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

Alright, Kerry thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I often think of what my life would’ve been had I chosen a more secure path. I imagine in the multiverse, there’s a Kerry that followed her college degree in Political Science and became successful at something more financially viable. I fantasize about that a lot to be honest. But in the end, I know if I hadn’t moved out here in my early twenties to pursue dance, I would’ve been forever heart broken.

Beyond the emotional fulfilling part of making art it is the daily work on a creative. I realize that the work I’m drawn to is that of an artist entrepreneur. It’s a creative small business lifestyle that is fiercely independent and self-reliant. You make your own hours but the reality is you work seven days a week. there’s no boundary between work and not-work because everything is “you.” To my own demise, I’ve never been drawn to working for someone else in exchange for a pay check.  I’ve come to the conclusion that this is what I am for better or worse and it’s my job to enjoy the good aspects but also fight through the inevitable tough parts.

The challenging side of being a creative is pretty obvious. It’s the consistent threat and/or reality of under-employment. It’s slow sometimes and we have to weather and plan for those times. I’ve had a host of side gigs over the last two decades, but I’ve always tried to stay within the sphere of the dance and fitness world. It made the side gigs that I took on feel less random and therefore purposeful. In the process, I became a pilates trainer and corrective masseuse all of which make me a better at the creative side of my job.

For those out there who are trying to make ends meet, I would say to try to grab side hustles that are in the same universe as your main goal. You’ll grow your network within your industry and also make some extra money on the side.

Kerry , 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 worked as a professional commercial dancer for over twenty years starting in 2000. I moved out here knowing one person, started networking, got my agent and had a singular focus for almost the entirety of two decades. I considered myself “on call” with my agency and did little else with my time than work on my craft, figure out creative ways to survive the slow times and then later start training in aerial arts.

In 2007 I found aerial silks. I cross-trained in dance and aerial to land roles on tour with artists like Taylor Swift and Motley Crue as a dancer and aerialist. Performers like me were and are in high demand because of the unique skill set and I had the opportunity to perform both disciplines up until the pandemic when I became a mom.

Currently, I consider myself an aerial choreographer and instructor. My business is called Wrap Your Head Around Silks where I teach silks online to students all over the world as well as train aerial teachers to teach and share voices from our community in a podcast that I produce and host called The Expecting Aerialist.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative are the random moments that you get where you feel like there’s no where else on earth you’d rather be than in that studio, with that music playing and with those students flying in the air. They’re making your choreography come to life and it’s like lightning in a bottle. That “moment” has come in so many different forms to me over the years. Before I was performing the moment and now , even though I’m watching others do the same, it’s oddly just as rewarding.

Simply, it feels like the struggles that come along with this job are worth it. There’s a magic that comes along with my job.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

This question is more relevant than ever with the current strike that we are now witnessing and living through. I can imagine it must be hard to understand what it’s like to be one of us. It can be easy to view us as privileged because in a way we are. We are lucky to be in the position to pursue an artistic career. But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be paid fairly and protected on the worksite like so many other middle class workers are.

The regular person in society can try to shop “small” whenever possible. Buy books from local booksellers, seek out independent films to watch and support local artisans wherever you live.

Contact Info:

• Website: wrapyourheadaroundsilks.com
• Instagram: @kerrywee1
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kerrywee
• Twitter: @kerry_wee

Image Credits
JC Argetsinger Photography Scripter Films Photography