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

Mae, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

Be like a SPONGE – is what we were all told by the Kent Gash on our very first day of freshman year at the New Studio on Broadway at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Taking this simple phrase to heart laid the groundwork for experience, creation, humility, pride, opportunity, growth, and connection. Starting with this message that inspired growth through observation allowed me to apply myself in all aspects of the world that I found/find myself in. I learned how to do almost all of what I do based on saying yes, showing up, and staying present and open – being a sponge.

Knowing what I know now, I would have trusted myself a bit more to let information/skills marinate and to let myself soak things up without feeling the need to prove to myself or others that I “got it” right away. By relaxing the need to prove myself, perhaps I could have sped up my learning process by actually slowing down and allowing for self reflection in order to honestly review where I was at, where I was going, and where I wanted to go. This time for self assessment would have likely helped build an earlier resiliency and self confidence in not only ability but direction, allowing me grace to figure out the best path of growth for my personal journey.

In my experience, the ability and willingness to learn from yourself and from others is the most essential learning skill. Utilizing this sponge/observational mentality for my own self reflection while continuing to surround myself with people who inspire me – strangers, mentors, peers, or (most especially) my own students, has proved the most fruitful and fulfilling of all lessons I’ve learned.

Mae, 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?

Spin the wheel to pick what role you’ll find me in on any given day! A passion for diving in, saying yes, and following what makes my heart skip and my gut jump has led me to pursue a variety of disciplines in the industry of creation. I can usually be found doing some collection of the following: sharing stories/perspective on stage through performance art and dance, running the room behind the scenes as a stage manager, expanding my repertoire of dance technique by taking class, and guiding others in exploring their own expression of movement through teaching dance.

Inspired by my own mentors, I am passionate about the investigation of lines of energy and the mind-body connection. I am proud to remain curious about this energy and ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, and how these concepts relate to storytelling and the creation and sharing of art.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I understood and believed earlier that artists are our own resource. Turn to your community! Reach out, ask questions, share advice/resources/tips/tricks/ideas!

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

Inspiring and expanding thought in myself, my team, an audience, my students, and in anyone who happens to be experiencing art/creation is so rewarding. The most special thing about sharing art is the opportunity it creates to feel the wind in a different way, feel your feet on the ground, and experience life with a fresh awareness. This energetic shift is so powerful.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: mae.schubie
• Linkedin: Mae Schuberth
• Other: Reach out if you want to connect, discuss, or collaborate! [email protected]

Image Credits

Julianna McGuirl