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

Lydia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Before I was old enough to start taking dance classes, my parents told me I would try to dance in the aisles during my older sister’s recitals. As soon as I could start learning, I knew I would never stop dancing. That wasn’t when I knew I was going to pursue dance professionally though. I was too young and dance wasn’t exactly a profession that my family encouraged. It was not practical. I also wasn’t really drawn to the fast paced and grueling life of broadway, and I have certainly never been a ballerina. Those being the only tracks of professional dance that I knew of at the time, I didn’t feel like there was a space in the dance world that felt right for me. It wasn’t until I started working with Baran Dance, going into high school, that I started to believe a dance career could be possible for me. Audrey Baran, the creator and founder, of the company was the role model I needed. She was carving out space in the community for contemporary dance, creating opportunities for herself and others. She inspired me. I realized if I trained, and stayed passionate, I could contribute to the arts community in Charlotte too. I had a voice and I felt like it was my course to share it through the art that had given me so much, dance.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I have always been drawn to the arts. Painting and drawing were my first loves. As a pre-teen I was introduced to jewelry making by my aunt though. I was very inspired by the healing properties of stones and enjoyed learning about them. Later in high school I started painting on ceramics from working at a local pottery studio. Over the years I have sold my art online and at pop-up shops. I do really love to create custom works for people though. There’s something special about helping someone bring and idea or intention to life. Currently I offer intentional jewelry, hand-carved linocut prints, and painted ceramics. I am currently working on establishing an online platform to sell my work. I would say an overarching theme in my work is a love and reverence for nature. As a dancer, I also have a heavy appreciation for the human form and love to paint people. My work is often colorful and with it I hope to inspire people to connect with their hearts and be themselves. Colors make me happy and I like to try and add some brightness to others.

When I am not painting, printing, or jewelry-making, I am creating dance/performing with Baran Dance or my own dance company Metamorphic Dance. Over the years I have trained in many styles including Contemporary, Jazz, African-Brazilian forms, Modern, Ballet, Bachata, and Ballroom. I have a special love for Silvestre Technique, an African-Brazilian/contemporary technique I was introduced to in college by my former professor, Tamara Williams, and continue to study presently. My movement draws from all of these influences. I have always tried to learn many different styles as a way to better understand my body and to expand my movement vocabulary.

Metamorphic Dance had our first show last June and it was magical. I started the company in college in 2019 as a way to create performance + choreographic opportunities for my friends and I. To see our work culminate into our debut show surrounded by community was a dream come true. We shared works with themes of chosen family, the joy of embracing authenticity, and the interconnectedness of living things. My main mission with Metamorphic is to inspire empathy and community. I think that is best done by giving space for people to be themselves. Each body has a voice. I want people to know that they matter.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I’m not going to lie, I think it takes a lot of resilience just being an artist. Our society in the U.S. (especially in NC) is not super supportive of the arts. The arts are the first thing to get cut from school budgets. This directly affects people’s exposure, appreciation, and understanding of them. Most people think its cute you are a dancer or an artist but don’t take the professions seriously because they literally do not understand what all goes into the work. How physically + emotionally taxing it is, how many hours go into mastery, how many hours go into just one single piece. I will never forget how when the world shut down at the start of the pandemic, that it was art that people relied on. People turned to books, movies, shows, music, etc. when they had to slow down. It is what kept us sane. It was a reminder of how necessary creative work is as a means of connection, release, and joy. It was a personal reminder that my work was important. It is hard to do something you are passionate about when a lot of the people around you don’t put value in what you do. That’s what makes artists so strong though. We are driven by what is inside us. Those flames are strong and they are resilient. We have to keep our fires burning despite it all. We have to be our biggest fans, our biggest supporters.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

It sounds a little silly but I think non-creatives struggle to understand the deep need to express that creatives experience. The truth is, a lot of people aren’t tapped in to something they are passionate about and/or they are not tapped in to themselves and their motivations. It takes a lot of vulnerability for someone to create and share their art. You have to tap into yourself and whats around you in order to create honest work. It’s just not something that everyone is comfortable with.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elevennmoons?igsh=MzQ2Z2xibTRqNGM1&utm_source=qr
• Other: Art business instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madewithluce?igsh=bWIwYnZ2YWI1bHZ3 Metamorphic dance Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/metamorphicdance?igsh=MWg5cDRuam40Znh2dQ==

Image Credits
The personal photo is by butchworx photography All the others dont need a credit!