We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Emily Jane Acree. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Emily Jane below.
Hi Emily Jane, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
Probably from the fear of what I perceive as failure or giving up. That may seem a bit backwards, because I know and support that we should not fear failure. Failure is an integral part of growth as humans and artists, and we should never be embarrassed by it. We cannot allow small failures to stop us in our pursuit of further growth, new endeavors or change our mindset about ourselves. I don’t want to let my small “failures” win, so I keep going – even if that means shifting gears or goals. I’ve learned early on that I am motivated by negative reinforcement. This means that the “reward” of doing something well, is not actually a reward, but the removal of something we perceive as negative. When I am proud of the work I am doing, it relieves feelings of fear, self-doubt, and worry. I continue to learn, grow, and work hard because I don’t like feeling those ways – no one does. We are all unique and it’s important to pay attention to what helps us stay focused and goal oriented. It will be different for everyone. Rewarding myself has never worked for me, but it may work really well for others. As a gig worker and someone who has never experienced the consistency of a 9-5, I have learned what keeps me going and how to create the work I want to do, almost out of necessity. Waiting to feel “motivated” is an excuse we tell ourselves, and unfortunately one so many of us put stock into. Don’t wait for it because it may not come! Create an environment that will support you whether you are motivated or not!
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I currently teach dance at the North Carolina Dance Institute in Raleigh, NC and am the Company Manager for the NC Youth Tap Ensemble – a non-profit youth performance group based in Chapel Hill, NC. Both of these jobs bring me so much joy, as I am able to share my love for dance with my students, and help create opportunities for young artists to share tap dance with others.
In the last few years, I have shifted my focus a bit from musical theatre (which I still absolutely adore), to tap dance as a musical art form. Through this work, my brother and jazz musician, Adam Price, and I have created our company Relative Rhythms. We focus on sharing the combined history of tap dance and jazz music and create educational opportunities for tap dancers. Our workshops bring together local tap dancers and jazz musicians, focus on improvisation, making music together and building community. We create spaces for tap dancers to learn from musicians and have conversations about bringing these two communities closer together. This is an area that I wanted to learn more about and just happened to have an incredible jazz music educator in my family. When I realized that there were other tap dancers interested in growing in this way, I decided to don my producer hat and start creating these opportunities for others. Through this project, Adam and I have taught in community spaces, dance studios, and at colleges and festivals. We are currently in the process of planning a few summer events, as well as producing a podcast to share these ideas and conversations with the greater community. The podcast will interview both musicians and percussive dancers to discuss music, movement, and collaboration between art forms! It is set to launch on National Tap Dance Day (May 25th, 2024). We are honored to have an incredible lineup of guests for our 1st season and cannot wait to share these conversations with you.
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?
Whether you are an artist or not, so much of our success is built off of who we know, which may feel a little out of our control. The biggest piece of advice I have for young artists is to invest in your community and avoid viewing others as competition. Build up the community of people around you, support them, encourage them, and give them work. We ALL are more successful when we support each other. Surround yourself with likeminded people doing the work you aspire to do.
If I had to name 3 qualities or skills that have helped me do that, it is my work ethic, positive mindset, and ability to be flexible. I’m not saying you have to be a happy-go-lucky workaholic – you need to be realistic and find a balance that you can sustain. If you can work to find the positive in each situation then you are more likely to continue. I look at it all from a growth and education perspective – what did I learn from this experience that I can take into the next opportunity? Practice this for yourself and for your community. The flexibility I mentioned speaks to that as well. Go and put all of your eggs in one basket, however, sustainability is key. You might need to support that basket if it starts to fall apart…don’t view that as a failure. Don’t be afraid to shift to continue. Find other opportunities that can help you reach your goal from a different avenue. One that can still support that goal, but will also support you through challenging times. Invest in your community by working smart, finding the positive, and learn to be flexible – you never know what life is going to throw your way!
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
My parents taught me a lot about what it means to have a strong work ethic and take pride in the work I do. My dad was self-employed for most of my childhood and a true entrepreneur before it was cool. My parents always supported us in our chosen paths and showed us what it meant to create something out of nothing. They taught us the importance of building your skills to support your dream. When my dad’s company needed to shift, he didn’t shy away from that or see it as a failure. He sought out new skills and shifted. When his company wasn’t doing well and he needed to get a traditional job to support his family, he didn’t see that as a failure either. He took the opportunity to work in a different environment, learn different skills, and eventually restart his company and build it bigger than before. He is constantly the guy that gets called in to fix someone else’s work because of his reputation – he will be honest about what can be done and it will get done right. Even if it takes a bit longer or costs a bit more, it will always be good work. He doesn’t cut corners and holds himself to that high standard even if companies try to convince him to cut corners for cost or time sake. My mom supported him throughout it all, helping out with admin work that needed to be done so they could succeed together. She never viewed the changes as failures, but helped him find the positive and keep going. Especially now that I am a mother, I realize how much she did to enable the company, my father, and our family to be successful. They were true teammates in their shared goals and we, as their kids, benefitted a lot from that. I’m very grateful for the lessons they taught us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://emilyjaneacree.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyjaneacree/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmJanePrice/
- Other: www.relativerhythms.com/ www.facebook.com/relativerhythms/ www.instagram.com/relativerhythms/
Image Credits
James Jin Doug Boemker of Hollow Rock Media
