Carmen Quiñones Callahan answers 3 questions
Carmen Quiñones Callahan is a professional ballet dancer & model based in Los Angeles, California.
This post features 3 digital artworks I crafted using photographs Carmen and I shot together, & she answers 3 questions from my “Open Hearts Adaptive Minds” series.
Question I
What’s something you’ve learned that helped you live a better life?
“Everyone is the center of their own story. Other people aren’t thinking about you as much as you think they are, so just do you anyways.”
Question II
The world often teaches us to close our hearts, what’s a lesson you’ve learned in how to keep your heart open?
“The hard times make us better people in the end. It’s difficult to be great at something without being a great human first. I think the best dancers always lead with humanity and open hearts. Then we process our hard times and heartbreaks in order to have something real to share with our audiences.”
Question III
What’s something you do to help other people and the planet thrive?
“Make art. It might feel stupid, or inconsequential sometimes given the state of the world, but that’s when art is its most vital. It’s how we respond and process the world around us, and it’s absolutely critical that we keep making it.“
You can follow Carmen on her Instagram at @Carma44
Till next time,
-Oliver Endahl