Double Snack with Denzel

WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.199 --> 00:00:05.080 Hey, what's up world? Welcome to snack size, the podcast that will 2 00:00:05.120 --> 00:00:09.830 drag you into your most fabulous life. I'm your host, La La Luscious, 3 00:00:10.070 --> 00:00:13.669 also known as the snack of the twin cities. I decided for myself 4 00:00:13.789 --> 00:00:16.589 that I can be whatever I want to be. So I decided to be 5 00:00:16.670 --> 00:00:20.629 a drag queen, and if I can live my dreams, you can to. 6 00:00:21.030 --> 00:00:24.859 The time has come to believing yourself enough to turn your ideas into more 7 00:00:24.980 --> 00:00:27.980 than mere words, and, no matter what you are doing in life or 8 00:00:28.019 --> 00:00:31.500 where you want to go, I want to help you get there fabulously. 9 00:00:32.020 --> 00:00:41.090 Our ten minutes starts now. Hey, snacks, welcome back to snack size. 10 00:00:41.570 --> 00:00:45.929 Today's episode is very special to me because we are featuring the winner of 11 00:00:46.130 --> 00:00:50.240 my casting call, which as for people to send me their stories and I 12 00:00:50.320 --> 00:00:53.880 would pick one person to come on here and share it with you all. 13 00:00:54.240 --> 00:00:59.520 Our guests today is Denzel Bilin, an actor, improviser, writer and director 14 00:00:59.960 --> 00:01:03.989 currently based in Minneapolis Minnesota. He currently writes and performs with the brave new 15 00:01:04.109 --> 00:01:10.670 workshop as a member of their mainstage team and for Minnesota tonight. Denzel has 16 00:01:10.709 --> 00:01:15.469 worked with many theaters, including uprising theater company Phoenix. Theater, freshwater theater 17 00:01:15.750 --> 00:01:22.299 and Minnesota French. He is also one half of brother brother and Improv duo 18 00:01:22.459 --> 00:01:26.060 that performs often at huge theater here in Minneapolis and is played festivals in the 19 00:01:26.099 --> 00:01:32.060 mini Polis area as well as Boston Massachusetts. It is my honor to welcome 20 00:01:32.140 --> 00:01:38.890 Denzel to snack size. Let's give them a call, hid and sell welcome 21 00:01:38.930 --> 00:01:42.049 to snack size. Hi, thank you so much for having me. Thank 22 00:01:42.090 --> 00:01:46.930 you so much for being on here with me today. Denzel won our casting 23 00:01:47.010 --> 00:01:51.319 call contest in which I was looking for anyone who is an artist or a 24 00:01:51.400 --> 00:01:55.120 creative person to tell their story, and I knew from the moment I got 25 00:01:55.200 --> 00:02:00.000 your email that you were definitely the winner of the casting call for the listeners. 26 00:02:00.079 --> 00:02:05.989 The email subject says, laughing at the bullshit, how finding satirical sketch 27 00:02:06.109 --> 00:02:10.349 comedy helped me process the world. So I am very excited to hear about 28 00:02:10.469 --> 00:02:15.550 how your life as a comedian has helped to live a happy and fulfilled life. 29 00:02:15.939 --> 00:02:19.539 I know that this is a really hard time for creative people, so 30 00:02:19.860 --> 00:02:23.060 how are you holding up during this time? As of today that we are 31 00:02:23.139 --> 00:02:25.780 recording this, I am doing pretty good, I have to say. All 32 00:02:25.900 --> 00:02:30.770 things considered as a performing artist, there has been lately a lot of really 33 00:02:31.610 --> 00:02:36.889 big announcements. Particularly the Gutthree Theater, which is our big regional theater, 34 00:02:37.090 --> 00:02:40.490 just announced that they are not doing any shows until March of two thousand and 35 00:02:40.490 --> 00:02:44.599 twenty one. Oh my gosh. Yeah, and I know a lot of 36 00:02:44.680 --> 00:02:47.479 theaters are influenced in like take note of what the gut three is doing. 