We recently connected with Ruby Joy Ketchum and have shared our conversation below.
Ruby Joy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
To pinpoint the exact moment is a bit tricky… My whole life I’ve always been a massive fangirl. I’ve loved all things movies, TV series, music, books, etc. Being from Nashville, Tennessee, I fit the cliché and grew up in a household that thrived in the country music business, and always knew I wanted to be in music or movies. But I can say, when I first watched Titanic as a little girl I became so infatuated. I watched every cast and crew interview, obsessed over behind the scenes videos, and needed to know everything about how the film was made. That made me grow up with that fangirl mentality of geeking out and gobbling up every ounce of information about a project and the people behind it. Once I became an adult, there was no other option than to chase the dream of simply being on a set/being in the room with the types of people who make these projects we love. I became serious about moving to New York and studying acting when I was 20 and have been working ever since.
Ruby Joy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, and moved to Manhattan a bit over three years ago. I am a working actor, musician and model. Since moving to New York, I have been pursuing acting more seriously than anything else. It’s difficult to articulate but it’s what I want to be doing every day. Oddly enough though, my entire life I believed I’d be pursuing music as my career; I’m a singer songwriter and even dreamt of running to Los Angeles and living the starving artist narrative there. After graduating high school there was a period of time where I was working as a musician. I’m so endlessly grateful for those experiences, but I had a shift of energy, a change of heart and part of growing up made me realize I wasn’t as fulfilled as I’d wanted to be. And one day, while watching Jessica Chastain’s film Molly’s Game, it dawned on me that maybe I could give acting a go. It always felt something so beyond me. That fangirl mentality made me put the profession on a higher pedestal. So I googled where Jessica studied her craft… and here I am somehow managing to make it work!
I believe my musical background and my love for pop culture really feeds my process. My imagination is my biggest tool, and it is so fueling to have FUN in my work that my imagination will bring; I love to do all the homework and world building for my characters. I make playlists, I write journals, I make Pinterest boards, etc. it’s a never ending process as I work on projects.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Simply being less picky. Having boundaries, but not being close minded. Before I studied acting in any form, I thought I knew exactly what kind of work I wanted to, how I wanted to perceived, what kind of woman I wanted to appear as in my characters, etc. My daydreaming for my career was very close minded and controlled. During my studies, I started to tear down that need for control in how I am received by an audience. It seems so silly now, where that is almost like a common sense in this field; you cannot determine how people will respond to your performance, appearance, etc. but it was a real lesson I needed in order to pursue the work in the real world beyond a classroom. And now I feel so free. I’m open to any kind of project, I always want to learn in anything I can be involved in and from everyone I meet. It also helped me trust my intuition more that when I do put up a boundary and say no, or learn what kind of projects or characters I do not want to work on, it’s still empowering.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect, for me, is the ability to be aware of how much I am growing every day. I personally love how, when lucky enough to have a different project or job to be a part of, it is never the same as the one before. I enjoy being thrown into a different environment, whether pleasant or difficult, I love the new challenges that are present. Learning how to bring what energy I can and meeting new people who bring something different.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rubyjoyketchum/
Image Credits
Elliot Lopes photography, Kevin Kim photography, Jeremy Cowart photography