The journey of a dancer is both discouraged and romanticized: Move to New York, make a living doing the ephemeral, get your name in lights. While the story is familiar, my journey as a dancer has been anything but cliché, yet I’ve learned there is something universal about the hustle.

The modern hustle requires one to define a personal spectrum of opportunities. In this spectrum, there are the big dreams, but there are also the tangential dreams, the practical fields, the areas of intrigue, the passion projects. Mapping my own spectrum has been a natural and recurring process of daydreaming and journaling. I exclude from the spectrum anything I don’t feel like doing; if you wouldn’t daydream about it, it isn’t part of the big picture.

My daydreams have actually been the greatest compass for my career. I am a dancer through and through. I am built like a Rockette, I love the rush of performing, and I revel in the day-to-day maintenance and perfectionism of training. That said, I have always visualized choreography when listening to music. Long after a class is over, I have always contemplated the mechanics of the steps. These affinities have led me to work as a teacher and a choreographer; to direct my own dance company, Continuum Contemporary/Ballet; and most recently, to my creative involvement in a dance education brand for families—Crafterina. This whole portfolio of dance experiences has led me to my now preferred job title: Dance Artist.

For artistic thinkers and creatives, the modern hustle is more rigorous than ever before, mostly for three main reasons: the rise of amateurism (not necessarily a bad thing), the demands of social media (again, not necessarily bad), and the ability to get your work out there in a variety of avenues (a very good thing). This has created a bit of a shift in our culture, highlighting, ever so slightly, more indie artists who have normally been in the shadows of bigger organizations. In other words, there is more work out there, but you need to shine and, more importantly, you need to work to get noticed.

For me, this has meant being really focused to support my multitasking. I need to attend classes on a daily basis to maintain my dance fluency. I also need to plant seeds daily for future projects, and I need to take on work for inspiration and pleasure. Doing these things offers positive rewards beyond the financial aspect. But because these necessities require time and energy, scheduling is key; there needs to be free time, wiggle room, and the ability for me to get eight hours of sleep.

My saving grace is working on a freelance, contractual basis. I create my own schedule, I know my own worth, and I demand the highest hourly wage possible for the work that I do. This is easier said than done, but it gets easier with seniority and with the multitude of cool things you do and add to your résumé.

Despite how rigorous I need to be in the pursuit of work, my passions are dance and choreography. I have had the opportunity to perform professionally in ballet and modern companies, perform in New York Fashion Week, choreograph a runway show, take my dance company on tour, choreograph for a Grammy award-winning pop star, accept university commissions, perform in art installations, and perform as a guest artist as the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. These are all experiences that I treasure. They are defining moments when I feel like I have lived the dream, and I feel blessed to have done so.

Along the way, I dabbled in writing for a dance magazine, instructing fitness classes, and modeling. I have a true New York story—I’ve tried everything and I’ve worked hard. My dedication to teaching has had a positive impact on my students and has given me the satisfaction of giving back, while being compensated fairly to do so. One of the great benefits of this hustle is that seemingly disparate skills I have learned in one area have actually informed me in other areas and have made me more marketable. Hustling actually makes you better.

Of course, there have been tough experiences along the way. I have not been paid for work I was supposed to be paid for on two occasions. I had to go to court. I have been in auditions where I felt I deserved the part and didn’t get it. I have received my fair share of rejection letters and have been burned by some close colleagues.

I’ve also learned that being good at hustling and having some success can give you some false friends and some jealous ones. And worse, at times, even the best of us can become momentarily jealous of the competition. These situations are unavoidable. They happen when you least expect it and can take you off course. But I think the best recourse is to be true to your dreams, your instincts, and your goals. Your hustle has nothing to do with anyone but yourself.

The best thing about the hustle is that you can define it. You dictate your dreams, your intrigues, and your passion projects, and you can pursue them. It requires a lot of time, so choose to defend your time with work that doesn’t deplete you of your energy, while also paying you fairly.

Through the hustle you will get the chance to work on a variety of projects. You will get to work with many different people. You will put your ideas into the world. It will feel great.

My life has consisted of a lot of passion and a lot of hustle. Here are my top 15 tips for hustling:

 1. Be proud of your hustle. If you are ashamed of any of the jobs you are doing, it will just drag you down.

 2. Be proactive, not reactive. Focus on what it is that you want, not the competition.

 3. Be friendly. Make friends. And support them when they begin doing their thing, too.

 4. Accept your starting point. We all have to start somewhere.

 5. Accept the seasons of your body and the game. Things change and you can ride the wave if you can accept the flow.

 6. Spend wisely. Skip drinking. Skip that manicure. There: You’ve got lunch for a week!

 7. Think big-picture. Think lessons. Think legacy. It will keep you inspired.

 8. Follow through with your projects and ideas. Always.

 9. Put your best-quality work out there.

 10. Likewise, market and promote with your best-quality work and statements. (Spell-check!)

 11. Credit your support system and don’t neglect your personal life. (Thanks, Mom and Dad!)

 12. Find your sources of inspiration and visit them when times get tough.

 13. Always pay people on time when you owe them money. Get the money.

 14. Tip well, make a donation, and support others. Good karma improves hustles.

 15. Above all, stay true to you.

Blurb yourself: Write ten compliments about your work,
as if they were written by someone else.

***

Use these compliments as promotional
messages for yourself, and follow up each of those
statements with supporting examples
of your work.

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You’ll get a little boost of confidence and give
yourself talking points for new business conversations.