37 00:02:47.520 --> 00:02:52.840 So we could find ourselves in this place where smaller theaters are maybe taking a 38 00:02:53.000 --> 00:02:58.909 year or more off to sort of recoup and get back together in order to 39 00:02:59.069 --> 00:03:02.110 do what they love to do. I don't know where my particular theater do. 40 00:03:02.229 --> 00:03:06.550 I work at the brave new workshops landing. Fortunately, we are in 41 00:03:06.669 --> 00:03:09.990 a position where we are creating content and I'm still getting somewhat of a paycheck, 42 00:03:10.150 --> 00:03:15.699 but we all know that that's only for unlimited amount of time and we're 43 00:03:15.819 --> 00:03:17.180 just happy to do the work. I think you had told me that the 44 00:03:17.300 --> 00:03:23.939 brave new workshop is the oldest Improv workshop in the United States technically the longest 45 00:03:23.979 --> 00:03:30.689 running satirical comedy theater in North America. Wow, though, this content that 46 00:03:30.770 --> 00:03:32.409 you're creating now online, where can we find it? A lot of it 47 00:03:32.729 --> 00:03:38.610 is through the brave new workshop. I've also done some ticktock for another organization 48 00:03:38.689 --> 00:03:44.039 called Take Action Minnesota. I also am going to do a really fun playwriting 49 00:03:44.080 --> 00:03:49.280 project with some student through the Pillsbury House. So but that will be later. 50 00:03:50.080 --> 00:03:53.639 That sounds like you've had some really exciting projects during this quarantine. So 51 00:03:53.879 --> 00:03:55.469 are you? Would you say that you've been able to keep yourself inspired? 52 00:03:55.909 --> 00:04:00.349 I wouldn't say as sort of consistently and feverently as I have been in the 53 00:04:00.469 --> 00:04:03.870 past, but I've been able to like write some things. I've been able 54 00:04:03.909 --> 00:04:10.900 to take care of myself artistically and honestly, it really helps my soul knowing 55 00:04:10.939 --> 00:04:15.659 that I'm getting paid for it. So often as artist we are pushing our 56 00:04:15.659 --> 00:04:18.019 own craft on our own time, spending our own money, you know, 57 00:04:18.180 --> 00:04:23.699 always netting a negative amount. It's sometimes hard, hard to step back and 58 00:04:23.779 --> 00:04:27.610 be like, Oh, I could be writing that next great American play, 59 00:04:27.970 --> 00:04:30.250 but that's going to be my time, my effort, and I won't see 60 00:04:30.290 --> 00:04:34.850 any finance until it sells, if it sells. So tell me about a 61 00:04:34.889 --> 00:04:40.360 little bit about how you started in comedy. Yeah, so when I went 62 00:04:40.600 --> 00:04:45.279 to college at Sat Olif College, I didn't really know anyone. I hit 63 00:04:45.360 --> 00:04:49.279 win serve on this gut insting and I had met someone who I was really 64 00:04:49.399 --> 00:04:53.310 you know, kicking it off with having a good friendship, and I was 65 00:04:53.389 --> 00:04:55.269 like, what are you up to tonight? And she was like, I'm 66 00:04:55.310 --> 00:05:00.029 gonna go to check out this improv practice. You know, she explained it 67 00:05:00.069 --> 00:05:02.110 as most people typically do. It's very whose line is it? anyways, 68 00:05:02.430 --> 00:05:05.389 and I was like, well, I know stage. Let me go check 69 00:05:05.430 --> 00:05:11.579 this out. So I went there and I was really fascinated by this idea 70 00:05:11.620 --> 00:05:14.740 of getting the chance to perform. You didn't need to memorize any lines. 71 00:05:15.500 --> 00:05:19.139 That was oh so nice, because time consuming sound. was like, why 72 00:05:19.259 --> 00:05:23.889 not, I'll give it a try. And you know, I'll be honest, 73 00:05:23.930 --> 00:05:26.850 for this first year, year and a half, two years, I 74 00:05:27.089 --> 00:05:31.089 wasn't particularly good, but no one should be, or really is when they 75 00:05:31.209 --> 00:05:35.079 first start out. But I never think it's a bad thing that when you 76 00:05:35.240 --> 00:05:39.519 first try something, if you're not brilliant at it, I think it's okay. 77 00:05:40.439 --> 00:05:43.480 So I kept doing that all four years of my time. is saying 78 00:05:43.480 --> 00:05:46.959 all of it. So I decide to stay in Minnesota. Through my Improv 79 00:05:47.040 --> 00:05:49.790 work, I was able to be the lot of different people and so there 80 00:05:49.870 --> 00:05:54.029 was one day where I got a message from a friend who was currently in 81 00:05:54.149 --> 00:05:57.949 a show at the brave new workshop and he was like Hey, I need 82 00:05:58.189 --> 00:06:02.750 to ask if you are busy