We were lucky to catch up with Shang Abrams recently and have shared our conversation below.
Shang, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
Well my dad’s family is from the South, Allison Louisiana near Baton Rouge. I was brought up with values about your work. I can remember my dad saying that it did not matter what your title was, you did your best at that job because it is a reflection on you. I want to say in addition that my family is historically from a plantation in St Francisville, Louisiana. I definitely think that could have had some influence on my work ethic as well sadly as that might be.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I was born, raised, and currently live in Los Angeles. I am an entertainer (big Surprise). I act, sing, dance, write, and direct. I also do Stand up Comedy. When I started out doing plays in school and college, I loved the adulation and recognition. I was doing it to get acknowledgement that I did not receive growing up. I started doing stand up so I could use all my skills. People often said I had to choose one and focus on that. With stand up comedy, I could do everything. I am Part of the LGBTQ community and I learned to use my stand up to bring awareness and freedom to myself and others. As I have grown and developed as an artist and human being, my artistry began to transform. It was no longer about the applause. It now was about healing. If I can talk about it and laugh about it, then I can be free from it. Generational Trauma is a real thing and I started to weave that into my work. I directed a short called Nasty Women which had multicultural women freely expressing their sexuality. For me it is all about representation and coming together. I tell my truth first for myself to be free and second because I know there is someone listening who needs to hear that message. I am a voice for those who (for whatever reason) are silenced.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
First and foremost, authenticity is something I had to learn. Being African American and LGBTQ, I felt like I had to figure out what people wanted and give them that. It was exhausting for me. I started to discover my true spirit and bring that to the party. I am quirky, funny, odd at times and that is ok. When I am standing in that space, people are able to resonate.
Second is Community. Create a strong community. I tried (and failed) to do everything myself. Whatever you are trying to accomplish, you are going to need help. There are people literally waiting to assist you. The more I participated in various projects, the bigger my community got. I did (and still do) all kinds of things to help others. I just got involved in a variety of short films, I was in Richard Lawson Studios, and started working as a Production Assistant. All of these ways helped me to build my community.
Third, What is your purpose?
This is always the big one. I mean I definitely put a lot of pressure on myself about getting this one “RIGHT”. How about reframing that to Discover your purpose. The world keeps moving and as it grows, so do we. At first I just wanted to be famous so that people would like my quirky ass. That was not enough to carry a career over a span of time. I can say that now. It was thru discovery that brought me to a new understanding. My purpose is to unite communities through love. To be a voice for those that have been silenced, to speak our truths. To freely grant myself permission of my divine right to express through dance, creativity, song, and storytelling. Constantly renewing my spirit and existence though my works of art.
My advice for anyone is to never give up. Spirit has you always. Just continue to take action and watch this magnificent universe unfold.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
The biggest obstacle is letting go of old myths about myself. I addressed earlier about generational trauma. It is something that I was born into. It comes with all kinds of conversations and “TRUTHS” about how to survive in life. I bought into those “TRUTHS” for many many years. Today I am speaking my own truth. That I am a child of God and that My God is always for my highest good. I am in various empowerment and spiritual groups to assist me. I also chose to heal and inner pain. As life continues to happen, I have a powerful support group to lean on. We lift each other up. As my spiritual coach says, I honor my spirit.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Shang Abrams
- Facebook: Shang Abrams
- Twitter: Shang Abrams
- Youtube: Shang Abrams
