Meet Molly Lyons

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Molly Lyons a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Molly, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.

How do I keep my creativity alive? In some seasons and even some years, it’s hard. I have learned over time that what fuels my creativity is MORE art.

I was fortunate for a time to have taught for NYU in PARIS! One of my dearest friends and an artistic brother got me the gig and we spent several glorious summers teaching acting to high school students. Part of our job included accompanying them to plays, concerts, museums, palaces, etc. We developed exercises based on our excursions. For instance, at the Louvre, we had all the students study the sculpture Nike of Samothrace and embody her posture and energy. We asked them to find some statues & paintings they liked then pick up postcards of the art. From those postcards, the students journaled, embodied, and crawled inside the canvas or marble or bronze. We created scenes based on improvisation wherein the “characters” spoke to one another. Despite a grueling schedule and constant activity, I felt energized and inspired. My friend-colleague and I were endlessly engaged in creating new exercises.

Exposing myself to more art, keeps my creativity alive. It’s easy to perpetually pour ourselves out and harder to refill the well. Our culture sees self-care and creative care as indulgent, a luxury, daydreaming or even laziness. But we can only pour out so much creativity until the well water gets low, murky, fetid, or even empty. It’s best to replenish BEFORE we hit the low water mark because, after that, it can be a quick descent into emptiness which is burnout. Burnout leads to a guardedness of our creative hearts, our vulnerability, the very parts of us we need to create. When we are edging up on burnout, the world starts to feel dark or harsh, and my heart wants to protect itself, for me, a museum will open it back up. A concert will soften it. Seeing more theatre will excite it. Belting out tunes with my favorite singers, enlarges it. Soaking in a tub while listening to harp music will ease it. Creativity begets more creativity.

I love sharing these experiences with friends AND I find great value in solo experiences with art. I set up artist’s dates with myself: movies, museums, gardens, music, etc., and can refresh myself in a couple of hours. Here in the Sonoran desert, surrounded by majestic mountains, hikes also refill my well. Having my coffee outside while listening to birdsong is a cleanse of the well. A Sonoran sunset is a rush of pure water for my spirit. Nature itself is endlessly creative and immersing myself in it will always free my creativity.

A side note to opening up: sometimes it hurts. And that is OK. We may be surprised to face sudden grief, some rage, a block, or a wall. Then I say, MORE ART is needed. Also, for my performing friends, the best advice I was given by a beloved mentor was: if you are not in rehearsal or performance, get back into workshop or coaching. Sharpen the saw. If your tools are dull, it’s harder to create. If you need coaching, let me know.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am a theatre artist: director, actor, and teacher. I have been a performer since I was very young. Theatre reflects our world and the human experience, to “hold as ’twere the mirror up to nature”, as Hamlet would say. As I find humans endlessly fascinating, so do I find the theatre. I am also a teacher/coach, am available for private coaching online or in person, and teach at a couple of theatres in Tucson. I have coached public speakers, lawyers, and performers. I am currently in the play, The Skin of Our Teeth at the Rogue Theatre, playing through September 2024 and will be in Macbeth at Scoundrel and Scamp Theatre in March of 2025.

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?

I think the three most impactful areas of my work are: observation, listening, and practice. I would advise those beginning their journeys (or beginning again), to keep learning, keep art of all kinds around you.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

The most impactful thing my parents did for me was to encourage me. They never suggested I get a backup career. Skills, yes, career, no. As long as they lived, they never missed a show. Their faith in me never waivered.

We don’t all have parents like mine, but we can create a sacred circle of folks who will offer us encouragement, faith, and presence.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mollylyonsactor.com
• Other: http://www.greenwoodstudios.org/

Image Credits

All photos by Tim Fuller Photographer, Tucson