Fired & Inspired – Danielle Savre – Part 2

Everyone has moments of uncertainty. And I think people who have a creative life might have more uncertainties. What keeps you grounded during those moments of uncertainty?
I think it’s interesting because you have uncertainty, unpredictability, all of those things. There’s no stability in art, but it’s fulfilling. And what I see with people that have very stable jobs, for the most part, there’s some people that love the stable job they have, and I applaud them because that’s beautiful. But so many people, on average, I would say, have these very stable, structured jobs that give them that sense of security. But they’re missing something in life and I get that. So hopefully they find it in hobbies and things that they’re like, okay, I can do this thing on the weekend that I love, that inspires me. But I think even though there’s uncertainty, I know I’m going to work again. It’s just, when will I work again and what will the job be? And that’s the uncertainty that’s a little scarier. I don’t really have say over what the next job is going to be. I don’t have say over who’s going to hire me next. So much of that is out of my control. It’s what I love about directing; I have more of a say in what I want to direct, what kind of shows I want to direct, what kind of style and genre I want to direct. And for acting. I can pass on jobs, I can say no to certain ones I for sure don’t want to do. But when it comes to auditioning, I really don’t know who’s going to hire me, what job’s going to hire me, how long the job’s going to go for, whether it’s one episode or seven years. That uncertainty is a little more unsettling than the uncertainty of, like, will I ever work again? But it’s something that’s just part of the job.

I was talking to a class at a school recently, and I said, the thing that helps really settle your mind when living in an artistic world or profession is be smart with your money. Because the one thing that makes people make bad decisions is scarcity. There’s nothing they can do. There’s no financial means at all. I think that’s when we make wrong or bad decisions, is when it comes from a place of, I have to take this job because I have no money. I have to take this thing because I made a bad financial decision. And I told this class, so many people I know, the first time they get a job, they buy the most expensive car they can buy. And I’m like don’t do it. Invest in something at first that is going to build your wealth, whether it’s a property or investing in a savings account. Because you don’t know what life’s gonna throw at you. You could get sick. There could be something happening that you need to pay money for. And when you’re in a profession of uncertainty, which is art, you just never know when that’s gonna happen. So put yourself into a position where you have that security blanket, and then you can actually make decisions based on what inspires you and what fulfills you versus what you have to do. Because it happened to me at the first job. I got successful, I had all this money, I bought a car, and the universe was like, oh, yeah, we’re gonna teach you a lesson. We’re gonna take that car from you. You have no money. And I was making decisions based on the fact that I literally had no money. So don’t get yourself in that situation and that uncertainty won’t weigh on you as much and find ways to be creative, you know?

When you make handmade work, it invites imperfection, which is something I struggle with. How do you stay true to yourself when you live in the public eye and you know there’s a pressure to be perfect, how do you stay authentic to yourself?
I find a balance. Especially in the world of social media you’re always trying to put the most perfect version of yourself out there. And I’ve tried to always be honest, whether it’s talking about getting my car repossessed and losing everything… I try to be authentic as possible by constantly being honest. Like, this is what I’m going through. I don’t broadcast those days when I’m sitting on the couch crying and trying to figure out things. I’m very happy talking about it once I’m on the other side of those moments that are not great. But I think authenticity is something I’ve struggled with. I can’t be anything but honest, I almost do it to a fault. I sometimes am too honest. I’m like, oh, I said so much. Oops. I do hold some stuff back in regards to things that have happened. Certain people, over time, they want to know certain things of your life that you go, no, that’s my personal life. And you kind of hold that off, which is very hard for me to do. But I think I’m able to stay authentic just because it’s who I am. I think learning that whole thing of self-love, because 10 years ago I probably tried to present a more polished version of myself. And now that I’ve learned that I’m enough just as I am, I’m okay. Like listen, I ramble too much during conversations. But it’s who I am. Take it or leave it. I’m not everyone’s cup of tea. There’s some peace that I found in that which allows me to go, I’m not going to constantly be perfect. But then there’s also I love to post pretty pictures that are all glammed up.

Yeah, I think we all do.
I mean, who doesn’t? But I’ve also learned to embrace the fact that I can do lives with no makeup on and embracing what I am and who I look like and my imperfect self. I think that kind of answers it. It’s a multifaceted question of being authentic in the world we live in. Because you want to present the best version of yourself, and you obviously want people to know about the times that aren’t perfect. It’s hard for me to obviously showcase those moments. I’m never going to probably post a video or a live of me, crying on a tough day, but once I healed, I’ll talk about it for sure.

