An Inspired Chat with Anisa Carolina Johnson

Anisa Carolina Johnson shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Anisa Carolina, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
I like to wake up and freshen up for about a half hour and then do a movement routine that will set me up best for the day I have ahead. This is often either a yoga and breathwork practice or a series of physical therapy exercises that I have curated for stabilization of my joints.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Anisa Carolina Johnson is a performer and choreographer based in Southern California. They have created their project-based brand, CaroJ through which they showcase their versatile choreography. Their most recent sighting was the premiere of “And Everything Nice” at the Brockus Red Winter Showcase, a festive contemporary trio against the backdrop of tap dance accompaniment. Aside from creating for CaroJ, Johnson is a member of the Backhaus Education Company as well as Louise Reichlin’s LA Choreographers and Dancers. With these companies, they perform throughout Los Angeles and Orange County and teach in the after school program of the Santa Ana School District. Further influencing the upcoming generation of dancers, Johnson is a technique instructor at Norris Performing Arts Center where they also assist Michelle Minor in the direction of the youth tap company the Jr. Hoofers.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
As a young dancer, I always felt so much pressure about fitting into a mold of what an artist ought to be. Developing my artistry in a competitive scene encouraged my determination to improve, but it also influenced me to believe that the purpose I held was to be the best. I wanted to please my teachers and I wanted to please the judges and I soon found that my movement was not coming from a place of passion but I was instead moving to please those I looked up to. Growing to consider movement as a subjective form of art made me realize how contradicting it is to yearn for being better than others. This idea of comparing myself to others had no longer been driving my ambition but was hindering my intention behind my expression. As I have matured as an artist, I have found extreme value in appreciating my differences and believe that which makes me unique is precious and find joy in exploring these areas of my craft.

What fear has held you back the most in your life?
The fear of making the wrong choices with my career path has held me back the most in life. To choose a career in art is taking a big risk. Not only are you going into the creative field where work is unsteady, but you are submitting your coveted passion to scrutiny of the economy. To successfully work as an artist, you have to handle yourself with conviction and never question your worth. The direction you take your career in is very malleable and can be tailored to how you want your art to serve the world. Consequently, it is very harmful when I second guess the choices I make and wonder what the “right thing” to do is. While I find mentorship to be very important, there is no set path for an artist to follow where they know they are headed in the right direction. This reassurance is something I have had to find in myself. This means endless hours and dedication to work which yields little money and reminding myself to be patient with how far my art is reaching, especially at such a young age. Investment in myself looks like creating projects for small events and taking them as serious as if I was performing for the queen. Believing that everything you do is worthy is much easier said than done, but it is something that has given me purpose and ambition through the tiresome obstacles of life as an movement artist.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What truths are so foundational in your life that you rarely articulate them?
Something we all take for granted from day to day is our breath. How we breath throughout our days affects how we perceive the world and the approach we take to life. While it is something we do countless times a day, it is something we hardly notice and there is a great sense of power in honing in on how you are breathing and how you can use your breath to better experience yourself and the world around you. Busy schedules lead to us holding our breath so tightly and it is hard to find time to seriously let all oxygen seep from the body. By learning to control your breath, you can learn to control your mind as well to gain access to your values beyond your reactions. By learning to coordinate your breath with the movement of your body, your cells will awaken to each other and by noticing this, you can find a connection across mind and body. Finding breath shows you a route to presence, allowing you to experience the moment and experience time in a rushing world.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
In my eyes, my art is what I was born to do, but I have learned to apply it in the ways those who came before me have guided me to. Taking advice from someone you look up to is very useful, as long as you are holding on to your personal views underneath it. Morphing your ideas and direction can open up new avenues for you to better achieve the goals you have set out for yourself and finding stepping stones on your journey is necessary, even if these stepping stones are not the exact thing you are setting out for. In order to achieve this I always try to stay active in my own creations, despite how busy my work schedule may be. I check in often on my own priorities to understand how I can better balance my time so that I am dedicating enough of my energy to my own passions and aspirations while still operating within the industry and making the connections necessary to continue to move forward.

Contact Info:

• Website: Will email to you when published!
• Instagram: carojcreative
• Youtube: carojcreative

Image Credits
Image credit (1): Drum Thunder, Linda Sohl Ellison, Anisa Johnson & Mary Thomas, Dan Hopkinson (OCC FDC 2024).
Image credit (2 & 3): © UC Regents, photos by Samantha Zauscher