Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mari Jane Sun. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Mari Jane, appreciate you joining us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

Earning a full-time living from my talents has not been easy in this cutthroat entertainment industry. I have realized to be able to thrive in this environment I have to be very fluid & innovative. I started in the entertainment industry with the World Famous Hollywood Knockouts where I learned how to entertain a crowd and problem-solve anything that came my way. A major milestone for me was having my son & changing my entire trajectory in the entertainment industry. I went from touring the country as a Professional Wrestler to a Mom, Business Owner, Troupe leader, Aerialist, and Fire Performer. I also Manage Burlesque in Downtown Nashville on the weekends with the nationwide show Red Velvet Burlesque.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Mari with an “i not a y” and I am a full-time performer who specializes in Fire Dance, Fire eating, Lyra Hoop, Troupe Management & Show Production. I got lucky enough to tour all over the United States at Bar Shows, Event Venues, Bike Rallies, Corporate Events, and Private Shows. With that, I gained a lot of experience working with a large variety of crowds and learned that networking and socializing is extremely beneficial to get the opportunities you desire. What I believe sets me apart from others is my work ethic and caring nature to always try and help everyone around me succeed. I will always strive to make an impression on those I entertain and those I work with; hopefully in a positive light.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I moved back to Tennessee I had to make a major pivot from working under other Companies / People to growing as an independent business with little to no budget; as well as my stern personality refusing to even fathom failure as an option. I set extremely high goals in the beginning and was lucky enough to reach the majority of those goals in the first year. Majority of my successes I can attribute to the constructive advisors I’ve had along the way who have been in the industry for more years than I have been alive. One of my closest friends and I (Kody) have partnered up collaborating with Troupe management for bike rallies and working as a Team has been pivotal and everflowing with changes along the way. I naturally fall into leadership positions and having a business partner has helped make that load a whole lot less heavy with managing performers, so I can focus on the back end of productions and bookings.

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

As an entertainer having the opportunity to perform in front of a crowd is exhilarating, while also helping other performers have a space to showcase themselves is extremely fulfilling. Being able to give the crowd an impactful experience that they’ll remember for the rest of their life is what I live for. I very much so strive to make work my play, so that I can work every single day for the rest of my life. I’m a through and through work-a-holic and being an independent creative I do work a lot but seeing the results in real-time is the most rewarding aspect of my performance journey. I look forward to many more years and meeting many more fans, I do it for my aspirations and I appreciate the support along the way, thank you for reading.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luckyzhell/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100055138767127
• Other: https://nashvillevoyager.com/interview/check-out-mari-jane-suns-story/ https://www.gigsalad.com/luckys_hell_fire_clarksville

Image Credits
MBE Images Mike & Theresa Estes Edyta Graphics – Edyta Fedurek Dave Cardaciotto Tennessean Photographer