and we are looking for like something extra and 83 00:06:02.870 --> 00:06:04.620 fun to do, and I was like sure, I tell he's use a 84 00:06:04.620 --> 00:06:09.939 little bit of extra cash. And I went into this meeting and I'll be 85 00:06:10.100 --> 00:06:12.819 honest, I thought I was there because I was like maybe it's like a 86 00:06:12.860 --> 00:06:16.259 serving job, you know, maybe I could run front of how something like 87 00:06:16.420 --> 00:06:23.769 that, and I quickly realize that he was asking me to understudy for the 88 00:06:23.889 --> 00:06:29.290 show and I did not know that and that excited me. That was such 89 00:06:29.290 --> 00:06:32.920 an opportunity and of course I said yes, I'm going to understudy for the 90 00:06:33.000 --> 00:06:38.360 brave new workshop comedy theater. They sketch comedy thing, and then I went 91 00:06:38.439 --> 00:06:44.000 home and I was like what exactly is sketch comedy? But I quickly realize 92 00:06:44.040 --> 00:06:47.310 I need to take a class in what sketch comedy was, particularly the writing, 93 00:06:47.350 --> 00:06:49.990 even though I wasn't doing writing. I want to get into the world. 94 00:06:50.509 --> 00:06:55.670 So I took my first class at strike theater for sketch comedy writing, 95 00:06:55.949 --> 00:06:59.509 and everyone's going around talking about why they're taking the class. A lot of 96 00:06:59.550 --> 00:07:01.259 people are like, you know, I'm a teacher and I'm looking for something 97 00:07:01.379 --> 00:07:05.980 different. And then there's me. I'm about to understudy at the brave new 98 00:07:06.019 --> 00:07:11.300 workshop and I figured I should understand what sketch comedy is, and everyone there 99 00:07:11.459 --> 00:07:18.769 was like what I was tempting at the time a division of a big bank 100 00:07:18.970 --> 00:07:24.170 doing a small thing for them, and it just wasn't what I had spent 101 00:07:24.250 --> 00:07:28.490 four year studying theater to do. Exactly. Yeah, so I took the 102 00:07:28.569 --> 00:07:32.920 leap and I left that relatively well paying job to go and, you know, 103 00:07:33.319 --> 00:07:38.839 take a little bit of a pay cut and pursue art all on the 104 00:07:38.959 --> 00:07:43.759 fly, making the decision to kind of just jump into what you love? 105 00:07:43.879 --> 00:07:48.509 Was that a scary decision to make? Absolutely, it was truly terrifying, 106 00:07:48.750 --> 00:07:54.750 but I feel like it's terrifying the way that, like bungee jumping is terrifying, 107 00:07:55.029 --> 00:08:00.180 like you know that there's gonna be a thrill and at a certain point 108 00:08:00.379 --> 00:08:05.579 you can only experience that thrill once you step off. But I never thought 109 00:08:05.180 --> 00:08:11.300 I would make a substantial amount of my income with me being on the stage 110 00:08:11.939 --> 00:08:15.730 performing. What is your creative process when it comes to writing a sketch. 111 00:08:16.250 --> 00:08:20.649 My creative process is I have to be authentically me as I'm writing. When 112 00:08:20.689 --> 00:08:24.529 I first started writing, I think I was writing towards what I really thought 113 00:08:24.649 --> 00:08:28.120 was funny, and then I had to learn, like the skills behind it, 114 00:08:28.360 --> 00:08:33.200 what makes a good sketch piece. So I had to learn like jokes. 115 00:08:33.240 --> 00:08:37.320 I had to learn how to punch up a script, I had to 116 00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:39.559 learn how to give notes to other scripts. I just need to learn these 117 00:08:39.639 --> 00:08:43.269 technical things that I didn't have. But now that I feel stronger in those 118 00:08:43.309 --> 00:08:46.909 skills, I can sort return to that base thing and be like, I 119 00:08:48.190 --> 00:08:52.789 like this idea, this is me. When we talked before the show, 120 00:08:52.029 --> 00:08:56.940 you had mentioned that you had to draw a line between you and your art. 121 00:08:56.379 --> 00:09:00.379 What are the challenges you face in regards to that and how did you 122 00:09:00.500 --> 00:09:03.379 overcome them? Yeah, particularly with sketch comedy, the way we write at 123 00:09:03.379 --> 00:09:07.779 the brake and workshop, so often we write stuff like for our selves. 