Episode Transcript
Transcript:
Intro: This is words that move me, the podcast where movers and shakers, like you get the information and inspiration. You need to navigate your creative career with clarity and confidence. I am your host master mover, Dana Wilson. And if you're someone that loves to learn, laugh and is looking to rewrite the starving artist story, then sit tight, but don't stop moving because you're in the right place.
Dana: Hello! Hello, my friend. And welcome to the podcast. Welcome. Welcome. If you are a first time listener and welcome back. If you are a returning mover and shaker, I am so glad that you are here today. I am thrilled to share this interview with you. I think it is simply solid gold and a very fun listen. But before we get into it, I want to draw your attention to a couple things, because I am seeing some new daily doers out there. I want to make sure that you guys know, I offer some support on my website in the form of an interactive PDF that can help you with your daily projects. If doing daily is a new concept to you, go back and listen to episode one and two. But if you are a daily doer, I do so strongly encourage you. Go visit theDanawilson.com Take a look at the store in there. I have a downloadable PDF that helps you organize your project and really make the most of this daily creative challenge. So want to make sure that I say that before I forget. Um, also before I forget last week's episode was so much fun. I did my first ever live Q and a via zoom. And so many of my listeners were there with me asking questions, interacting. It was just so much fun. Um, go back and listen to that. If you have a chance, if you dig it, if you're loving it, please do download these episodes and leave a review. If you're moved, if it was helpful, give us a rating, leave a review. It makes it so much easier for other people to find the podcast. And that is definitely important to me. So thank you in advance for doing that.
Okay. Let's get into it this week. As my win, I am celebrating the reconnection to old friends. I probably am not alone in that during the lockdown I have indeed locked in. I've gotten I'm pretty self focused, and I think this is a very important win today because in this interview with our guests this week, the lovely Diana Matos, we talk a lot about being self-focused or selfish and the difference between the two. So my win. This is that I, I reached back out to a network of friends that have supported me for a really, really long time, but also to new friends, people that I've met during the course of the quarantine during the course of this time, since having a podcast. Um, and I definitely am feeling connected. I am feeling supported. And of course I'm feeling so grateful to have you and this forum to share. So yes, my win is my connection to my friends. And I would love to encourage you if you haven't in a while to reconnect to yours. All right, now you go, what is going well?
Awesome. Congratulations. I'm so glad you're winning. Keep on crushing it. All right. My friends, I don't want to spend too much time. Preambling here pre rambling here. I want to get straight into this interview. My guest this week on the episode is the one, the only Diana Matos in my eyes, an untouchable dancer, um, an incredible presence and incredible friend and an incredible role model. I'm so excited to share what she shared sharing on sharing. Um, and I can't wait to hear what you think about it. Please. Don't hesitate to reach out to us @wordsthatmovemepodcast on Instagram. She is @DianaMatos on Instagram. D I A N A M A T O S. If you do not already know her, or aren't already familiar with her work, please do go get an eye full. All right. And with that, let's get into it. Please enjoy this conversation with the fabulous Diana Matos.
Dana: All right. Holy smokes. Let's do this Diana Matos, everybody. Welcome to the podcast. Thank you so much for being here.
Diana: Thank you so much. It's a pleasure. It's an honor. You are an inspiration to me and to everyone around me so down always.
Oh my gosh. Uh, likewise and I'm, I'm honored, lucky, count myself extremely special to have been able to share the stage with you before we've gigged a little bit, nowhere near as much as I would like actually. Um, you are now a person that you have your own company. You're still crushing it in the industry. Most recently performed in Rhianna's Fenty fashion show, which I do want to talk about. I want to talk about all the things, but before we dig into it's, uh, it's commonplace here on the podcast that all of my guests introduce themselves. So tell us anything you would like us to know about you.
Diana: Hi, my name is Diana Filipa Pereira Morais de Matos Koumaev originally from Lisbon Portugal, I have lived there till I'm was 21, uh, danced trained, um, moved to London 2011, started working commercially and 2014 moved to LA. Um, yeah, I've been working since then, uh, hugely in the industry, but also very important to me that I stay true to myself, to my voice, to how my body moves what feel as good and organic to me and trying to build from there, especially right now at this stage of my life.
