Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Ward.
Christina, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I come from an equally artistic and athletic family. On one side, we are giants and undeniable specimens of physical prowess. From football players to Ironman competitors, it seems that it’s in the blood to love health, wellness and the sport of competition. The other side of my family is the pneuma of my existence. I look to it more as my purpose. They are the side from which comes my artistic faculty. Through writing, singing, my love for dance and even crafting this part of me pilots my commentary on life.
Growing up in Jacksonville, FL I seldom realized my own capabilities. I only knew what I loved to do. Stubborn and ‘too independent’ as my mom would call it, I found myself challenging the formulas for young girls my age. I would race all the boys on the playground, and on the same day, go home and teach my Barbie dolls and stuffed animals Spelling and Language Arts. After my brother and sister left for university in my fifth-grade year, I truly found out what it was to assert my individuality. I assumed playing basketball and cheerleading in the same season was normal. To have piano lessons and track practice on the same day was normal. All of the things my parents nurtured in me were perfectly normal and I’m indebted to them for it.
In my senior year of high school, while I was sorting through my undergraduate options for Law Studies because somewhere in the last few years I decided I wanted to become a lawyer, I had a revelation about what I was purposed to do after appearing in my first Indie Feature. It was at that moment when all of the advice, the nurturing and supportive parenting would show itself approved. So I chose NY to pursue, Acting, what I know now to be the way to fulfill my purpose.
Acting has been the propulsion for me to connect with others with multiple passions and proficiencies in a few states now. The journey has taken me from FL, NYC, LA and now to Atlanta and I truly believe it is to make relationships with others liked minded and not. The story for us all, though not the same, has a similar throughline and it’s that we have a way we see the world and the way we create it.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The journey of an artist truly is one of relentless faith and great self-belief. After graduating from university with my BFA in Acting for Theatre, Film & T.V. I quickly learned that it meant very little to Agents, Managers and even Casting Directors. They wanted to know whose classes I was taking and what I was currently working on as a determining factor of my potential. I realized that spending all of Aunt Sallie Mae’s money wasn’t the only way, but of course, hindsight is 20/20.
Just prior to graduation, I had an amazing opportunity to audition for the Broadway show Mama Mia. Not even my four years of intensive studies could prepare me for such an honor. For the first time in a long while, I struggled to stand confidently in my voice. The audition wasn’t a complete failure, but I knew I needed more training, yet the stakes had been raised. From that point, I went on to perform in many Off-Off-Broadway stage productions and films before making my way back to FL.
On my brief, one-year layover in FL, I spent most of my time training at a circus school as an Aerialist where I grew to love a newly added expression that I flirted with while in New York. It was within that year that I nabbed yet another huge opportunity to perform as an aerialist, this time on a national tour. My nerves overtook my self-confidence once again and like the young Christina who was proficient at most, but a terrible test taker, I gave away my opportunity to another deserving girl. This one stung a bit more, but I continued on.
Los Angeles, another lone journey for Ms.’Too Independent’, is where I began to grow into my shoes and love them more with every stride. It was in LA that I earned my SAG eligibility. It was LA where I began my career as a professional aerialist performing in Night Clubs, the LA County Fair, and large parties in SoCal. It was LA that stretched me both in my faith and in my confidence. After seven years, I have chosen to continue to press towards the mark adding Atlanta as a destination of extremely clear vision and purpose-driven execution.
My best advice to young ladies dreaming of their passions, yet to execute, is you won’t know until you try. Even when you do know continue to try because trying is your faith, at work, for your self-confidence.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
Simply put, I’m an artist. I create from vision and see it through whatever conduit it needs to be communicated. When I’m in the studio, I’m crafting aerial dance sequences that speak to the community and help other dancers connect their will and their voice. When I’m in the writer’s room, I carefully craft storylines that will elevate the viewer’s experience and overall commentary on life. I love positive messages; therefore, that’s what I choose to spread in my craft.
All of these artistic inlets Acting, Dance, Singing and Writing are most importantly the connecting tissue of the community. It took eight strong years to truly build that network when I lived in LA, where connecting is not so easy. However, I’m so excited to create new ties here in Atlanta. I just want people to know me for my spirit, above all else, and I think that is my defining influence.
There’s a wealth of academic research that suggests that lack of mentors and networking opportunities for women has materially affected the number of women in leadership roles. Smart organizations and industry leaders are working to change this, but in the meantime, do you have any advice for finding a mentor and building a network?
My advice for finding a mentor is to let it happen organically. Find yourself in environments that foster true connection, genuine intent, and likemindedness. That is where you may discover yourself in either position. I say discover because the active ingredient is that the relationship forms organically. Mentors aren’t to be as idols, rather a source that you can cull from and ricochet ideas, values, and stances off of. You two should, in a healthy manner, be able to advise one another through your advancement.
You both will profit if the investment is reciprocal. As for networking, I found it particularly hard, and still do at times, to place myself in conditions specifically meant for networking to breed genuine connections. That is not everyone’s experience, but for myself, I prefer quieter and more direct settings such as workshops, classes, dinners, and meetups. This takes the pressure down a few notches for me. If you’re someone who sides with this perspective, I just say immerse yourself in the field your goal to be in. It will be so natural that you find yourself in a mentor/mentee relationship and before you know it, you will be introducing others, crossing the bridges of connection.
Contact Info:
- Email: thechristinaward@gmail.com
- Instagram: thechristinaward
Image Credit:
Simone Bennett Photography, Bombshire Official
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