The Artist Pivot

Annnnd….. That’s a wrap on Season 5! On this episode I discuss some of the themes and through lines of Season 5. Including Give yourself permission, Give yourself grace, and Be in gratitude as much as you can. 

My quote from this season is: "Take wisdom, insight, and perspective from others and create your own blueprint with it." -Ayana Major Bey

Thank you to all my Season 5 guests, my editor Kieran, and to YOU the listeners and supporters of the show! I hope you have been encouraged and uplifted by it! 

The Artist Pivot Podcast is taking a winter hiatus and Season 6 will launch in 2024! 

Get in touch: 

Ayana Major Bey 

Website: www.ayanabey.com

Instagram: @ayanambey, @theartistpivot 

Monthly Newsletter: https://www.ayanabey.com/podcast

Show Sponsors: 

BetterHelp: Get 10% off your first month with BetterHelp at https://betterhelp.com/artistpivot 

WeAudition: Get 25% off your membership when you use the code PIVOT, join at https://www.weaudition.com/

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Host & Exec. Producer: Ayana Major Bey 

Editor: Kieran Niemand

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

From the conversation I had with Artist and Creative strategist Lennon Bone these are may takeaways. First embrace discomfort. There is a reason you are uncomfortable and can you see it as a sign that you're on the right path or will you continue to collect negative leaning evidence in your head to keep you in your comfort zone? Second, hindsight is 20/20 but discovering your own personal and professional through line my ad in not having to look back all the time. Finally, success is figuring out how to get out of your own way and finding joy in what you're doing.

Lennon is the husband of an amazing illustrator and a father to two amazing girls. Being a professional musician for 15 years, touring over 14 countries, playing festivals like Austin City Limits, Lollapalooza and Sundance Film Festival, moving into the realm of YouTube strategy where I helped creators grow their audiences by millions, all organically, and now the founder and CEO of Stop The Starving Artist. A company that helps artists and creatives build an audience that supports their work both emotionally and monetarily using social media and heartfelt sales strategies.

Get in touch: 

Lennon Bone

Website: https://www.stopthestarvingartist.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stopthestarvingartist

Ayana Major Bey 

Website: www.ayanabey.com

Instagram: @ayanambey, @theartistpivot 

Monthly Newsletter: https://www.ayanabey.com/podcast

Show Sponsors: 

BetterHelp: Get 10% off your first month with BetterHelp at https://betterhelp.com/artistpivot 

WeAudition: Get 25% off your membership when you use the code PIVOT, join at https://www.weaudition.com/

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Host & Exec. Producer: Ayana Major Bey 

Editor: Kieran Niemand 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I had the pleasure of talking with teaching artist Jillian Paige and these are some of my takeaways. First, learn how to pace yourself on this artistic journey. There will be ebbs and flows and being able to handle them with grace will help you because a full artistic life is gonna involve pivots and changes. Next, find comfort in knowing you did the thing you set out to do, celebrate that achievement, and then move onto the next thing without any regrets because you did it. Finally, don't force finding your groove. It’s hard not to put pressure on yourself or your new venture to succeed but letting it blossom while you sustain yourself financially in another way may actually help the process.

Jillian Paige is the Founder of Meisner in Music, the premier class to infuse the Meisner technique with singing. Jillian received her master’s in music theatre from Oklahoma City University, her bachelor’s in classical vocal performance from Belmont University, and studied Meisner under Terry Martin (a direct pupil of Meisner’s), and Ted Wold. Jillian is based out of New York City and has performed with companies such as Actors Theatre of Louisville, the Nashville Opera, and Kentucky Opera. She is passionate about helping singers maintain beautiful singing while achieving emotional freedom and impulsivity in the moment.

