical. :)
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Resilience – it’s necessary for anyone, and super-necessary for artists. If you’re putting yourself out there, you will be told no. You will be criticized. You’ll have to decide what to do when it happens. I remember being told by a teacher that she wasn’t sure I had the ‘temperament’ to be a professional artist. I was hurt, I was angry – as I recall, I took a long drive to think about what she’d said. I realized that I couldn’t see myself doing anything else. And that’s when I knew that this was the right path, regardless of my teacher’s opinion. I pushed on, and here I am, iffy ‘temperament’ and all. ;)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.katiehale.com
- Instagram: katiehale8165
- Facebook: Katie Hale and the P-47s; Katie Hale, Actor/Singer/Voiceover
- Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/katie-hale/39/308/4b5