We were lucky to catch up with Michelle Carney recently and have shared our conversation below.
Michelle, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
For a short time, I lived a beautiful and simple life as a Pre-Kindergarten teacher. I’ll admit that I sometimes fantasize about the normalcy that came along with it. How nice it was to have a constant sense of stability and predictability. That being said, I wouldn’t trade my life as a model and actress for anything. Give me the highs and the lows of the creative industry any day. I feel lucky to be able to play, take risks, discover more of who I am, and connect with others through art. Yes, there is regular rejection and you never know when you’ll land the next job, but there is so much excitement and pride that comes when you do. I get to do what I love most every day and I’m so grateful for that.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
When I was younger I thought that the only acceptable thing to be was perfect. A sweet, well-rounded girl who earned straight A’s, was a star athlete, and dedicated her life to charity all while looking like a Victoria’s Secret model. I held myself to an impossible standard and I would do anything to avoid failing. When I was in graduate school the plans I had to soon settle down unexpectedly shifted. I decided to give myself permission to take risks, experience life, and be imperfect. Before long all of my things were packed into a suitcase, I had given up my apartment, I was hardly making any money, and I was traveling wherever, whenever. To be honest, I had no idea what I was doing. I made a lot of mistakes. I often felt like a failure.
Over time I felt more like myself than I ever had before. I became closer to the people in my life because I shared my vulnerabilities and struggles. I discovered passions that were previously crazy, abstract ideas. I quickly grew as a person because I was learning from my new experiences and surroundings. I realized that we, as humans, are all imperfect. That’s life, and there is both beauty and pain in that. If you want to push your limits and discover what you are truly capable of, you have to take risks and you’re going to fail at one point or another. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, as long as you get back up and continue on the journey of becoming the highest version of yourself.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Seeing the beautiful, polished final product of a photo shoot, show, or film and knowing that you contributed to it is an incredibly rewarding experience. However, I’m wholeheartedly more in love with the process of creating. I love it when you’re given a script or the concept for a shoot that’s outside the realm of who you typically are or have been in the past and it forces you to stretch your self-perception. I love when you try something you’ve never done and it doesn’t turn out the way you pictured in your head, but it comes together in this beautiful way you wouldn’t have expected. I also love when you try something new and it doesn’t work at all and you have a good laugh while you tell yourself to never do that again. I find so much fulfillment in constantly pushing my limits and evolving as a person. Every day I get to test out new ideas through a character or concept and even when it results in failure, it contributes to my understanding of myself and humanity. I get to see who I have the potential to become and how I can use that to connect with and share my experiences with others.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.michellekcarney.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michellekcarney/