Today we’d like to introduce you to Christy Soeder.
Christy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Born and raised in North Carolina and thriving off of sunshine and good vibes, I am an actor, model, and creative director passionate about fusing sustainability, conscious consumerism, and health & wellness with intentional storytelling. Growing up, my parents gave my brother and I the greatest gift of traveling often as a family – landing in Switzerland for four years before returning back to the states. Getting an early taste of what the world had to offer, gave me an unparalleled respect for the beauty and power that this planet holds. I developed a love for nature: the sky, the ocean, the sun, the animals who live here with us, and the incredible diversity and strength of the human race.
As I grew older, I became obsessed with trying to do good and leave this world a better place. Spending a few childhood years in Switzerland also introduced me to a passion and future life in Musical Theatre and 11 years of Soccer. I spent my school years juggling sports and the arts, always running from practices to rehearsals for hours after school and on the weekends. Both of these incredible avenues helped me discover invaluable wellness, life, and social skills, and a power within myself to bring people together from different walks of life.
After graduating from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre, I discovered other creative strengths within me, such as directing, storytelling through marketing and images, fashion, and modeling. These things served all of the avenues in my life that I was not only passionate about, but that were deep rooted, identifying pieces of myself that quickly became my purpose. Now, I work everyday to tell stories through different artistic and physical mediums to help people understand the importance of taking care of ourselves, preserving our planet and all of the life we coexist with and most importantly loving each other against all odds.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
You know, it most definitely has not been a smooth road, and I used to struggle with that. The life of an artist is full of really high highs, but also some pretty low lows. There’s a lot of rejection, breeding self-doubt – and when you’re relying on those things to make a living, it can be difficult to navigate. But, the more I live and learn, the more I strongly believe that the road worth taking to the place you want to get to is not going to be a smooth one. Smooth roads are comfortable, certain, and not challenging to navigate or take. They don’t let you experience hardship, failure, or interruption of expectation. Smooth roads don’t help you grow. How are we supposed to live, learn, succeed, and ultimately find genuine peace and happiness if we are not growing? As artists, how are we expected to portray reality and be responsible, authentic storytellers without experience, knowledge, and growth? Recently I have found myself welcoming challenges in my life and in my career with a lot of gratitude and grace – fully knowing there’s so much more I want to achieve, but also that I would not be where or who I am today without the hardships I’ve encountered along the way.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am an actor, model, and creative director focusing on environmental sustainability, conscious consumerism, and intentional storytelling. With a BFA in Musical Theatre from Syracuse University, years of experience spent in front of the camera, and also behind the camera as a former freelance photographer, telling stories through creation with the intent to make a difference is my passion.
I believe that art is the most unifying and important tool humanity has. The beauty of art is that we can shed light on issues that we as a society have difficulty approaching or discussing by presenting them in ways that people from all walks of life can consume and relate to. We help people develop empathy. We educate people through creative and innovative perspectives. We can make people understand the issues they face within themselves and in their relationships. Art can single-handedly save lives.
I draw upon my deep appreciation and love for our planet and my fascination with the human experience as my main source of inspiration to create work that feeds my ultimate goal of making the world a little better than I left it. Whether that’s firmly supporting and sharing the work of brands who are making a conscious effort to run a sustainable business, living a cruelty-free and vegetarian lifestyle, or diving deep into human expression and motivation as an actor to bring different perspective to both the beautiful and complicated experiences of life; I create to tell stories that give back. Nothing makes me happier than knowing that I have made a positive impact by doing what I love, big or small.
I believe what sets me apart is that I’m a multi-faceted, professionally-trained artist who can act as the model, actor, athlete, stylist, photographer, editor, director for any project. But, more importantly, because I have a deep capacity to feel and love other people. I have a full heart, an overactive imagination, a strong drive, and bigger plans in this life than just for myself. I long to make a difference on a larger level that outlives my lifetime.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I believe that at the end of the day if you are at peace and happy with yourself, in your relationships, and with your perspective on the world around you – and also find a way to share that and give back to others and the Earth – that’s a pretty successful existence. The goal is really to do the things that you love, that fulfill your larger purpose, to make money doing them, and then to find a way to give it all back to make a difference.
On a smaller level, every day I live by a set of five criteria/rules/priorities to keep me productive and moving forward: get outside, move your body, do one thing for your career, do one thing to make money or further financial stability, and do one thing for someone else. At the end of the day, if I do three of those five things, it’s a successful day, and if I do all five, I’m on top of the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.christysoeder.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/csoeder/
Image Credit:
Justin Patterson, Emily Lyons-Wood, Drew Osumi, Anisha Sisodia, Jocelyn Bold, Daniel Brittain
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