Meet Cady Jean Walls

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cady Jean Walls. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cady Jean below.

Cady Jean, thank you so much for joining us and offering your lessons and wisdom for our readers. One of the things we most admire about you is your generosity and so we’d love if you could talk to us about where you think your generosity comes from.

I’ve always been generous with my time. It’s something that came naturally. Growing up, I found purpose in giving back, which is really what drew me to the arts. Being an artist requires a LOT of selflessness and generosity. You have to not only be willing, but eager to give. One of my first real introductions to show business was through volunteer work with my mom’s non-profit studio, Momentum Arts. But if I’m being honest, the real root of my generosity and the reason I crave success is deeper than that.

I grew up in a house that was built on sacrifice. My mom and dad gave up so much so that I could have more. They showed me that generosity isn’t always flashy or convenient. It’s often quiet, steady, and hard. Watching their example taught me that love looks like long nights, side hustles, and putting someone else’s dreams above your own.

Now, all I want to do is return the favor. I want to pay it forward. I want to reach a point in my life where I can be generous not just with my time, but with money, opportunities, and resources. The kinds of things that can change someone’s life. Because I’ve seen firsthand that a little really does go a long way.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I wear a lot of creative hats! I write, compose, dance, act, choreograph, direct, and have recently started digging deeper into music production and sound design. I love storytelling in all its forms, whether it’s through movement, textual performance, or sound.
What sets me apart is my versatility and adaptability. My diverse artistic background has equipped me with a variety of skills which help me connect with audiences and embody different roles with authenticity. Another perk of being multifaceted is that my expertise in one area can absolutely enhance and inform my mastery in another. My experience in dance and choreography has given me a deep understanding of movement and expression, which translates into my directing and performance work. And now, stepping into digital music production, I’m expanding my creative language even further.
As a writer, queerness and authentic intimacy are so important to me in everything I write, so I’m always sure to illustrate those values when I create. It is very important to me to promote universally palatable art with genuine portrayals of LGBTQ+ relationships and experiences.
I’m most proud of my ability to evolve. I’ve faced challenges, as we all do. Self-doubt, comparison, The pressure to define myself in one lane. But I’ve learned to embrace my range of talents instead of limiting myself.
At the heart of everything I do is storytelling and connection. Whether I’m acting, choreographing, directing, or producing music, my goal is to make people feel something. I want to inspire, entertain, and spark meaningful conversations.

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?

1. Kindness, optimism, and a deep belief in karmic forces.
That combo has carried me further than any resume ever could. Being kind doesn’t mean being a doormat. It means seeing people, offering grace, and staying hopeful even when things feel muddy. I try to treat every opportunity, every rejection, and every person with a little bit of reverence. The world is watching. Energetically. Cosmically. Whatever you believe in. God, the universe, your grandma’s ghost. Be someone who acts like it matters. Because it does.

2. Independence.
And I don’t mean isolation. I mean knowing how to take care of yourself. My mom always tells this story: I was tiny, like, can’t-reach-the-counter tiny, and I called to her upstairs, asking for a cup of water. She yelled from up in her bedroom, “Sure! Just gimme a second!” Back then, seconds felt like decades and I got bored of waiting. I MacGyvered a step ladder out of two pots and a kitchen chair, scaled the counter like a determined little menace, and got the cup myself. By the time my mom came down the stairs, I was back at the table, coloring, sipping, and smirking. That story has become my whole life philosophy. Don’t sit around waiting for someone to hand you your cup. Build your own ladder. Make your own tools. And if the cup doesn’t work, try a bowl. Try a fork. Drink straight from the faucet. Be resourceful. Be weird. Be willing to experiment.

3. Be your own personal journalist.
Seriously. From now on, you are a documentarian. The subject? You. WRITE STUFF DOWN! Take photos. Keep voice memos. Screenshot your text threads. Hold onto memories in a tangible way. You are living through moments that your future self and your future art will need. That accidental photo of your dog mid-sneeze? Very unique. Album cover. That random, borderline offensive sentence you overheard at a gas station? Love it. Opening line of your next play. We romanticize memory so much, but the brain is a faulty narrator. Don’t leave your life to chance. Archive it. And not just the “important” parts. Make sure you get the weird, tiny, blink-and-you-miss-it parts. That’s where the magic is.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

When I feel overwhelmed, I’ve learned to lean into something I call intentional relaxation. I used to be one of those “push through the burnout” types. I used to be the kind of person who thinks they’ll feel better once they just get this one more thing done. Spoiler alert: that doesn’t work. Especially for people who are used to being productive or successful, it’s easy to slip into the workaholic trap and wear exhaustion like a badge of honor. But at some point, I realized I was trying to outrun my own brain.
So now, I reframe what productivity even means. One of my current guilty pleasures? Video games. My girlfriend and I play Stardew Valley like we’re getting paid. (We aren’t.) And even though we get so much joy, connection, and creative recharge out of it, we’ll still sometimes catch ourselves feeling guilty. Because that time “could’ve” been used for work. But I’m learning that rest is work. That play is powerful. That logging out and slowing down doesn’t make you less worthy. It makes you sustainable.
My advice is this: Don’t just crash out and call it “self-care.” Be intentional. Say, “This next hour is for me to turn off, on purpose.” And if you can share that moment with someone you love? Even better. Bonus points. Gold star.
Let your rest carry weight. Because it does.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cadyjeanwalls/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cadyjeanwalls
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1n3cT4nWC2pBzz2yddjiDW?si=orHfyOyVTe-DWMHoPJltDw

Image Credits

SP Framing, Behind The Cam