Okay. So let's talk stages then if your, if your dance life was a book, what would the chapters be? What do you chapter it out by like Portugal, London, LA, or is there like training, touring, stage? Like how does that get compartmentalized in your brain? How do you think about your dance life?
I think to me, it definitely, I definitely com uh, compartmentalize it, uh, it being Portugal, it'd be in London and it being an LA. Um, also because to me it felt like a restart every single time professionally and personally, I have to reinvent myself, I have to drop everything financially, everything. It just, it's always like a big step where I really, I go through a really rough time and then things finally start happening. Um, and especially within that time, there's crazy amounts of growth personally and professionally. Um, so I would say that's the way I sort of, you know, separated looking back. Um, I guess I was a little bit lost in Portugal. I learned a lot very limited, but at the same time, I found a way to sort of teach myself and reinvent myself because it wasn't a lot back then. And, you know, there was no social media, there was YouTube and it's a really, really small, town. So I had to work with what I had. I had to sort of re reinvent myself, which those are tools that till this day I use, um, me moving to London, it's me, you know, finally breaking through. I barely spoke English at that point. So it's also me understanding, you know, the language and how to talk to other people, how to, how to network, how to audition, how to even submit for an agency, all those things. Um, and then eventually coming to LA where I felt like it was sort of like my last attempt to have a career. I really thought I was maybe only coming for like a year or something. And then maybe going back to Europe and truly that's when my career exploded. Yeah, exactly. You know? Um, so yeah, that's, that's, I would stage it.
I love that. I, and I think that a lot of the people listening can relate to this feeling of starting new and being leveled, being baseline, trying to navigate, trying to transition and really trying to skill up as fast as possible and by any means possible. So this like this hungry student in you has been there for every single chapter and, and even as currently, and now you are attracting hungry students, um, with your company, talk a little bit about motus, what's the mission, um, to tell me everything,
Um, motus, it's something that I've always wanted to create, right? Because as much as I believe in training and, and, and being in the room with as many choreographers as I could, and to, to sponge as much knowledge as I could through my journey, um, huge, uh, on, on understanding where my voice is as an artist, right. And I've always felt that I had that and very much so because of one, my life journey into my culture, um, which is half Portuguese, half African from Mozambique. So, um, motus has always been something in the back of my mind where I wanted to create a group of people that I'm able to, to utilize my voice into create this voice in the industry. Right. Um, not only that within the, the, the, my experience as a professional dancer, I've understood that we sort of have two options, which is to be an artist behind, uh, to be a dancer behind an artist, or to be a teacher slash choreographer, where you travel the world or you do conventions or right. And those are like the two big options that you have to me is start after, you know, after a, while it started feeling a little bit like, Oh, this, this is all I have. Um, as an artist, if I don't necessarily want to dance behind an artist anymore. And if, either I don't want to teach, uh, or if I, choreographing is not my thing, where do I stand? You know? Um, so I think the industry sort of lacks specially for commercials commercials slash street styles, there's a huge gap when it comes to, if I just want to be an artist as a dancer, where do I fit in? So I think motus, motus, motus’ goal is to create a company where artists can come and can sort of create a career off of it, where they travel. You're getting paid, they're dancing, they're exploring their artistry, but not necessarily either in the commercial world or they don't have to, you know, there's a lot of people that are not teachers and they end up being teachers because that's really the only option, which is not a good thing, you know? Um, so I think motus down the line, the big, big picture is to create, to have a company commercial slash, uh, streets out a street styles company that, um, that we can, can give a voice and give a space to all these dancers and artists.
Cool. I, 45 follow-up questions. I'm going to start with this one. Um, so does the company, or do you envision that the company performed together? I know at this point it's a training based company and the people that become members, the people that get involved, get their butt kicked. I know that this training goes above and beyond what somebody might expect to find in an in-person masterclass. Um, but tell, tell me about how, like, how is this next level training and do you visualize in-person performances with a company in the future?
