An Inspired Chat with Alec Dahmer of New York City

Alec Dahmer shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Alec, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. Who are you learning from right now?
As an artist of any type, I believe it’s important to learn from and take inspiration from everywhere and everyone! My friends and colleagues, my partner, and artists I look up to are constant sources of learning for me, but some unique ones recently include the newest NBA draft picks playing their first NBA summer league games, and a local store owner who recently opened up a new shop. The things that stick out to me about these people are their devotions to their crafts and their belief in themselves at the start of a hopefully long career. I really try to practice learning something from anyone and anywhere.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello! My name is Alec Dahmer, my pronouns are he/him, and I’m an actor/dancer/clown/artist! I really love to tell stories. How that looks depends on the time of year, but primarily I tell stories through acting. That could be a tv show, a short film, or a new play. Sometimes, my method of story telling is writing and producing. My current project is a solo show that I wrote that is being put up at the Write Club Play Festival at the Vino Theater in Brooklyn, NY, August 28th through the 31st. It’s a heartfelt, silly show about love and taking chances.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
I’ve been very grateful to have a lot of mentors and friends who have, but the one coming to mind most recently is a collaborator and friend by the name of John Maria Gutierrez. Growing up a dancer and then realizing I want to be an actor has lead me to somewhat be in denial of my dance background. John recently helped me with my solo show and my main takeaway from working with him is to embrace dance. My previous thought process was “I don’t want to dance, I want to act, so throw dance out the window”, but dance is such a huge part of me. I think John could see that I was in denial of that huge part of myself and really helped me navigate those feelings. I can pursue acting and use dance as a tool. I can pursue acting and still honor how important dance is to me.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I’d tell him to dream bigger! Growing up in Canada, I never imagined living in NYC and pursuing my ideal career would be possible, so I didn’t even dream of it. And yet, here I am! The world is truly full of so many possibilities, and sometimes, I wonder what could have happened if I pursued more of those possibilities earlier. I’m very confident that only good would come from it. Recently, I’ve been moving through life thinking about what my inner child wants, and sometimes I think about what my younger self would have wanted if he knew he could dream more.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I’m committed to making the art I wanted to see when I was young. The challenge with this goal or project is that there’s no end. There’s no official checklist that proves I’ve achieved it. There’s no point when I know I’ve completed it. That’s because I don’t think I want to ever stop. I want to be making meaningful art the rest of my life. I want to make the art that little Alec wanted to see more of or never got to see. I purposely make it a little open ended to give myself the chance to really discover exactly what art I’m meant to be making, but know that I will do whatever I can to make sure I continue making said art.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Absolutely! This makes me think of a lot of dancers and what dance careers look like currently. Unfortunately, a lot of dancers in films and tv go uncredited, and don’t get to hold the Oscar or the Emmy that the show they worked so hard on won. And yet, so many of my more dance focused colleagues continue to feel proud of their work and continue to feel the importance of what they do. And I think that’s the core of what a “successful” performing career looks like. I want to give my craft my best, not for the awards or praise, but for myself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://alecdahmer.wixsite.com/alecdahmer-com/media
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alecdahmer/

Image Credits
Oliver Stamatatos, Omar Aly