The Hats Of Power

Hi again folks, time to delve into another Diamondz Dialogue with me, Director on the board for Diamondz Dance, Callum Brazzo!

Today. we're talking hats.

Metaphorically.

Yes, sadly this isn't a tribute to the incredible Jamiroquai and his classic bucket look or Halloweeny headpieces channeling Harry Potter or a hygrocybe conica (a what?) but the hats of power!!!

Being serious now, in a similar vein to the column on our individual cogs that keep Diamondz in motion (Alone, Together), I want to further explore the multiple parts we play in our own lives.

Because whilst I'm a proud and empowered member of Diamondz' Board, I am also a small business owner, a group facilitator, a dedicated factory worker and a performance poet.

Now, you might have already known all of these core aspects of my identity but they all overlap in interesting ways.

How many of those 4 aspects do you think I get paid for? Does that matter to you?

The absence of money certainly doesn't compel me to stop any of my avenues of life but for a lot of people, the pursuit of profit in the traditional sense of paper money is paramount to success.

The small business, Aut Couture is in a constant state of evolution and could well be considered more of a passion project than a career and it's been in existence for at least 2 years...

From buying my own samples to wear on social media to give authenticity to a, pretty standard 3rd party operation, of using a site to develop and deliver on designs with all kinds of conversation starting messages to booking travel to places like Brighton and London with the hope that some measure of financial opportunity is realised, it all takes physical, mental and a financial capacity.

Is money everything to me? No but I recognise its value in keeping steady.

When you wear many hats at once or as the common expression goes, spinning many plates, going at a steady pace is what helps you stay in the race with yourself and your goals.

And whilst, as I write, the monetary gain of this particular venture has been minimal, permitting yourself to evolve is healthy and totally valid too!

Another hat I wear as a project 'plate-spinner, my brain is a shapeshifter,' and every Thursday I morph into a group facilitator for autistic adults. Encouraging others in their personal journey whilst also allowing to develop in my own right. But it doesn't happen every Thursday. It's every day. My life is perpetually empowered by the people I meet and am privileged to know and it's an equal dose of confidentiality and suitable vulnerability, mixing serious with silly, personal life and private between members. Why do I mention wearing this hat? Well because autistic people dance too albeit 'stimming' (if dancing is a stim for you), it's not always accepted in mainstream society. The dancefloor is a safe haven for these people, myself included.

Now then, the final 2 hats I wear that I'll write about here briefly wouldn't be a classic case of being in harmony with each other until I tell you about International Youth Day last year.

I put myself forward to perform a poem called Proof, to the younger generation for my employer Greencore. Because why not do something different if you can? Greencore obliged me and it's one of my absolute poems to perform on par with Flow that I performed in collaboration with Diamondz at Unify Through Creativity in 2023. (More on that here; AN AUTISTIC MOVEMENT DIARY: UNIFY THROUGH CREATIVITY 2023)

Sometimes, I wear an Aut Couture design or even my Diamondz tee on my shift. (Shop | Diamondz School of Dance now :D )

Me in my, literal, many hats throughout life so far.

I've written about my autistic experiences on their website.

The only part missing is the dance...however I did reference factory work in my project Ripples about an autistic guy and his friend with dementia claiming 'Life has a rhythm.'

So you can see, all of these different parts make up the colourful mosaic of me and often when 1 ends, another begins and as I've expressed, they blend into 1 on more than a single occasion.

They are separate from each other too with their own commitments but keeping steady, permission to evolve and balance are transferable to the life of a dancer, I reckon!

Steady in your discipline. Evolving the art form. Balance in general.

QUESTION TIME: What transferable skills/lessons can be taken from your life/the dancefloor?

Until next month, check out these blogs in the meantime!

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