We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Northern Joy. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Northern below.

Northern, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My opinion of my parents has evolved over time, and just like all parents, mine did many things wrong, and also got a few important things right. My parents divorced when I was a teenager and never seemed to agree on anything, yet they were both successful at raising their kids to be good adults.

While parents today seem generally more focused on “letting kids be kids,” my parents above all else wanted us to have tools to be good adults. If I could see over the washing machine lid, I did my own laundry. When I cleaned the kitchen floor, I had to do it as many times as necessary to earn my mom’s stamp of approval before I could watch TV. When I was nearly old enough to drive, I got a driver’s permit, a car, car insurance, a cell phone, and a job to pay for it all myself. I absolutely hated it. Then I got to college and saw my friends struggling to manage the pressures of young adulthood, while I was busy balancing a full time job with full time school, tuition, student loans, and keeping my shared dorm bathroom clean. I knew I wouldn’t always know what to do, but it was my job to figure it out.

My parents haven’t always loved my choices or supported them, but they also didn’t hold those choices against me. When I started performing burlesque at the House of Blues, my mom understood why I’d taken this once-in-a-lifetime bucket list opportunity. My dad, though he would have preferred I be a scientist, couldn’t have been more proud. My mother grew up a dancer and my dad was a musician, and they both nearly gave up their art entirely in adulthood, so I’m pretty sure they were both a little jealous, too!

My dad died unexpectedly late in 2020, which was a horrific experience during a global pandemic. He had become my best friend and I miss him, his goofy laugh, his advice, and his encouragement, every single second of every single day. He left me with more wisdom than I can fit into this Q&A, so I’ll leave you with the one nugget that he reminded me of most often: “Always have a plan. Always be prepared to change that plan. And never be afraid to ask for help.”

If parenthood is defined by raising quality adults, then my parents got that part right.

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 currently operate two sides to my professional life: my daytime “bill-payer” job and my passion projects. I thrive most in operations and marketing functions, whether for my day job or my hobbies. And any time I can be dancing, singing, entertaining someone, or producing an event, I’m a happy girl. But I also enjoy the stability of a steady paycheck and excellent health insurance, so I haven’t been able to convince myself to live my passions full time.

I think lots of people can relate to the struggle of finding that balance between doing what’s comfortable and doing what you love. Maybe some day I will bring both stability and my passions into the same functions, and that’s my current goal. I’m actively a producer and performer for Uptown Revue, a variety show with an emphasis on burlesque and not taking ourselves too seriously. We recently wrote and produced our very own scripted interactive murder mystery play, an idea I stole from seeing my nephew’s 7th grade school play, and I couldn’t be more proud of what we created together. My favorite side gig has to be as ring announcer for pro independent wrestling group Lucha Brutál. Does gig work get any cooler than that?!

The world gets way too serious, and we have enough people managing those aspects of life. What I love most is bringing people together to create and enjoy performance art, to appreciate the beauty in imperfection, and the meaningfulness of the little things. That, to me, is the magic of live entertainment.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

All our communities need to do to support the arts and creative ecosystem is show up. Money is fantastic. We’ll all happily accept money, because we need it to build our creations. But more than anything else, I think creatives need our communities to show up, and it starts with every single individual. Whether you buy a ticket, make a donation, or share something on social media, every little bit counts. And even just words of encouragement go a very long way.

Creatives also need to be better about supporting each other. Yes, some of us are in direct competition, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for everyone. No one “gets it” more than our own competitors. And we don’t need to tear each other down. We can cheer each other on and learn from each other to make ourselves and our community better.

The creative community can be so dark while bringing so much joy and light, so it’s important to show up for each other, whether we’re inside or outside the immediate creative circles.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I think we all have a love-hate relationship with social media, and it’s undeniable that it’s an essential part of building a creative community. My best advice is to focus less on perfection and more on authenticity. Be mindful of best practices and how they frequently change, but don’t play only to the metrics and algorithms. Create honest, authentic content a few times per week, and interact with others! It can be a lot of work, and it can be overwhelming, so take social breaks when you need to and pace yourself. Those steps we take back and forth to the bathroom with our phones in hand can be PRETTY productive!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.northernjoy.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/northernjoy/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/northernjoy1/
• Other: https://www.uptownrevue.com/

Image Credits
Uptown Revue, Darrell Miller Photography, Bustout Burlesque, Miracle Bennett Photo