We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Savea Kagan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Savea below.
Savea, 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 you keep your creativity alive?
What I remind myself of is that as long as we are alive, so is the concept of creativity; there is nothing to calculate, compare, or enforce. Inspiration lives and breathes inside of not only us, but also everyone and everything around us, if we dare to welcome it with open arms and youthful eyes. Ideas rarely materialize when we deliberately concentrate on dragging them by the ear. That’s because our focus is then fixated on the possibility of a polished product rather than the present moment. A friend once told me “the essence of beauty is the absence of the self,” which is originally a quote from J. Krishnamurti, and despite its simplicity, unleashed a genuine sense of virtuosity when lived in accordance to.There is so much to see and experience from the eyes of a child.
As a young girl, my imagination rarely took human form. The fantasies that waltzed through my mind were vivid, vibrant, and adventurous, often transcending my body into wise oak trees I once climbed or werewolf-like creatures roaming the gardens of our backyard. My own little world became a safe haven as a means of an escape. I’m sure many others can recall such playful pastimes, but somewhere along the way, we forget the essence of our unbound existence and its potential to expand. It wasn’t until recently, however, that I appreciated and revisited the root of these make believe games, and how they can skillfully be applied to any life situation.
Think back to the times you were most creative: where were you and what were you doing? What emotions were you experiencing? Who were you with? Personally, I’m usually dancing, playing, or going on long walks in silence. They’re often moments I least expect, and are impossible to replicate. I am painting, drawing, listening to a song for the first time, jumping in cold water, laughing, crying, feeling alone and introspective, dreaming, reading, watching movies, or doing absolutely nothing. Things start to feel like a game, even the most rigorous obstacles that seemingly stand in our way. There is beauty in anything you pay attention to. Most importantly, I’m never successfully trying to search for ideas, which is why I believe creativity ceases to exist in the absence of divine presence. The opportunity to create resurfaces during boring, monotonous, and mundane in-betweens that we must take full advantage of to create an archive of lifelong memories.
Documentation plays a pivotal role in creation processes so that if I lack that spark we often crave, I may look back on all the other moments when an idea previously found its way to my notebook or camera roll. You will be surprised by the amount of inspiration that is ever flowing regardless of your emotional state. If you get bored of that, look up. You may see a leaf fall, a couple arguing on a park bench, a dog playing fetch with its owner… write it down. Record a voice memo. Dance about it. Take a photo. Tell a friend. Let the once overlooked scenery surprise you so that one day, you will continue to surprise yourself.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m Savea Kagan, I grew up in Los Angeles California, and I’m currently dancing professionally and choreographing works in The Netherlands and abroad. My family of artists was loud, messy, and full of life; I was surrounded by everything from stand up comedy, poetry, visual arts, singing/songwriting, graphic design, and especially dance. From the age of seven, I trained meticulously in numerous styles both within concert and commercial dance at Degas Dance Studio, which my mom opened and still owns today, and is in the process of franchising. I became a melting pot of past experiences and devoted my craft to passing them on in all of its quirks. My versatility, naive ambition, and curious nature brought me across the globe to absorb vibrant cultures, creative processes, and multifaceted art forms I devote myself to at Codarts Rotterdam University Of The Arts with a Holland Talent Grant Scholarship. Dance has taken me all around the world as my summers have consisted of workshops at Orsolina28 in Moncalvo Italy, B12 Research Or Die Berlin, Project Amare in Collaboration with Nederlands Dans Theater, YoungArts, Music Center Spotlight, choreographic opportunities in Los Angeles. The depths of these experiences have taught me to take on challenges with a delicate balance of grit and grace, openness, and generosity for myself, others, and the greater purpose that dance serves. It’s a beautiful nonverbal form of intimate connections with friends, lovers, strangers, or the world around us. With that said, I also collaborate using visual arts, cinematography, poetry, and other opportunities for multidisciplinary projects, and will be dancing my first professional contract with Scapino Ballet Rotterdam, which is the oldest contemporary dance company in the Netherlands. I additionally create choreographic works, which is where my main devotion lies. All of these things continue to intertwine in my life as forms of expression and escapism. More than anything, they tell stories, a concept we crave and seek out as much as food and water. But why? They’re an integral part of human development, entertainment, connection, and lifelong learning lessons, even from when we were children, and where I’ve gained the most insights and lifelong learning lessons. I wish to tell my story, or any story for that matter, to lead a fruitful career with honesty, bring diverse communities together, and connect from as many platforms as possible.Vulnerability is messy and clumsy at times, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
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?