Definitely visualize performance companies. I think when motus started with me with COVID in quarantine and lockdown happening and me, um, understanding, okay, truly this is a time for me to, for me to do something that I've always wanted to do. I was never really able to, cause I was just overwhelmed with, you know, job here, rehearsal there. Um, so it's time to do this, but now I'm limited with the circumstances that I can do it. So it has to be online based. So it has to be as for now and is until I'm able to train these dancers to be able to, uh, create whatever I can with no limitations, I have to train them. So right now in this first stage is very much so a program, an online program, um, where not only you train with me heavily, Um, two times a week,
Oh, I've seen the videos, it's heavy training. I like I sweat and I'm sore as I watch. It's incredible just to watch incredible, by the way, do you take drop-ins because I have got to do these moves. I need a full 45 minute warmup and then I need to do the moves.
Absolutely. You're allowed to actually, that would be a great segment to this. If you would come in and film like your whole experience. Good idea. Love it. You're
So down. So now coming soon, coming soon.
Um, so you're not only trying to heavily with me, but also, um, you ha we have a grounding, uh, class 30 minutes before mine to prep and to sort of, uh, condition your body for all this training. And then on Sundays you have a different style, every single Sunday different style. And that goes from foundations, from like Afro, from, um, whacking, voguing house, popping, locking, like all of it and stuff that actually we don't have access to often. And, and, and with the variety that, you know, also at the same time that we can have people from Switzerland to, to South Africa, we also have teachers from everywhere in the world. Um, so that's huge,
Massive. I love that silver lining of this moment. It's remarkable. And what's odd. I mean, it's not odd at all. It's been there for years. I mean, zoom has been there for years, but we only see what's right in front of us and now we're looking bigger. We're zooming out and it thrills me to no end. Um, and so it's, let me just
Let me just add that. It's actually really good in the sense that it created this, this almost like this relationship between me and the members and the sense that, you know, if it's a regular class, you come in, there's 60, 70, a hundred people who teach, groups, thank you for coming. The zoom It's so personal. I'm looking at Dance, I'm looking at you dancing individually. Like I'm stopping you and saying, you see how you did that leg. You see how you did that weight. Wasn't right. It's such a personal relationship so much more than a regular class.
I agree. I know there are several people that disagree that think that the screen, the layer between is a disconnect. I couldn't disagree more. And because you and I are people who, whose work does show up on screen a lot, actually understanding how you look on a screen is an important element that you might not achieve in a, in an in-person class. There is a difference to those dynamics to the way that your shapes and your lines look. So, although it might be technically easier to correct someone in three dimensions, like in person, hands on corrections, you might not have seen the thing that you want to correct in person because the dance on camera element, at least to me, is hugely important. And so appetizing, I love working in this medium.
Its so detailed.
I love it so much. So let's talk about the beginning of modus. I would love to hear what was the most challenging thing about making it?
I would say one, understand how to keep people engaged. A lot of these people, we have people from South Africa to Australia, to New Zealand, to Europe, to London, right? Um, there's people taking class at 5:00 AM that just barely woke up in their little living room or their rented room, you know? Um, so how to keep people, cause also we're challenging people so much to after three, four or five weeks, you feel drained almost right. So to me was how to give a lot and how to really push these people with information, with the level, with the how to keep them motivated, uh, to want to keep cook, to come back and to continue this so we can actually get to the end goal. Um, it was that it was how to structure it, how to, how to finesse having that many people. And how do I give attention? Suddenly I have 45 little squares, what I have to have individual feedback. So how long do I determine that feedback? You know, there's so many little levels, um, training who to choose to, to, to invite for these guests teachers for every Sunday. And then it has to be sort of, if I give a little footwork this Sunday, then that next Sunday, maybe you should be a popping or then it should be, uh, maybe it should be a salsa, like how to completely shift every single Sunday to keep them almost like to have their bodies, uh, be pulled so many directions. And that, that creates, um, a body development and a body flexibility that that's what we're trying to achieve. Right? So as a mentor, director, however you want to call it that's those are like my biggest challenges till this day. Honestly.
