We were lucky to catch up with Alexa Guajardo recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alexa, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
When I find myself lacking creativity, drive, and desire these days, it’s almost always a reminder to just look up and out. I think most of us live inward-facing lives, we’re listening to that inner monologue all day, and it can be so lonely in there. There is this beautiful, miraculous world out there for us to be with and we forget to just -be- with it.. So when I am in those lulls, I try to find a moment to just breathe in the world around me and let myself exist without expectation.
I also think any creative person will tell you that it is impossible to be inspired one hundred percent of the time. The secret to keeping creativity alive is learning how to watch it die over and over again with an understanding that it is only temporary. It’s so easy to become frustrated with ourselves because we hit a road-block, or lose motivation, or whatever else, but it’s a natural part of life. It is a really difficult practice to observe those low moments without judgement, but it is so necessary.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
North Star Dance Project started its fourth season a couple of months ago, and we have a really promising year ahead of us! There are 14 pieces of choreography on the schedule from and featuring our twelve company members. We are submitting works to several dance festivals, and are already working on the program for our end-of-season showcase in April. Our dancers this year are incredibly talented, and I am so grateful to be working with each one of them. We all come together every Friday night, no matter what the rest of the week looked like, just for the love of dance. It’s my favorite part of the week, and I am so proud of everything we have done & all we have coming.
North Star Dance Project is the space that I needed at the time of it’s creation, and every year I hear our company members echoing the same sentiment. There is no other dance company that operates the way we do. We are collaborative, low-stress, and fully transparent. We are the performance company for dancers with careers, families, educational commitments, and more. I wish there were more groups like us, but I am so proud to be filling that space in the meantime.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
There have been so many impactful people and moments that have led me to where I am today in my journey, and I am so grateful for each of them. I think without the connections I have made through the years, there would be no company and no audience to fill our seats. It’s the age-old tale of “you reap what you sew”. When you listen to, support, and promote others along their journeys, they will do the same for you along yours. There is no better marketing than words shared between friends, and I love at the conclusion of shows hearing the audience is made up of friends of friends of friends.
If I were going to give advice it would be the mantra I tell myself daily: The worst thing they can say is “no”. No really. Someone turns you down… then what? All that there is to do is continue on to the next thing. I used to be paralyzed by the idea of rejection, but if you reframe that thinking, it is liberating. A “no” is a rerouting of your path, but it is never the end of it. There have been so many incredible moments that I only got to live because I took a risk that others were afraid to take. Submit all the auditions, send your resumes to those jobs, post your creative work… there is nothing to lose, but there are so many things you could gain from that tiny bit of courage.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
The big obstacle in front of North Star right now is obtaining our nonprofit status! It is a huge goal of mine to convert to a nonprofit, but as with all good things it takes a lot of time, money, and planning. We are in the beginning of this process still, and I am just gathering all of the knowledge available before we start making the big moves. I am aiming for the switch to happen within the next year or two!
Contact Info:
- Website: northstardanceproject.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/northstardanceproject
- Facebook: facebook.com/northstardanceproject
Image Credits
Courtney Klein Photography