Get in touch:

Website: https://www.jillianpaige.com/

Instagram: @jillianpaige, @meisnerinmusic 

Ayana Major Bey 

Website: www.ayanabey.com

Instagram: @ayanambey, @theartistpivot 

Monthly Newsletter: https://www.ayanabey.com/podcast

Show Sponsors: 

BetterHelp: Get 10% off your first month with BetterHelp at https://betterhelp.com/artistpivot 

WeAudition: Get 25% off your membership when you use the code PIVOT, join at https://www.weaudition.com/

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Host & Exec. Producer: Ayana Major Bey 

Editor: Kieran Niemand 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I had the pleasure of talking with actor and actor career coach Talia Thiesfield and these are some of my takeaways. Pivots are both internal and external and can be big or small but either way trust your own path. Next, once you’ve learned how to learn the lesson in a pivot you can then carry over lessons from pivot to pivot and set boundaries. You don’t have to go back to something that you pivoted to before just because you find yourself needing to change again. Set your boundaries. Last but not least, be in gratitude as much as you can. Pivoting is expanding and look at it this way you survived the last pivot you made and you're here for another pivot to happen.

Talia is a full-time actor, voiceover artist, and talent & career coach. She currently appears as recurring character NYPD Rep Maya on FBI (CBS), and has guest starred on various television shows including Succession & Veep (HBO), Limitless & Kevin Can Wait (CBS), and Suspscion (Apple TV+). I am also an alum of the NBC Diversity Showcase. She stars in the award-winning film Inez & Doug & Kira, wherein she played the title role of Kira opposite Michael Chernus and Tawny Cypress. Additionally, her voice can be heard in multiple vocal modalities for various commercials, video games, and animated projects including a three-season run as “B” in DreamWork’s Trollstopia. 

A lover of new works, She has originated and helped develop a number of roles for Off Broadway and regional houses. These include the world premieres of Ring Twice For Miranda at NY City Center off-Broadway (Anouk), How To Break at Seattle's renowned Village Theater (Dr. Aden), Windfall at Bay Street Theater directed by Jason Alexander (Jaqueline Vanderbilt), and Cleopatra: The Pop Experience at Theater for the New City (Cleopatra). She is currently nominated for a Heilman & Haver Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical (How To Break at Village Theater). Previously, she received a Broadway World Regional Award for my performance as Daniela in In The Heights (Dallas Theater Center) and I am a Connecticut Critics Circle nominee, having earned a nod for Best Actress in a Musical for my portrayal of Aldonza in Man of La Mancha (Ivoryton Theater). 

As a coach, educator, and consultant she’s been a guest lecturer at Columbia University, Rutgers University (Mason Gross School of the Arts), Montclair State University, The University of Connecticut, The No Marking Society (founded by Kate Lumpkin, CSA), and The Broadway Collective. She is the founder of The Act of Style Coaching which has gained wide popularity and the respect and collaboration of industry professionals nationwide on Instagram. She uses her own trademarked method to provide acting, branding, and career coaching that combines business savvy with craft in empowering actors to feel more confidence, pride, and authenticity in their work.

Get in touch: 

Talia Thiesfield

Website: https://www.taliathiesfield.com/

Instagram: @theactofstylecoaching

Ayana Major Bey 

Website: www.ayanabey.com

Instagram: @ayanambey, @theartistpivot 

Monthly Newsletter: https://www.ayanabey.com/podcast

Show Sponsors: 

BetterHelp: Get 10% off your first month with BetterHelp at https://betterhelp.com/artistpivot 

WeAudition: Get 25% off your membership when you use the code PIVOT, join at https://www.weaudition.com/

*******

Host & Exec. Producer: Ayana Major Bey 

Editor: Kieran Niemand 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

From the conversation I had with actress, voiceover artist, and coach Simone Serra these are my takeaways. Expectations are a funny thing. If we can come into more experiences in our life without expectations we make space to receive and have the freedom to try what comes. Next, Success is an ever changing landscape and it encompasses both your personal and professional life. It's ok to ask yourself, what does it mean to me to be successful and questioning whether your own limiting beliefs are getting in the way of your definition. And finally where focus goes energy flows so where are you focusing?

Simone is Voiceover Artist and Coach who has cultivated a successful Voiceover career over the last five years, having her voice streamed on all media platforms from Spotify to TikTok. With an extensive resume of working with clients from The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Nutella, Dominos and Ulta Beauty, she attributes her accomplishments and success to the many years she dedicated to her education and training. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Theater Studies at Montclair State University, followed by completing a two-year conservatory training at the Maggie Flanigan Studio, which specializes in the Meisner Technique. Soon she will add adjunct professor to her resume and begin teaching a Beginner Voiceover Workshop at Tisch Drama School this fall. Her pivot into the Voiceover world and the following successes have given her the confidence to reverse course and begin to pursue acting on stage and film again. 

