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

Alright, Kyra 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?

Thank you for asking me to be part of Canvas Rebel’s Interview series! Out of all of the questions, I felt compelled to share my experience on “Taking a risk” because I get asked a lot about how and why I do what I do. I think it’s not only important but necessary to take risks in life. A risk is another word for a choice. If you don’t take any risks you won’t have much of a life. Sometimes playing it safe is the best option but at somepoint in your life you will have to “jump,” take a risk if you want to live a life you desire.

As I was thinking back on my own journey, I thought of a few different risks I took at different points in my life and realized this: some of them worked out in my favor, some did not. I’m still grateful for the ones that didn’t work out because they gave me clarity, I learned from it, and it set me down a different path that aligned more with what I ultimately wanted…which is a win! That’s what I think many people don’t realize about taking risks: “What if I fail?” “What if it doesn’t work out?” You HAVE to have failures in life to be successful. Some of the most successful people in the world failed many times before getting to where they are. And if a risk doesn’t work out, it steers you on a different path where you have a higher chance of success. Which leads me to my story:

After I graduated from college with a BA I took the LSAT and received a scholarship to law school in AZ. I couldn’t pass the opportunity up, so I packed up my things and moved cross country. I knew the rigors of law school and the sacrifices that were necessary to succeed. I gave it my all but soon after I knew this was not what I wanted to do. Yes it was hard, yes it was grueling at times. I’m used to hard work it wasn’t that. I knew after trying it, that it was not what I wanted to do with every fiber of my being. I felt pressure to stick it out, who wants to judged by family, friends for dropping out? Even after considering all of this, I knew it was not what I wanted to do with my life and to waste three more years going down the wrong path was just not worth it so I left. I dropped out. Instead of shame I felt a calm sense of certainty and relief. I realized I rather have a life of “oh wells” than “what ifs” and knew looking back I’d have no regrets.

A couple of weeks after, I answered a tiny craigslist post for an extra part in a movie. Little details were given but I replied and forgot about it. It sounded like fun and I wanted something to do while I figured stuff out. A week later I had a meeting and got the part! Soon after I had a speaking role in the movie. When I showed up to shoot the day of, there was a trailer with my name on it, hair and makeup. I got to experience something few people do. It was exhilarting and fed my artistic/creative side that I had suppressed for so long since attending college. I knew soon after that I was meant to be doing something artistic, creative because it felt so right.

After the movie wrapped, time passed, I moved, got married. A few years ago I found out the movie was released. I was fairly certain my tiny scene was left on the editing floor and scrapped. I found it online and watched. There I was, in the scene! Sure a small one but enough to get me my IMDb which is a win on its own. That risk I took set me on a completely new path, a path that put the arts back into my life. I grew up as a ballet dancer, performer and realized that is truly who I am. I tried to be many different things based on what I thought I was supposed to do determined by what society as a whole deems appropriate: go to school, go to college, get a job, marry, settle down, have kids. That may work for a lot of people but not all. Staying true to myself, leaving toxic jobs, closing doors to open new ones has led me to the most true happiness and fulfillment.

Take the risk if it’s what you truly want, it will lead you closer to the life you dream of. Otherwise you’re just existing. Life is short, do what you love and are passionate about.

Kyra, 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 grew up as a ballet dancer, performer so have always been passionate about the arts. I started my IG amid the pandemic as a creative outlet and it took off from there. I think what sets me apart (hopefully) is that I deeply care about the quality of my content whether it’s photos, videos, product reviews, etc. I have always felt it better to do quality over quantity in terms of content even if that means I don’t grow as fast. I also try to stay true to myself so that means turning down brand collaborations if it’s something that I don’t really love or is reflective of me. I love being creative and interacting with my followers, that’s my favorite part.

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

Sure! The use of smart contracts has identified a whole ecosystem that will be utilized to onboard to the blockchain in a term widely being used called: “Web3.” Non fungible tokens (NFTs) are one of the first use cases for Web3 technology in the digital asset space. Due to their ability to be “Non-Fungible” and easily identifiable on the blockchain (limited supply, ownership rights, and transferability) this is a revolutionary technology akin to the printing press. Although, the technology itself is extremely early in it’s development and/or adoption period I believe there is tremendous opportunity in this space. Ultimately, there will be massive adoption of the technology as the application of NFTs will range from ticketing for events (concerts, games, etc.) to branding a limited number of products by physical or digital type (think consumer products).

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being creative in your experience?

Getting to express myself is definitely the most rewarding aspect. It’s gratifying that I have a little something that is a reflection of myself and what I share. I’ve worked in corporate most of my career after college. Some jobs were better than others but I never felt that I had a voice or was making an impact. There’s a sense accomplishment when I get to fully be creative and express myself.

Contact Info:

• Website: imdb.me/kyrakirra
• Instagram: @KYRAKIRRA