Today we’d like to introduce you to Christian Simon.
Hi Christian, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born and raised in Texas by my amazing and supportive mother and father. As a child, I was involved in many things, dance, orchestra, band, basketball, cheerleading, choir, track, volunteering at my church, etc. Needless to say, I always stayed busy. After graduating from Lamar Consolidated High school, I attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, where I majored in Theater Performance with a minor in Dance. Post-graduation, I remained in Louisiana for four more years, working both in Corporate America in administration and as an actor and dancer. After the untimely death of my long-term boyfriend, my mental health suffered severely, and I needed some more support. This caused me to move back home to Texas to be closer to my family, it also caused me to look more closely at my mental health. I become laser-focused on the importance of mental health. With support from my family, church, and a mental health professional, I’ve been able to overcome severe depression. My experience with grief helped me write my first book, Getting to Okay: How to Deal with loss, grief, and disappointment. I then made it my mission to help others on their mental health journey. I now work professionally as an actor and dancer; performing for different theatres throughout the Houston area, I teach Theater and dance for multiple theater companies and studios, and I am currently working on my next book, geared towards helping children deal with grief.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’ve had many hurdles along my journey. Although I talk about the death of my boyfriend a lot, the truth is, that is only a portion of my story. I always knew that working in the Performing Arts Industry would be signing up for uncertainty, particularly when first getting started. The Professional Theatre Industry can be hard to get into. You often hear a lot of no’s before you get a yes. You can audition for tons of roles, but it can sometimes take time before you land roles that will really make you money. Additionally, until recently, there were not as many roles for African American Women. When I first started acting professionally, I can remember walking into auditions and wanting to ask, “Do you actually hire black people, or is this a waste of time?”. Of course, I never actually asked that question, but it was always in the back of my mind. Even now when I look at theater companies today, the lack of diversity in some of them is astonishing. To think that in 2022, there are still some companies not even pushing for diversity is truly unfortunate. Luckily, I’ve paved a way for myself and am able to stay booked regularly and happily work full-time in the Performing Arts Industry.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a multifaceted creative and I wear many hats. First, I work professionally as a freelance actor and dancer for productions around Houston. I am currently in rehearsals for Cinderella the Musical with Main Street Theater! Second, I teach Theater and Dance for Main Street Theater and The Ensemble Theatre. As well as, choreographing different events and shows for both. Third, I am a Site Director for Core Theater Classes at Main Street Theater. Fourth, I work administratively for my church Rehoboth Restored Ministries in Clute, Texas. Last, I also work for myself, I am the owner of C.S Artistry. C.S Artistry provides performing Arts Services both in person and online. I have an online dance academy, I teach dance workshops, choreograph, offer private dance lessons, and even host performing arts camps.
I’ve accomplished quite a bit over the last few years but my proudest moment is definitely becoming an author. My book Getting to Okay and its coinciding workbook: Getting to Okay: 30 Days of Healing, make me the proudest. Taking a tragedy in my life and turning it into something that helps other people is special to me. Helping others is truly my passion.
We’d love to hear what you think about risk-taking?
Many of the most successful people in the world are risk-takers. Risk-taking is necessary in order to achieve a certain level of success. No matter how prepared you are, no matter how much you train, at the end of the day, you are never 100 percent in control of everything. Something can always happen that throws your initial plan off. So, whenever you decide to do anything different or new you are taking a risk. However, the wonderful thing about taking a risk is that once you achieve your goal, you’ve created something that no one else has. Even if it’s something that has technically been done before, no one can do it quite like you, because no one else has your exact background and thought process. Even in love. Loving people is a risk. When I met my boyfriend years ago, nothing could have prepared me for his death, years later, but the love I received while he was alive was worth the risk. And now, I have amazing memories of him to last me a lifetime. Preparation is important and you should always be as prepared as you can be, but at some point, preparation must end, and you simply have to go for it. I think what sets me apart from some people, is that I don’t just dream, I make a plan and then I go for it. I’m an executor. That’s why I’m successful. My advice: take the risk.
Contact Info:
- Website: Christiandsimon.com
- Instagram: @chrissypoo_14
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christian.simon.58173
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/bcz6xnBnMuI
Image Credits
Roland Baker of Rolovision Photography
Kevyn Miller of Kevyn Miller Photography