Get in touch:

Simone Serra 

Website: https://www.simoneserra.com/

Instagram: @mssimoneserra 

Ayana Major Bey 

Website: www.ayanabey.com

Instagram: @ayanambey, @theartistpivot 

Monthly Newsletter: https://www.ayanabey.com/podcast

Show Sponsors: 

BetterHelp: Get 10% off your first month with BetterHelp at https://betterhelp.com/artistpivot 

WeAudition: Get 25% off your membership when you use the code PIVOT, join at https://www.weaudition.com/

*******

Host & Exec. Producer: Ayana Major Bey 

Editor: Kieran Niemand  

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I had the pleasure of talking with actor, director, and producer Faith Boles and these are some of the takeaways from our conversation. First complacency can ruin your career, if you find yourself being nudged to make a change you probably should, second, if you do have fear about doing something new or different, ask yourself how can I transmute that fear into positive motivating energy and what is something positive that can happen if you do it, and last we sometimes can project finality on to pivoting or changing and that can be very limiting to our creativity.

Originally from Savannah, GA, Faith Boles is an Orlando FL based actor, director and producer that has been in the theater industry for the past 20 years. She has been a recipient of 2022 Orlando Critics Pick for Best Actor, Broadway World awards and nominations, as well as the ASCAP Irving Berlin Scholarship. Faith can be seen on stage at various performance venues at Walt Disney World and theaters in the Orlando area. However, she mainly works "behind the table" creating/directing projects and shows as a director and producer for New Generation Theatrical - a theater production company in downtown Orlando. 

Get in touch:

Faith Boles

Instagram: @FaithLBoles

New Theatrical: 

www.newgentheatrircal.org/shows

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newgentheatrical/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NewGenTheatrical

Ayana Major Bey 

Website: www.ayanabey.com

Instagram: @ayanambey, @theartistpivot 

Monthly Newsletter: https://www.ayanabey.com/podcast

Show Sponsors: 

BetterHelp: Get 10% off your first month with BetterHelp at https://betterhelp.com/artistpivot 

WeAudition: Get 25% off your membership when you use the code PIVOT, join at https://www.weaudition.com/

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Host & Exec. Producer: Ayana Major Bey 

Editor: Kieran Niemand 

Part of the Boundless Audio Network

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Speaking with author, actor, and artist Andrew Norlen led me to these takeaways. First, people tend to see you before you see yourself. They can see your talents and greatness before you do, and it can be hard to believe them when they tell you, but once you do believe you can put yourself out into the world. Second, don’t judge yourself too hard on your journey, give yourself grace and trust that the dots will eventually be connected. And finally more for me does not mean less for you, more means I get to experience a different version of myself that is taking up the space I was meant to.

Andrew has performed for audiences all over the world and on tour across the United States with the Broadway hit Kinky Boots! Originally from Troutdale, Oregon, Andrew is a New York City-based artist, with his BFA from The Boston Conservatory of Music with an emphasis in dance and directing. Andrew is the author and creator behind When the Lights Are Bright Again: letters and images of loss, hope and resilience. A book of pandemic testimonials from the Broadway and theater community worldwide, published in 2021 by Applause Books. Andrew is a proud, queer man who strives to normalize the power in authentic vulnerability. His upcoming memoir—Finding Brave, is fueled by his deep desire to champion young adults and teens to build tools, live their truth out loud, and not apologize for who they are. He travels around the country with "Resilience: the workshop"—to inspire, coach, train, amplify, educate, teach, open up to, level with, demystify and empower the next generation of youth to learn to foster their own trademark to their success and longevity—in both career and this crazy, but beautiful thing called life.

Get in touch: 

Andrew Norlen 

Website: https://www.andrewnorlen.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anorlen/

Ayana Major Bey 

Website: www.ayanabey.com

Instagram: @ayanambey, @theartistpivot 

Monthly Newsletter: https://www.ayanabey.com/podcast

Show Sponsor: Get 10% off your first month with BetterHelp at https://betterhelp.com/artistpivot 

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Host & Exec. Producer: Ayana Major Bey 

Editor: Kieran Niemand 

Part of the Boundless Audio Network

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Here are some takeaways from the conversation I had with actor, singer, and cabaret artist Sierra White. First, sometimes we need a hard reset, and a reset doesn’t mean you are failing, it means you are being led to a new part of yourself and career. Next, do not diminish your accomplishments by letting imposter syndrome say you aren’t capable, and last we have to actively remind ourselves not to say no to the gifts afforded to us. 