You’re surrounded by creative people. So you have your partner, your friends, your environment. What has connection taught you about creativity?
They’re so intertwined. It’s funny because it’s like the three Cs. It’s connection, creativity, and collaboration. You have to connect with someone in order to be empathetic, in order to understand people and oh my God, another C. Curiosity. Like, you have to constantly live in a state of curiosity to be creative. You have to constantly connect with people to be creative. And collaboration has to happen as a unity, as a group. It’s so interesting these four Cs, you have to really have all of them for it all to function the best way possible. If you are not connected with people, you can’t be creative. I just think it doesn’t work that way. You know, sometimes your creativity happens in a quiet room by yourself. I can’t actually speak for everyone, but for me personally, if I don’t go out in the world and learn about cultures, people, foods and travel the world and see the world and try to understand the world through other people’s eyes, I feel like I have all these kind of walls up about how creative I can be. Every place I’ve been to in the world, every person I’ve met, has expanded my understanding of the world, which has expanded my ability to be creative and empathetic and connect. So they all are very intertwined. For me, without connection, I can’t be creative.

I’m gonna add another C. Confidence.
Yes!!!

Where do you think confidence and creativity meet? Like, what do you define as being confident and the role in creativity?
I think interestingly enough with everything we’re talking about, confidence just comes from that ability to face your fears almost. I think you build more and more confidence the more fears you face. I think you kind of go, oh, it didn’t turn out the way I wanted to but I did it. Or it did turn out the way I wanted to, and I did It. And I think with every one of those fears that you face, you build more confidence. When we’re younger, creativity is so freeing because children have an imagination and can be creative and they don’t care what people think. It’s when we get older that all of a sudden creativity starts to be really scary. But creativity in itself, it’s like everything you do, every piece of ceramic you make, every vase, every bowl, it’s probably scary? Like, what’s it going to be? Is it going to be crap or something I love? Acting is the same. You just never know. Maybe I didn’t do that one the way I wanted to, but I’m going to do it again because I was able to do that. I can do it again, try to perfect it and make it the way I want it to be. So there’s confidence in that and there’s a confidence in like letting go. I don’t believe there’s any such thing as perfection with creativity. Like, there’s no perfect. Which is when you start realizing that, it’s so freeing. So there’s confidence in this ability to go, oh, like it’s never going to be perfect. So I have to just finally go, that’s great. I did my best. And I have confidence that that is the best I could do and it’s good enough. And that they all are kind of intertwined.

I see you as a someone who is confident, for example at the cons. What is being confident to you? Do you see yourself as confident?
I see myself as someone who has learned to know my worth. I’ve learned to know that I’m enough. I’ve learned to have self-love. And because of all those things, I exude a level of confidence. I definitely have days where I’m not confident. I definitely have days where like I feel off. I definitely have days where I wake up and I’m crying and I’m like, am I ever going to work again? Am I ever going to get a job? As I said it earlier that, I know I’m going to get a job, I have moments where, like, that confidence wanes and I don’t have it. But I think it all stems from knowing my worth and knowing I’m enough and having that self-love. And if I keep working on that, I continue to have the confidence. It’s so interesting that you say I have so much confidence at the cons. At the cons, I feel like I’m completely like a light bulb that is filled up or an energized bunny or a battery that’s filled up by just this excitement to see you guys and your excitement to see me. I wouldn’t even say that’s confidence. I mean, definitely getting dressed up, putting makeup on definitely gives me ‘I feel like I’m a character’, which is fun. But it’s interesting that, like, that’s what comes across because I just view it as, we’re all just getting to be in a happy place and have a good time. But confidence wanes; it comes from a place of learning and evolving and knowing that I’m enough and I’m worthy.

If you look back at the Danielle you used to be, like, let’s say in your 20s and the one you’re now. What is something you used to believe about yourself that you’ve outgrown or is it something you had to unlearn to keep growing?
The perfection thing. I think I was always trying to be so perfect. First of all, perfect doesn’t exist, and I don’t want to be perfect anymore. I want to be messy sometimes, and I want to have little elements of myself that aren’t considered perfect. You know, whether it’s physical or my sensitivities. Just getting rid of this idea of perfection was very freeing. And control, which kind of go hand in hand. I felt like I was trying so hard to control things and the harder I tried to control things, the more they didn’t happen the way I wanted them to happen. And when I just started to release and stop trying to control and stop trying to have things be perfect, things actually started falling into place in ways that I never imagined they would. In fulfilling ways, because I finally just let go. So the whole perfection and control thing are really big ones that I let go of and have had the biggest Impact on my life.

What helps you to keep learning and evolving?
Curiosity is the biggest thing. Once we lose the desire to be curious, I think it just stops. I hope that I’ll never lose that because I am so curious about everyone. About you, your life, about things, about cultures, about food,… I think the one singular thing that propels me the most is curiosity.