We recently connected with Antonia Crane and have shared our conversation below.
Antonia , thanks for taking the time to share your lessons with our community today. So, let’s jump right in – one of the most essential skills for unlocking our potential is self-discipline. Where does your self-discipline come from?
It comes from my fear of failure, from my collection of dusty failures eyeballing me from the mirror every day, from missed opportunities, from starting over after being gutted by infinite rejections. It comes from the Redwoods where I grew up in Humboldt County. It was passed down to me from my tense, overburdened, beautiful, sharp mother yelling at me to “pay attention!” because I was always elsewhere—daydreaming about the next Bowie record I needed, the next Dr. Pepper flavored chapstick I was gonna steal, which class I was going to cut and the lie I would tell to not get caught. In my thirties I learned that to get good at writing, art, or anything worth doing, I had to do it every day without fail. I had to crystalize my routine so that showing up for my art was a pleasurable, but necessary daily task. I had to push through and keep doing it when I didn’t feel like it, especially if I didn’t want to do it, no matter what my circumstances looked like. No one was going to do it for me and no one gave a shit if I actually did it, so I had to show up for myself and take it seriously. I had to be there for myself and value my art and protect it.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m writing a couple of books while I have the luxury of time and space as a grad student. I’m in my third year as a PhD candidate in Creative Nonfiction at USC. I’m a labor organizer for sex workers/strippers as well as grad student workers at USC (UAW). My latest project is a short film that I wrote, directed and produced called ‘Lady Los Angeles” about a trans sex worker who overcomes federally sanctioned obstacles and thrives in her skate culture community.
My latest book project is Pandemic Peep Show Art Book (published, Summer, 2022). Pandemic Peep Show Art Book is a radiant archive and commemoration that illuminates the unstoppable ferocity and resourcefulness of strippers during the global pandemic and beyond, ending at the picket line in North Hollywood as dancers triumphantly unionized their strip club. The book contains original photos, quotes by performers, interviews, reviews, flyers, and images that reveal how strippers perform the work of sex work. From constructing sets and inventing Zoom backgrounds to DIY stages, makeshift green screens, and elaborate prep rituals that pass the in-between-sets time. Strip shows were created for mutual aid, to strengthen worker solidarity, and to provide a lucrative workspace when federal funds were not available to adult entertainers during the pandemic.
Written and photographed by Antonia Crane. Designed by Jed Bell, with additional design by Sym Coronado. Additional writing by Meagan Rippey (Reagan). Additional photos by Jordana Bermúdez. Published and printed by Eureka! Art House Print Lab.
And we are having a local book launch and panel discussion called, THE CLUBS SHUT DOWN. SO WE MADE WORLDS including show creators, performers, producers and co-producers of Cool Cats, Cyber Clown Girls, Jolene, and Sacred Wounds—along with moderator Jed Bell, the book’s designer (and my beloved!).
The event is THUR 11/16/23 7pm at North Figueroa Bookshop
6040 N. Figueroa Street, LA CA 90042
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?
Black Feminist Thought Socialist Aspirations
Voracious reader
Intrepid
Feral
Optimism
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
My parents sent me to Mumbai, India in the 1980’s for my Junior year in Highschool through an international exchange program. It was probably the most irresponsible, reckless thing they did and they did a lot of negligent eighties shit like partying and leaving me with my drug dealing brother, pawning me off on random neighbors and dropping me off at weird religious summer camps when we were not religious at all, but it was cheaper than hiring a sitter. I lived in India for a year and I wouldn’t say it was a good time, but it was a transformational experience in every way and even though some really bad things happened (don’t send your teenage daughter abroad, please), I would not take that year back for anything. It had a huge impact on my life, internally and externally and I will never forget the things I learned that year.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.antoniacrane.com/
- Instagram: @antoniacrane
Image Credits
photos by Antonia Crane bridge photo by Josh Klausner