What you mentioned earlier about there being kind of a divide in terms of once you, once you reached the level of being a professional dancer, you have a few more commonly traveled paths. There's the backup dancers slash commercials, TVs, film type, where you're a contributing part of a big, big picture, or there's the, you are the traveling teacher, choreographer person where there's this kind of celebrity it factor, but you're, you're teaching your moves. And then there's the kind of less glorified version of a teacher, which is the person in there doing the daily grind. These are our dance studio owners. These are our teachers who are putting together programs, making them attainable, making them feasible, doing the structure, like financing it, deciding budgets, like all of that big stuff. I want to put my focus there because those, those people get so overlooked. And I want to emphasize and highlight that that is a creative mega challenge to, to, to actually build a program is tremendously creative. To strategize and finance. You have to get creative. So I, I just want to do my part in kind of dismantling the stigma that the people behind JT or the creatives or the people, you know, the, the headliners on your convention are wildly creative. I think the people on the ground building these programs and getting them out into the world and changing lives one little dancling at a time, those are the creative heroes. And, and I think I'm just smitten by that.
No, absolutely. And that's so funny because to me at first, when I thought about the concept, I was like, okay, I'm going to have to teach, you know, four times a week. And I have to create something new every week. There's a lot of creative choreography or, uh, as a teacher, uh, pressure, right. That I thought that that was going to be my biggest challenge and truly is not, is, is how to manage it all, how even I finish class and how do I have to come back and manage all this stuff that I've truly never done in my life. Um, you know, and, and then finding an assistant, find the, how to delegate. It's a whole process.
Building the team. I'm with you, my friend, this is, this is my first time managing a team in my life and I'm learning so much all the time. So what would you say in a, maybe we stick on that subject on the subject of managing a team. What's the most valuable lesson you've learned?
And I think this might be my come from a perspective, from a personal perspective, but think how to always put myself in these people's shoes and how to not let either my, my day, my emotions, what I'm going through really give to that. I'm very, I'm very passionate. And that comes with a level of perfectionism, a level of expectation that is quite high that I expect not only for myself, but I can handle that, but to other people. And then it's to really understand that I, it's hard for me to think that someone is good unless they're at my level, which is not right for me to do. You know, so understanding that
I call this, um, comparing somebody's chapter three to your chapter 30, or comparing your chapter three to somebody else's chapter 30.
Yup. That's exactly what it is. So, yeah, it was really hard for me to like step aside from me and myself and everything. And, and, and to understand that someone is as valuable and as competent to, to do that job, uh, perhaps just differently. That was a huge lesson
Compassion. Right? Ooh, that is so important. It's so important. Okay. Is there a lesson since you started the company that you, I mean, you probably expected to level up on managerial skills and to level up on the technical side of things and to level up an organization, but is there, is there a lesson that you've learned that you did not expect you would learn?
I would say, I would say vulnerability because a lot of people, you know, I'm suddenly starting a company and all these people see me as a mentor and you call it director because you have to call yourself and then there's a whole marketing team behind saying, Oh no, you're this. And no, you're that. And, um, at the same time that I own one and want to own this, I want to be, I want to pave my way. I want to climb the letter respectfully. I don't want, I'm not trying to rush into any sort of name. Um, but at the same time I have to, in order to, to make people feel like I got this together right. And jump on my boat, but I got this boat together. But at the same time to see the, the, these members every day and to have vulnerable moments in the sense where I forgot my step, I forgot my counts. Or there's days. There was one day my dog passed away right before class. I got it like out of texts, like two minutes before class. And I was just in tears. And how do I zoom in with 40 people around the world saying good morning. And I'm in, you know, so, so, so to find that vulnerability and to, to, to make people feel like they can count on me, even when I'm on I'm at my lowest. So am I, I'm at my most vulnerable self, you know, that to me was a huge lesson to be okay with that. For me to be okay. Cause I've always tough, tough to, I got this together. Always. I have to be smiley and ready to go professional. Right. And sometimes that just doesn't happen. That's just life. Um, so I think that was a lesson that I was ready for.
Thats huge. I, one of the things that I'm working to embrace, especially I'm giving a Supreme opportunity to practice it during the lockdown is to embrace the full human spectrum of emotion. And to understand that even at my best, I can't make you think that I am the best, No matter what I bring to you, you might still think I'm full of shit. Or you might still think I'm lame or I could be, you could call me president of dance and somebody might be like, yeah, she's all right.
Its so subjective, yes.
So if it's up to them, what they think and what they experienced, it's up to me, what I think and what I experienced. And if I'm here for all of it, then buckle up because we're going on a ride. Like you never know what you're going to get. You never know. I might be in tears. I might be in tears.