124 00:09:09.340 --> 00:09:15.929 However, that also blurs everything and if you write yourself into like the funny 125 00:09:16.090 --> 00:09:22.210 comedic role and then someone at the tables like I didn't find this particularly funny, 126 00:09:22.330 --> 00:09:26.519 where the Jukes were the joke, it almost feels like you're not funny, 127 00:09:26.399 --> 00:09:31.639 you you're missing out on something, and I had a hard time distinguishing 128 00:09:31.679 --> 00:09:35.240 this new thing, this new form, this writing. If they might, 129 00:09:35.320 --> 00:09:39.230 if they hate that, they must hate my style of humor. And then 130 00:09:39.629 --> 00:09:43.590 the more conversations I had, the more I learned about my art and really, 131 00:09:43.750 --> 00:09:46.830 I would say my artistic director, Kault mcwen, he's like, I 132 00:09:48.429 --> 00:09:54.740 keep hiring you because I see what you bring to the table and I eventually 133 00:09:54.779 --> 00:09:56.059 just have to trust that. And they like I wouldn't be able to do 134 00:09:56.220 --> 00:10:03.259 show after shafter show if there wasn't something in me that was working. Why 135 00:10:03.259 --> 00:10:09.289 should I be harder on myself then the person who has other options? Something 136 00:10:09.330 --> 00:10:13.210 that people struggle with, especially creative people, is that we have it in 137 00:10:13.250 --> 00:10:16.370 our minds that sometimes we don't deserve the opportunities that we're getting. And while 138 00:10:16.649 --> 00:10:20.720 there is definitely times in life where you will have to work really, really 139 00:10:20.759 --> 00:10:26.080 hard for what you want, there's also the battle of accepting the fact that 140 00:10:26.399 --> 00:10:28.480 this is my time and I am where I'm supposed to be. Because then 141 00:10:28.519 --> 00:10:31.159 our minds sometimes we don't know how to handle that, especially as artist, 142 00:10:31.200 --> 00:10:35.240 when you struggle for so long, when a break comes, you don't even 143 00:10:35.240 --> 00:10:37.629 know what to do, because all you know is the struggle. Right. 144 00:10:37.190 --> 00:10:41.470 So accepting those people in your life and listening to them and allowing them to 145 00:10:41.509 --> 00:10:46.350 accurge you is super important for following your dreams. Yeah, and I really 146 00:10:46.389 --> 00:10:50.980 like what you mentioned there, because I feel like there have been so many 147 00:10:52.019 --> 00:10:58.700 times where I've had such a hard go at certain things that the comfort of 148 00:10:58.340 --> 00:11:05.570 being fine or being good or great is so unfamiliar that I sort of that's 149 00:11:05.610 --> 00:11:11.889 what becomes the uncomfortable thing. So to be put in a situation where primarily 150 00:11:11.009 --> 00:11:16.809 what I did was right and perform after sort of having those experiences, was 151 00:11:16.370 --> 00:11:20.919 like why am I here? To a certain degree, and especially being a 152 00:11:22.679 --> 00:11:28.559 black queer man, I was like I'm the diversity. If you look at 153 00:11:28.600 --> 00:11:33.870 me, you know that I'm diverse, quote unquote, and so, you 154 00:11:33.990 --> 00:11:39.350 know, I had those nagging thoughts in my head and it just really was 155 00:11:39.549 --> 00:11:43.990 me undercutting all the work I had been doing so I could write something really 156 00:11:43.029 --> 00:11:46.389 amazing. It can make people laugh, but there's still part in my head 157 00:11:46.470 --> 00:11:50.539 that's like, well, you know, you're here because you're the black kid, 158 00:11:50.220 --> 00:11:56.980 which is again nothing that I got from them themselves. Right, this 159 00:11:56.220 --> 00:12:03.250 is all me projecting onto them, based off of life really, and me 160 00:12:03.850 --> 00:12:07.289 having to be so aware of my race, of my sexuality so early and 161 00:12:07.610 --> 00:12:13.970 understanding what that means for the way that people often perceived me. I put 162 00:12:13.330 --> 00:12:18.759 that and those guards that I had onto my work, which in fact hindered 163 00:12:20.039 --> 00:12:22.679 my ability to grow. You