We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Gaynor Hicks a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Gaynor, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
I believe my optimism comes from trusting that I will always end up where I am meant to be. Being in this career, there can be a lot of down time and I have learnt from experience, that by staying positive and finding the plus side to it all, those moments aren’t as hard.
Just like everyone I do have moments of self doubt and unsureness, but I truly believe that when we just let our shoulders relax a little and release our grip ever so slightly, life is not only more enjoyable but you are able to enjoy every season we go through with life.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
My name is Gaynor Hicks and I am a professional dancer originally from Sydney, Australia but now residing in Los Angeles. I made the big move in July of 2019 and it was the best decision I could have ever made.
For as long as I can remember, I would imagine what my life would be like if I was able to move here; what opportunities would be in front of me – and I am more than happy to report that everything has exceeded my expectations, tenfold.
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?
Three qualities that I believe were most impactful in my journey would have to be: Determinated, courageous & hard working.
Moving and getting out of your comfort zone can be super scary and really hard to take the first step, but I truly believe if you feel deep down within yourself that you can do it – it will pay off.
By continuing to work hard and being determined to the goal at hand, you will continue to get closer and closer to what you are really striving for.
If I had not taken that leap and moved from Sydney to Los Angeles, I would have missed so many incredible experiences and opportunities.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
I am very blessed to have the most supportive parents in the world. Dance lessons, costumes, shoes and everything else under the umbrella of dance and the performing arts can get really expensive, but my parent’s would move mountains to make sure that I could still go to dancing.
None of us knew where my dancing and performing could take me, but my parents Carmel & John were always in my corner. By having my parents on my side and supporting my dreams, that has impacted me in so many ways not only related to dance.
When I now find myself in a mentoring role or whenever I teach and am able to offer my guidance to the next generation, I really strive to be that pillar of support because just knowing you have someone that see’s the dream too – can be that extra push we need to continue going forward
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gaynorrrr/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHCXVdAW9ZF2cc1nnPhLEaA
Image Credits
Rory Kramer Evan Paterakis