Thats truly. Yeah. That's truly the journey. Yeah. It's just, it's just being down, being okay with whatever it comes. That, that that's. Yeah. That's a beautiful lesson.
All right. So let's talk about the journey now and let's talk about what's next. What are you most excited about right now?
I think commercial jobs is don't fulfill me the same way anymore. Um, just where I'm at in my life. And I think now is to really, I think my whole life was to check, check, check what I'm supposed to do to either being deemed as successful or, or, or great or undeniable, however you want to say it. Right. Um, and I think now life has showed me or has been showing me that things have to come from me first. And it took me a really long time to understand that to be, to be very honest. Um, so I think now I'm relearning myself and understanding like what makes me happy with, uh, within what I do will make me happy. What will would, this would this spark? My, my, my, my creative juices where what I'm interested in, like all these things, even quarantine finding out hobbies, I've never had time or mental space for hobbies like, Oh, that right. So I think that's the future for me, motus is, is something that I'm super passionate about. And I truly want that to be my, my, my legacy also, I feel like it's, it's a side of me. I've been somewhat, very selfish my whole career. Me, me, me. I go here to get this for I perform here so I can have this to say that I had that it's very me. Right. Even though I'm offering my talent to this artist, that whatever. Um, but I think with motus, which was huge is that I'm not only of course helping me and creating this huge thing, but I'm also helping me helping others. Like it's a whole different level, a whole different level.
Dana: Alright. I just had to pop out right here because I want to shine a light on this, on this idea. D said, I've been selfish even though I'm offering my talent to someone else it's still for me, is this something I can really relate to after 15 years, I guess, 16 years now of gigging in LA for Target or Amazon or Microsoft or Southwest airlines or any of the pop stars and TV shows and movies that I have, um, sold my time and talents to, and now I'm creating the podcast for free. Now I'm doing coaching programs. Now I'm finding ways to share what I've learned and empower. I'm really becoming less self-focused in that. But to be honest, I work on myself and my project and I'm thinking almost exclusively about them for at least eight hours a day or more. So how is that not still selfish. I really wanted to get to the bottom of this kind of discrepancy here that I'm going through internally. Um, and I wanted to go a little deeper. I want to get all the way through it. So yes, I did the thing where I Googled the word selfish. And here is what I found with the Miriam Webster definition. Selfish means concerned excessively or exclusively with oneself seeking or concentrating on one's own advantage, pleasure, or wellbeing without regard for others. I'll say that one more time. And I'll say it a little bit quicker and I'll say it in pig latin. I'm kidding. I won't say it in pig latin. Selfish means concerned exclusively or excessively with oneself seeking or concentrating on one's own advantage, pleasure or wellbeing without regard for others. Okay. Now hear me out. Some of that actually sounds kind of all right, to me, seeking or concentrating on pleasure, wellbeing, and advantage. That's actually kind of, kind of rock solid. It's the disregard for others and the excessive or exclusive that rubs me the wrong way. Now what Diana is saying here. And what I want to underline is that there is a way to put yourself first so that you better, your ability to service others. There is a way to concentrate on one's own advantage, pleasure, or wellbeing, air quotes with regard for others. And to me, that looks a little bit like saying yes, and. My good old fashioned favorite improv principle. Yes, I can do well for myself. And you can do well too. Yes, I can go far in my career and we can go further, farther, further. What do you say further, further, further? I think together. Yes, I can have a successful career and I can tell you everything about it. Yes. That might help you. Yes. I want to help you. This can be, Yes, And this can be Me, and you. So to everyone out there listening who wants to change the world and who wants to do better for themselves, I would say start by taking care of yourself and end with sharing what you've learned. I know that that's not the end of it, but I think that's a pretty good place to start. And that's where I will leave it for now, because I'm excited to get back into it with D.
You, you mentioned success, and I think you might've just answered it, but I would love to, like, if we could wrap this up with a bow on it, what is success to you?
Success is true fulfillment. True. And what is fulfillment though? Right.
You know I was about to ask, I wasn't going to let you off that easy
Nothing. It's so crazy. Cause nothing is black and white and that's why it's so hard to define anything.
That's why you have to answer with gray. Right?
