Name    Meg Cook

Favorite Performing Arts School               https://www.usd.edu/Academics/Colleges-and-Schools/college-of-fine-arts/theatre

Instagram              https://www.instagram.com/megcook.actor/

Youtube Channel link              https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU2bzypc8E9nprCy3BYnNiQ

Facebook            https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071511614184

Do you have a favorite charity?              https://www.justgiving.com/

Your Home State             Iowa – IA

What is your special talent and how long have you been doing it?

My special talent is that I’m a musical theatre/pop vocalist. Overall, I’ve been performing for about 18 years through acting, vocal/instrumental music, and dance. I’ve been training my main talent (vocal music) for about 10 years now.

Why do you love performing this talent so much?

I love performing this talent so much because music/art in general is a universal language. Art provides people with opportunities to be thought-provoking and empathetic. For example, theatre allows audiences and artists to not only escape reality for a bit but also allows individuals to step out of their own lives and into someone else’s.

What is your biggest talent dream and why?

Throughout the career that I’ve had thus far, my biggest talent dream consists of being able to share my love of performing for the world as I also work for a fine arts company in a social media and/or communications position. I love being able to connect with people and be able to relate to them and to what they’re ‘pitching’ as well as sharing what I’m ‘pitching.’

Did you ever feel a struggle to keep going or sometimes want to give up? If so, how did you overcome it?

I certainly have felt a struggle to keep going in my career for a multitude of reasons. The main reason why this struggle happens is due to burnout; it’s hard to pursue a career in the arts as well as being in academia. I find that a lot of my struggle comes from the factors surrounding the art which includes homework in my college degree and finding time to do everything that I want to achieve. I’m still trying to find a solid method to help me overcome this struggle, however, I often find that if I create small goals for myself instead of focusing on huge goals for the future, everything seems more manageable. This also helps me to keep my artistic/personal motivation going. Additionally, I’m extremely thankful for the wonderful support which I’m very blessed to have. The individuals in my life have helped me immensely by giving me the confidence to progress toward my goals.

Why do you think it is important for talent to learn the spirit of contribution to the greater good and use their talent for good?

I believe that it’s extremely important for talent to learn the spirit of contribution to the greater good for a multitude of reasons. The main reason why this is important is because one’s art can always have the effect of positively serving someone else. I believe that art is one of the few ways that everyone can join together in celebration, communion, or any other occasion when individuals share something in common. It’s absolutely beautiful that people can come together in the name of art.

Who are some of your biggest influences and how do they inspire you?

My biggest artistic influences include Lady Gaga and Leslie Margarita. This is because they create art not only in a way that is seemingly effortless but also in a way that is experimental and creates a representation of them as artists. This comes in the form of creating art for themselves instead of creating art for approval.

What’s your favorite memory of performing your talent?

All of my favorite memories that have occurred while performing consist of discovering new things about myself. This usually happens when I am completely and utterly in the moment, not worrying about how others feel about my performance and letting the art overtake my body, mind, and spirit. There are too many instances where this has happened that I’m unable to recall a specific experience.

What is your best piece of advice you would give to any talent out there?

The best piece of advice that I’d like to give to aspiring artists is that one should never become a slave to their art. Too often, I find myself creating art because I feel that I have to do so for other people or other reasons than because I would like to create art. This almost makes it taxing; it should never become taxing because creating art through music and theatre is something that I love to do. I’ve experimented with different coping mechanisms that I can turn to whenever I feel that creating art has become something that is negatively weighing on my being. The way that I’ve found most effective is by telling myself this: “I’m a person who creates art, however, my art is not all that I am. I’m many things including a human being.” This definitely has helped me through some very stressful times when I have felt that my art isn’t good enough.