Meet Grace Webb, Storytelling Coach
An Interview with Shenny De Los Angeles
Q: As artists, especially from underrepresented communities, a part of our work is affirming others in a shared lived experience. That’s a part of what makes representation in art a radical form of healing, as it’s an invitation to help people witness themselves. When was the first time you witnessed yourself in a body of work or through someone else’s story, and how did that ignite you to tell your story?
A: I did not grow up in a place with much awareness or discussion about Queer or Trans experiences. As I got older, I started listening to other queer and trans people tell their stories, and realized how helpful and important it was. It felt like a breath of fresh air, like a door opening to a different world. Our experiences are so under-shared, so rarely written about or talked about. Feeling seen by others’ experience made me realize how important the back-and-forth sharing of stories is. I believe that we are always co-storytelling, always talking to and with others who have shared with us.
Q: In learning how to strengthen your voice as an artist, what was a piece of feedback and/or advice that you received from a great mentor/coach that really stayed with you and not only made your artistic work expand but it also deepened your growth as a person?
A: The best lessons I’ve learned from mentors are about how to have fun with your art. Watching others tell stories or make art from a place of excitement, curiosity, or love is so enlivening, and creating from this place cuts through the fear that can so often surround speaking out about personal experiences. When you’re following a thread of curiosity or joy, it’s harder to remember all the reasons you “shouldn’t” share! Even painful stories can be approached with this attitude- sharing them in order to connect to others or to incite change makes things much easier.
Q: Thinking about the world we’re living in, and how much of the focus is centered on the pain of life, it can feel very challenging to want to keep going and source our stories from a place of joy, curiosity, and wonder. In honoring your lived experience, what affirms you in this life? What keeps the drive and momentum in your body and soul? Even when the world hurts you, how do you believe enough in yourself to choose to live the life you know you deserve?
A: Whenever I have even a little free time, I practice connecting with my joy and curiosity by asking myself: “What would be the most enlivening thing I could do right now?” And giving myself permission to follow whatever the answer is, whether that’s laying on my couch watching TV or wandering around a bookstore. Connecting with the thread of excitement that is always running somewhere below the surface is a powerful way to remind myself of my own autonomy and of the beauty that is always within reach. I also find so much inspiration in meditation and in being in community and making art with my friends.
Grace Webb (they/them) is a Storytelling Coach with Life Jacket and a sexuality educator and writer. With a background in sexual health and a Master’s degree in English from Columbia University, Grace is passionate about helping Queer and Trans youth explore and own their narratives. They are a trained facilitator, and they regularly host workshops on relational skill-building and other sexual health topics.
Shenny De Los Angeles (she/they) is a Resident Storytelling Artist with Life Jacket. Shenny is a Dominican-American interdisciplinary performing artist and writer who centralizes Black and Brown femmes in their stories, affirming the beauty of being alive. Shenny’s work has been featured at Mabou Mines Theatre, Latina Magazine, Blackstar Film Festival, Latinx Playwright Circle, and Caribbean Writers to name a few! Currently, Shenny is a WaterWorks Emerging Artist at Harlem Stage, where she is developing a ritual play, Sisters by Water, which explores the intimacy and nuance of sisterhood between Haitian & Dominican-American femmes. www.ShennyDeLosAngeles.com
Learn more about Life Jacket Theatre Company and The Storytelling Project.
