06/03/2026
Here's my Unfiltered question / take on today - What’s your "why"?
Why do you actually do burlesque, perform, or create? Applause? Validation? Identity? Community? Power? Art? Attention? Discipline? Rebellion? Money? Be honest—no one else needs to hear it, but you need to know it.
Your “why” shapes everything. If it’s external, you’ll chase bookings, classes, titles, followers, approval. You’ll feel high when it flows, and crash when it doesn’t. Over time, that cycle can wear you down.
If it’s internal, the work lands differently. You train differently (hell, you train at all!), handle rejection differently, support others differently. You still hurt. You still fail. But you recover with more stability and a growth mindset.
Point of note - there’s no morally superior answer. Wanting attention isn’t evil. Wanting success isn’t shallow. Wanting artistry isn’t pretentious. Not knowing your "why", though? That’s when people drift—and drifting creatives burn out fast.
I’ve been all of it. I started for me—to feel strong, sexy, and alive. I performed for me, because f**k the audience, I was doing this for myself. Then I got knocked around, excluded, and told I wasn’t good enough. It hurt. It humbled me. Thirteen years later, it’s still ups and downs.
Now, my "why" is still partly for me, but it’s also to connect and entertain and learn and grow the legacy of what our community has built. If someone buys a ticket to a show I'm in (even if it's not my own production), I owe them engagement. I can tell my stories, but I need to bring the audience with me. Anyone on stage should aim for that at minimum. So that's my "why", that's what keeps me going.
Strip it back. No branding. No captions. No persona. Why are you here?
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