know, it's a very interesting that you brought 164 00:12:22.720 --> 00:12:26.240 that up, because one of the things I struggled with when I found success 165 00:12:26.360 --> 00:12:33.870 here was actually pressure from the Black Queer community about my success. What I 166 00:12:35.269 --> 00:12:37.629 first moved here, I was lucky enough to be named the host of a 167 00:12:37.830 --> 00:12:41.029 very big show and a lot of the black quer community came to me and 168 00:12:41.070 --> 00:12:43.940 they said, well, you know, they've never picked a black person for 169 00:12:45.019 --> 00:12:48.539 that. I can't believe that they picked you because they've never had a black 170 00:12:48.580 --> 00:12:52.460 coast before. And while there's an important moment for that when a person of 171 00:12:52.580 --> 00:12:56.779 color sort of, I guess, find success and anything it's important, at 172 00:12:56.820 --> 00:13:01.009 the same time I think one of the biggest pressures for me was, did 173 00:13:01.049 --> 00:13:03.610 they only pick me for that reason and then all your talent and all your 174 00:13:03.690 --> 00:13:07.809 hard work solely goes out the window because you only become focused on is that 175 00:13:07.929 --> 00:13:11.450 the only reason I'm here and that never feels good. So I'm glad that 176 00:13:11.490 --> 00:13:15.960 you found a way to work through that and listen to the people around you 177 00:13:16.279 --> 00:13:18.960 and realize that it's your talent and what you have to offer just as a 178 00:13:20.039 --> 00:13:24.639 person is what's propelling you for it in your field. So often with in 179 00:13:24.759 --> 00:13:30.149 our communities it becomes this we're all fighting for this one spot sort of idea 180 00:13:30.389 --> 00:13:33.509 that you know, there can only be one black person on the stage, 181 00:13:33.549 --> 00:13:37.509 they can only have, you know, one black girl in the drag show. 182 00:13:37.950 --> 00:13:43.100 But what I've been doing personally in order to combat that is, like 183 00:13:43.299 --> 00:13:48.100 I've been uplifting, like everyone right, like I take my success, I 184 00:13:48.299 --> 00:13:54.059 take my joys, I take where I have found my height in the community, 185 00:13:54.299 --> 00:13:56.690 particularly in Improv, and I've been like, you know what, but 186 00:13:58.009 --> 00:14:01.169 I really like that idea and if you need help executing it, I'm more 187 00:14:01.210 --> 00:14:03.929 than willing to talk to you about it. and rather than being like, 188 00:14:03.210 --> 00:14:07.210 you know, it is hard to get a show up, because the reality 189 00:14:07.250 --> 00:14:11.279 is it is hard to get a show up. But why? Why lead 190 00:14:11.399 --> 00:14:15.639 with that? Why be discouraging rather than being like, here's the reality of 191 00:14:15.679 --> 00:14:18.799 it, but someone's got to do it, so why not? You talking 192 00:14:18.879 --> 00:14:24.590 about just you as Denzel. What is something that people seem to misunderstand about 193 00:14:24.669 --> 00:14:31.950 you? Particularly this last week in like being a black male in America has 194 00:14:31.990 --> 00:14:39.580 been hard. Okay, very nice. You know, I had a moment 195 00:14:41.299 --> 00:14:46.179 when the stuff about the young man who was shot while jogging. One the 196 00:14:46.299 --> 00:14:50.899 SOLACES I've been having your quarantine have been I've taken two daily walks and I 197 00:14:50.059 --> 00:14:54.529 just had a moment where I'm like I what can I do now? And 198 00:14:56.049 --> 00:15:01.610 I was like shaken to my core about and like we can have conversations about 199 00:15:01.610 --> 00:15:05.049 the mask thing and how, like so many communities, like the Agia communities 200 00:15:05.049 --> 00:15:09.000 in the black communities, are like do I wear? Like I understand the 201 00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:13.200 health benefit of wearing this mask, but also I could be judged and or 202 00:15:13.399 --> 00:15:18.840 shot for wearing this mask, and who cares how healthy I am if I'm 203 00:15:18.919 --> 00:15:26.110 dead? I can't wear a Bandana across my face exactly. I just can't. 204 00:15:26.149 --> 00:15:30.350 And when I see people doing it, part of me is like, 205 00:15:30.389 --> 00:15:35.190 thank God your white. It has been very interesting for me to watch people 206 00:15:35.230 --> 00:15:37.860 who are not of color talk about all my rights are being taken away. 207 00:15:39.299 --> 00:15:43.379 Oh, I can't believe that we can't do this. And just with all 208 00:15:43.419 --> 00:15:48.299 the restrictions that have come from being in this lockdown, how infringing it feels 209 00:15:48.340 --> 00:15:52.610 to them, and I think that is how I live my life, that 210 00:15:52.850 --> 00:15:56.409 is how I wake up every day, and I have to make choices that 211 00:15:56.570 --> 00:16:00.250 have nothing to do with what I may want to do or may what I 212 00:16:00.289 --> 00:16:03.850 feel I should be able to do, and I have to make choices for 213 00:16:03.009 --> 00:16:07.200 my day to day life, like whether or not I'm going to walk or 214 00:16:07.240 --> 00:16:10.559 what I'm going to wear if I go out for a walk, based on, 215 00:16:11.279 --> 00:16:15.360 ultimately, the fear that I could die for making a simple wrong choice 216 00:16:15.399 --> 00:16:19.710 that day. And they have the comfort of knowing that this time is temporary. 217 00:16:21.149 --> 00:16:22.750 They have the comfort of knowing that at some point, you know, 218 00:16:23.070 --> 00:16:26.750 lockdown will end and things will go back to normal. This is normal for 219 00:16:26.789 --> 00:16:30.789 us and I almost thought, like when I heard about what happened to that 220 00:16:30.830 --> 00:16:36.059 poor man, that people would be more understanding right now, and it just 221 00:16:36.179 --> 00:16:38.299 shocks me that at the same time, nothing's changed. Yeah, and you 222 00:16:38.379 --> 00:16:41.460 know what, like, while it is shocking, there's a part of us 223 00:16:41.500 --> 00:16:48.049 that's like so not surprised exactly. Things like the sadder thing, where I 224 00:16:48.129 --> 00:16:52.610 would almost be more shocked if this did really resonate in change thing. You 225 00:16:52.690 --> 00:16:59.049 know, I'm what twenty seven and I'm already like sort of jaded about that 226 00:16:59.210 --> 00:17:04.319 sort of progress happening quickly. This is a really special conversation because we are 227 00:17:04.480 --> 00:17:10.559 two black queer men. So for other Black Queer community people that may be 228 00:17:10.720 --> 00:17:15.589 listening, what would your advice be for getting through the challenges that we just 229 00:17:15.670 --> 00:17:21.630 talked about? I'll answer when you're done. Yeah, I would say communication. 230 00:17:21.829 --> 00:17:26.430 Communications been one of those things that I have found one so much success 231 00:17:26.630 --> 00:17:32.220 in as far as like getting career in everything, but also just within yourself 232 00:17:32.380 --> 00:17:37.660 and making sure that you're having those conversations with yourself. And in my adult 233 00:17:37.700 --> 00:17:41.500 life more and more and I coming to understand that there have been so many 234 00:17:41.619 --> 00:17:45.130 things that I have just sort of kept in me because I need to present 235 00:17:45.250 --> 00:17:52.849 in a certain way, and just being able to talk to anyone about it, 236 00:17:52.769 --> 00:17:57.210 a friend, a therapist, whoever has the emotional energy, a hotline. 237 00:17:59.000 --> 00:18:03.319 Just that pressure to be silent is what is harming us and is hurting 238 00:18:03.480 --> 00:18:10.920 us so deeply and I feel for every black queer person because I know those 239 00:18:11.039 --> 00:18:15.990 pressures and I know that sometimes you can't because you don't have the energy it's 240 00:18:17.069 --> 00:18:21.349 not a safe space, all those different things, but if you if you 241 00:18:21.829 --> 00:18:25.950 can and you can work towards it, it can save your life. For 242 00:18:26.150 --> 00:18:30.059 me, I think that it would be to have hope. I feel like 243 00:18:30.259 --> 00:18:33.420 every time our community is not down, it is really, really, really 244 00:18:33.500 --> 00:18:38.420 disheartening. But in my thirty one years of life I've also seen a lot 245 