Meet Brielle Rathbun | Choreographer and Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brielle Rathbun and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brielle, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
When I think about balance, I have to be honest with myself about what the consequences of the opposite imbalances really are. In my line of work, it feels like a trophy to hang nothing but art on the walls of your mind. It feels like dedication to abandon ourselves and our relationships for the cause of foraging imaginations’ lonesome forest. But, it’s not an even swap. I don’t have to do much explaining to relay that in art (and in life), most of us will find ourselves momentum-less eventually, as we stare into blank canvases in whatever form they might take. And just like when we squint at a familiar word so long it becomes unrecognizable, our creative inspiration can feel the same. So, when that dreaded plateau rears its ugly head towards our withering souls, I wonder if we can step onto it with a bit of grace for ourselves. And maybe, just maybe, even some expectation that this unwanted place has the potential to be a fertile ground for flowers we couldn’t house before. When I feel that lack of symmetry between my hurried-life and my human-life, I could carry on depleting myself and ignoring my inner voice that demands refreshment, or I can prioritize what it looks like to distribute myself from places that actually have some give.

The truth is this: we must choose. And in whatever we choose, we will feel its weight. Heavy or light–it will be ours to hold.
So, when I go to the park and swing a bat at something soaring, or when I sip a sour lemonade sitting on the corner of my street, or when I unapologetically “waste” a bit of time to run the person I love a cupcake that I wasted the previous hour baking, or when I can sit cross legged, face to face with a setting sun, speechless at its radiance and in agreement with its light: it doesn’t rob me of success. This is my success. The secret is out: joy is not a waste of your time. It’s not unproductive. It’s not a failure or an irresponsible use of your life. Pursue your fullness-and the overflow will find you and spill out, rearing its BEAUTIFUL head and leaving you with the energetic excess to forge together what matters. If you don’t know where you stand in finding your balance, let me ask you this: Are you working FOR greatness or FROM greatness?

Don’t wait until failure or defeat or total exhaustion to live the life your artistry is worthy of! What you create is carried by and innately born from the living you do. So, do it!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am learning more and more how important it is to lead with who you really are. So, I’m happy to report with authenticity that I am a Choreographer who derives movement from the stirring of real life, a Song Writer & Musician who sways in between the Contemporary Indie, Worship, and Soul categories of music, and a Writer–of poems, of diaries, of long goodbyes and short stories. I used to try and morph myself based on what the circumstance appreciated most about me, but I am content to share it all, with a much greater aspiration to connect with real life people. I make art not for the sake of art, but for the connectivity that comes from expelling ourselves from the confines of our our skin. The goal of art is not art. It’s life! You can follow along at @briellabelle on Instagram.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
You guys–I’m vegan. Don’t roll your eyes just yet, because, boy do I have Atlanta’s best kept secret in my neck of the woods. Cinnaholic in Dunwoody. Wow. Gourmet Cinnamon Rolls, I kid you not. Order Strawberries and Cream. Just try it–Thank me later. Then, a stroll down the Roswell Riverwalk or painting in the park at City Springs. I like to kayak down the Chattahoochee and sometimes horseback ride up past Ellijay, at the Blue Ridge Mountain Trail Rides. Highly recommend a little roller skating though Piedmont Park, and don’t forget to get ice cream from Big Softie, south of the park. There’s so much to enjoy.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to give a shoutout to my dad, Jamin Rathbun, who owns and operates the art institute (Trinity Arts Center: Johnson City, TN) that has brought me the balance I am anchored to, to this day, and the home I am inspired to always return to when I need to remember why anything is worth anything at all. Dad, I am so thankful for all that you are.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briellabelle/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/briellenicholerathbun

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IK5lBCPUlg4

Image Credits
Pink Chair Photography