Sierra was born, raised, and is still based in the greatest city in the world, Chicago, IL. Their favorite things to do when they were little was to tell stories, dress up, and sing. The fact that they managed to make that into a career makes the little kid in then over the moon everyday. 

Get in touch: 

Sierra White 

Website: https://www.thesierrawhite.com/bio

Instagram: @thesierrawhite 

Ayana Major Bey 

Website: www.ayanabey.com

Instagram: @ayanambey, @theartistpivot 

Monthly Newsletter: https://www.ayanabey.com/podcast

Show Sponsor: Get 10% off your first month with BetterHelp at https://betterhelp.com/artistpivot 

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Host & Exec. Producer: Ayana Major Bey 

Editor: Kieran Niemand 

Part of the Boundless Audio Network

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Susan Hensel has a career that spans over 50 years and she is currently a Textile sculptor. The conversation we had led me to these takeaways. First, life is not going to present itself to you the way you thought it would but can learn how to persevere. Next, sometimes we are the last ones to admit we need a change and those around us are waiting for us to catch up to what they already know. Third, focusing on the process rather than the outcome can help you get and stay excited about discovering new things about yourself, your art, and life.

Susan Hensel is a textile sculptor known for her artists books and her innovative fiber sculpture. Hensel's artwork is known and collected nationwide, represented in collections as disparate as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and Duke University Special Collections.

Get in touch: 

Susan Hensel 

Website: https://susanhenselprojects.com/, https://susanhenselgallery.com/, 

Instagram: @susan_hensel_multimedia_artist

Ayana Major Bey 

Website: www.ayanabey.com

Instagram: @ayanambey, @theartistpivot 

Monthly Newsletter: https://www.ayanabey.com/podcast

Show Sponsor: Get 10% off your first month with BetterHelp at https://betterhelp.com/artistpivot 

*******

Host & Exec. Producer: Ayana Major Bey 

Editor: Kieran Niemand 

Part of the Boundless Audio Network

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I talked to the creative human known as Olithea Anglin and I wanted to share some takeaways from our conversation. First up, there are so many ways to feel artistically full, so don’t pigeonhole yourself to one thing, and give yourself grace when you’ve grown out of something that used to fill you artistically but doesn’t anymore. Second, learning how to give yourself permission sooner so that your next artistic move doesn’t come out of frustration, but comes from a space of following your intuition. Third, sometimes you gotta break the rules. Learn the rules so you can break them, within reason of course, but creatively break the rules. 

Fresh from her Carnegie Hall Debut with the world renowned Burnt Sugar Arkestra, Miss Olithea is a native New Yorker that has been singing since the age of three. By the age of 18 years old, She has performed at every major concert hall in NYC. She attended The Hartt School and received her BFA in musical theater. Olithea is grateful for the opportunity she has had to perform in various theater productions all over the country. After the passing of her father, Olithea changed gears and decided to start writing her own music. She has come out with 2 EP’s Long Day’s Journey (2016) and To Be Seen And Heard (2017). Since those releases, Olithea has deepened her practice in meditation and experimental music. With the use of vocal loops, fx, and sound bowls she channels spirit that calms the heart, and eases the mind. In 2022 She released Cosmic Church, a live meditation EPMiss Olithea also is a voice teacher and in November 2020 she started her own private studio The Vocal Journey. Olithea finds true delight training singers in evidence-based techniques for a lifetime of healthy singing.

Get in touch: 

Olithea Anglin 

Instagram: @missolithea @thevocaljourneystudio 

Website: http://missolithea.com/

Ayana Major Bey 

Website: www.ayanabey.com

Instagram: @ayanambey, @theartistpivot 

Monthly Newsletter: https://www.ayanabey.com/podcast

Show Sponsor: Get 10% off your first month with BetterHelp at https://betterhelp.com/artistpivot 

*******

Host & Exec. Producer: Ayana Major Bey 

Editor: Kieran Niemand 

Part of the Boundless Audio Network

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.