Three most important qualities for me are curiosity, honesty, and versatility. These coexist to create a well rounded creator, performer, and overall person to work with in a positive creative environment. Skills that further enhance your authentic behaviors and communicate them to fellow artists in a healthy manner go far beyond mere talent or natural facility. It just takes a little patience to see this process through. When you find your ‘why’ and venture beyond the superficial satisfaction of short term results, you will find yourself in a deeper form of love of any art avenue that will infinitely feed your soul, regardless of where your personal path leads you. There is always more to discover as time unravels and you continue to listen and seek truth inside the knowledge intertwined beautifully in your body. ` Connection is vital, especially as artists, and honing in on how you enhance such connections will only benefit you as a young creator. With a society oversaturated with content and so much information at our fingertips, any way to establish personal relationships is an opportunity to not only network, but make these connections fruitful and fulfilling. Make handwritten notes, say thank you, be on time, bring gifts to coworkers you care about, ask questions, check in with how people are truly feeling, and create your ideal atmosphere. These gestures never go unnoticed, and at the very least, bring a smile to someone’s face. Be the person to show up, be the one that doesn’t complain about being tired and sore, be the one that chooses to thank people individually or compliment someone who you admire. Most of the time, everyone else wants to connect equally as much as you do. The dance world, or any world, is smaller than you think, and word spreads fast. It’s not about constantly being liked or fitting into an idealistic mold of perfection, but it’s no coincidence that things have only worked out in my favor when I’m kind to myself and those around me.
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
For a long time, I struggled to find balance in my daily life, which evidently creeped its way into artistic practices. I loved to write, dance, sing, and all of the above, but never felt truly a part of something. As an avid writer, last year I became consumed by poetry, the way words dance through my lips, and the crystallization of the human experience. Tasks took shape with toying rigidness and imbalance behavior structures, but transposed this delusion that everything I was doing was wrong. In a society where I so deeply long to be understood, the critical eye was a shadowed frenemy by my side comparing past, present, and future selves to one another. Memories soothed me, concretized ideas, and aided in the freedom of escapism. This year, however, I devoted myself to what I can discover using the dancing body. I became noticeably hyperaware, dancing through the ins and outs of consciousness, and inviting dance to be joyous, healing, and exposing. Once I acknowledged that there’s no need to conjure answers, results, or products, limited expectations from the critical eye slowly digressed. We are constantly contradicting ourselves. Our thoughts change, as do moments, once you think one thing, next the opposite until you let thoughts come and go. They’re intimate to you, but not you at all. I explored several meditation strategies such as breath work, physical sensations, thoughts, sounds, feelings… none of which solve emotions, which are meant to be felt. I began to label my thoughts: fantasy, comparison, judgment, memory, etc. and further separate myself from their manipulative and hypocritical tactics. All of these practices open gates to living timelessly, as simple as they may seem.
In addition, through these times of quiet solitude, I further relished in other people’s joy. Envy is a slippery slope that can easily transform into some nasty characteristics. I spent a lot of time alone traveling solo, delving into my hobbies, but later recognizing that happiness is meaningless if not shared in one form or another. This led to my fascination towards the concept of sympathetic joy. There’s not one human emotion you experience that isn’t shared, and in short, it encourages people to be happy for one another and therefore enrich their own experiences. In my personal experience, I found peace through my art and spiritual practices that I had been curious about, but such realizations can take place in any form, or no form at all. If anything, that is what I have learned most through this past year, yet I have accepted that there’s so much I have yet to discover.
Contact Info:
- Website: saveadancer.com
- Instagram: @saveakagan
- Linkedin: Savea Kagan
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLlKOhNbT1OswlHgXhMVH_A
Image Credits
Anacia Weiskittel