00:18:38.539 --> 00:18:45.529 of things change, so I always try to at least have a pinky wrapped 246 00:18:45.529 --> 00:18:49.529 around the hope that it will be different in the future. Even my experience 247 00:18:49.569 --> 00:18:53.450 as drag queen. When I first started drag it was not the thing to 248 00:18:53.490 --> 00:18:57.240 do. I was still getting beat up for going out to, you know, 249 00:18:57.359 --> 00:19:03.839 my local bar dressed as woman. But now drag is really penetrating mainstream 250 00:19:03.880 --> 00:19:07.960 culture. So something that I never thought would change did, and I hope 251 00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:14.190 and pray all the time that this particular issue with the black community and the 252 00:19:14.269 --> 00:19:18.829 Black Queer community will also change one day. Yeah, and it just reminds 253 00:19:18.950 --> 00:19:23.109 me that, like we are entitled to Joy. I think so much of 254 00:19:23.230 --> 00:19:29.500 our narrative is some laced in struggle and working hard and, you know, 255 00:19:29.619 --> 00:19:36.099 defying the odds. But even to see a celebrity like little not acts tweet 256 00:19:36.539 --> 00:19:41.450 and you can tell that, you know he's just being himself and he's smiling 257 00:19:41.609 --> 00:19:47.130 and having good time and just being a person like we are entitled to that 258 00:19:47.250 --> 00:19:52.650 as well, or even just be feel free to like to the gas station, 259 00:19:52.809 --> 00:19:55.079 to the grocery store, day to day things that you have to do 260 00:19:55.240 --> 00:20:00.920 that you feel sometimes feel this ominous threat about, and nobody can ever really 261 00:20:00.960 --> 00:20:04.279 live that way. That's why, in addition to the fact that we both 262 00:20:04.279 --> 00:20:10.150 work hard and we're very talented, people will not know the mental struggle and 263 00:20:10.390 --> 00:20:14.190 the mental stamina you have to even work through those pressures. Then you have 264 00:20:14.309 --> 00:20:17.509 to be talented, then you have to go for what you want for so 265 00:20:18.150 --> 00:20:21.460 it's the fact that you and I are making it. I think it's a 266 00:20:21.500 --> 00:20:25.299 beautiful, beautiful thing that we get to sit here and say that and not 267 00:20:25.500 --> 00:20:27.940 many other people do. But I hope the one thing that this podcast does 268 00:20:27.980 --> 00:20:33.460 is give them the inspiration and the hope to keep going, because it can 269 00:20:33.579 --> 00:20:37.569 happen. You just have to work for it and really really push through all 270 00:20:37.650 --> 00:20:41.849 those external factors. Well, thank you so much. In the overcoming on 271 00:20:41.970 --> 00:20:45.690 snack size, it has been an honor to do this episode with you. 272 00:20:45.210 --> 00:20:48.930 I know that people have a lot to take away. I also have a 273 00:20:48.970 --> 00:20:51.359 lot to take away by cell from it. So thank you so much for 274 00:20:51.480 --> 00:20:55.720 sharing. This was so wonderful and truly it feels just as special to me 275 00:20:55.799 --> 00:21:00.200 as it does to so, if people want to follow you, a normal 276 00:21:00.359 --> 00:21:03.039 about you, how do they do that? Yeah, so I'm on facebook 277 00:21:03.039 --> 00:21:10.069 just as my regular name, and on social media such as twitter, instagram 278 00:21:10.630 --> 00:21:15.789 and Ticktock, I'm at the word from underscore Washington. All right. Well, 279 00:21:15.869 --> 00:21:18.460 thank you so much and snax. We will talk to you later. 280 00:21:18.900 --> 00:21:23.539 By snacks. Okay, snack. I hope you enjoyed this episode of snack 281 00:21:23.660 --> 00:21:27.619 size. I also want to let you know that this podcast is now on 282 00:21:27.819 --> 00:21:33.690 iheartradio. Download the iheartradio APP and follow snack size the podcast so you don't 283 00:21:33.690 --> 00:21:38.529 miss out on any of my content exclusive to iheartradio. Also check out my 284 00:21:38.609 --> 00:21:45.809 new website, www dot snack size podcastcom, where you can listen to all 285 00:21:45.849 --> 00:21:49.440 your favorite episodes and more. Until next time, go be fabulous.