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

Hi Holly, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
While I absolutely love what I do and I am very thankful to be able to do what I love, I’ve learned over the years that I have to prioritize “me” time. For a very long time I worked multiple jobs and some of those jobs made the tasks feel urgent and that I needed to be available and at people’s disposal 24/7. After a lot of burnout, I realized I need to prioritize rest and time away from “work” in order to live a healthy life. Sometimes I receive text messages, emails, and calls from clients either after hours or on the weekends. I choose not to answer them until the next available business day. It has taken a lot of practice to get to this point of not feeling like I need to answer that question right away!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
One thing that sets The Arts Alliance apart from traditional “dance studios” is that we are not just a dance studio. We are an arts education organization and the only one of our kind in the community.

Not only do we offer dance classes in various genres, but we also offer Visual and Creative Arts classes. This year we have expanded to offering Theatre/Acting classes, Voice, Piano, and music lessons as well.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Although I had had several people who have contributed to the success of my organization, my biggest supporter and encourager has been my husband, Alan.

I spent the majority of my career teaching for other studios/directors. I knew from a young age that I wanted to open my own studio or organization. I came to a stagnant place in my career and toyed with the idea of going ahead and opening a studio. Alan encouraged me to jump in, with both feet, and start the process.

Other people who have supported The Arts Alliance over the years range form previous students whom I taught at other studios who followed my journey from studio to studio or waited until my own location opened. My oldest and longest running student, Theresa, has been taking lessons with me for 10+ years and has followed me from location to location. One of my current sitting Advisory Board members, Darlene, has a daughter who began taking lessons with me 10=years ago. They waited until I opened The Arts Alliance and were one of our first students enrolled.

My first rented space was on an as needed basis from Kelly, who is heavily involved in our community. She knew of my background and previous teaching experience with my own childhood instructor.

Needless to say, there have been many people who have contributed to the overall success of The Arts Alliance.

Website: TheArtsAlliance.org

Instagram: @the_artsalliance

Facebook: facebook.com/theartsalliance17

Image Credits
The powder photo is credited to Maria Latham Photography

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