I would say success to me is understanding what will make me truly happy. What will make me feel fulfilled and made me make me go to sleep at night in peace and wake up excited for another day. I think that's the best way I can explain it. I like that success is good.
Going to sleep at peace and waking up excited. I love that answer. Um, to me and I've been working on this definition to me, success is simply doing what I said I would do.
I can’t beat you.
I say, well, girl, I've been at the table for like nine months. Now, since March 6th, I've been in here. Like, what do I think about things? What do I have to say? I'm going to put a microphone in front of my face. Every, every Wednesday. It better be good. So that really that to me. And then on the flip side of that coin, of course is the, the opposite question is what is failure? And to me, it's not doing the thing that I said I would do. Even if it's as simple as taking out the trash or calling you when I, if I said I would, you know, um, I really am excited about accountability.
What is the things they used to told yourself that, okay, I'm going to do this, this and this. I'm not necessarily. Cause you know, we go through journeys is not necessarily what pleases you. So even though you said that you were going to do it and you end up not doing how many times have you not done it and realize, Oh, that was actually great.
Well, I'll back up a little bit and say that, first of all, I don't prioritize. I don't always prioritize pleasure or things that please me or things that will make me happy. Um, I mentioned already embracing and honoring the full spectrum of human emotion. Even if it's devastation, embarrassment, humiliation, um, disappointment, or a feeling that I've let somebody else down like, Ooh, yikes. I don't like those. Wouldn't deliberately show up on my list of things to do. But, but my pursuit of success is not. Is not a pursuit of happiness. It's a pursuit of a full life.
Dana: Oh yes. My friends were going in. We are definitely getting into the depths here. Now this news about my priorities, not being the pursuit of happiness might seem like a shock to you because I am a joy machine. My default mood is sunshine and glitter and moonbeams, but I think that in our human lives, like the full scope of them, we will probably experience a real natural distribution of emotions, half positive, half negative, half good, half bad, some really bad, some really good most of them falling somewhere in between. I don't personally chase happiness because I believe that out there, wherever it's led me, that, that pursuit, I know that out there, even if I, even if I catch it, life will be 50/50. I think there is a full episode here. And I do really want to dig into this idea of 50/50, but I'm going to put it in the parking lot for now and jump back in with D because I actually really, really loved her ideas about success. And we're going to dig into those a little deeper
To sleep at peace and waking up jazz. Yep. That's it? That paints a pretty serious, like a pretty pretty specific fixture. And it's simple as well. Yes, but also not easy, simple, not easy going to sleep at peace by itself. I mean, how many things are there in the world for us to get restless and wrecked up about right now? Countless impossible. I mean, come on. But really I do believe that the facts of the world are actually quite neutral. Once we apply that it should be some other way and we're wrestling and we're like on the mat, sweaty, you know, with all this effort, that's not going to sleep at peace, going to sleep tonight, knowing that A is A, B is B, C is C. I can apply whatever thought I want to that thinking that is going to keep me up for several more hours.
It is what it is.
This is the fact I have another favorite saying is simply to let the easy be easy and let the hard be hard. Some shit will keep you up at night. Let that keep you up. That's hard. Let that be hard, but there's other stuff that doesn't need to be that hard. And you can just put that to sleep when you hit the pillow. Good night.
Good night. Dana you’re my life coach.
Absolutely. Let's go. Um, all right. I love talking to you and I could talk to you all day. Um, but I digress. I'll let you back out into all your fabulousness. It's an honor.
Again. Thank you so much. All right, my friend.
And I hope that you got a lot out of this episode. I know that I absolutely did. Um, and I hope you do continue digging into the wondrous work of Diana Matos. Um, I hope that you take a Me, and approach to your life and your career, and she is such a good example of that. All right, now, go out into the world, focus on yourself, share it with others. And of course keep it Funky while you do it. Have a great rest of your day. Everybody. I will talk to you soon
Thought you were done, No. Now I'm here to remind you that all of the important people, places and things mentioned in this episode can be found on my website TheDanawilson.com/podcast Finally, and most importantly, now you have a way to become a words that move member. So kickball change over to patreon.com/WTMMpodcast to learn more and join. All right, everybody. Now I'm really done. Thanks so much for listening. I'll talk to you soon.
