Meet Cat Charles | Artist & Director

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

Hi Cat, how do you think about risk?
I believe that taking risks is the key to a vibrant and fulfilling life. I have met the most incredible people and found the most beautiful community here in Los Angeles, all because I pushed myself outside of my comfort zone.

I take risks both inside and outside of my work. I often deal with difficult subject matter, and I don’t know what the general reaction will be. Some people absolutely hate my work, but some people don’t. Either way, I hold a lot of value in the information I receive from viewers, due to the artistic risks I take.

Off the canvas, there is a lot of networking, cold emailing, investing, and generally a ton of uncomfortable and risky experiences I have to take on. As far as the things that turned out well for me, I am incredibly thankful that they did. And as for the things that didn’t, I am also thankful. I have learned to find a lot of strength from my failures.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art is my way of taking control of my psychological soft spots; my fears, my anger, my disgust, so on and so forth, and transforming them into something almost laughable. It allows me to take back my power and use my voice in an alternative way, and I can only hope that viewers of my work can also use my art to capture these negative themes and reanalyze their impact and existence.

Inevitably, a lot of the inspiration for my work draws from my own personal experiences. As a woman who has been involved in the entertainment industry for the majority of my life, I am constantly forced to reevaluate and pick apart my own worth in utterly ridiculous ways. And that is really the mission of my work. I want to pick things apart and put them where they’re not supposed to be, show the world how bizarre something can look, allowing whatever emotion that evokes to bubble up to the surface, for both myself and the viewer. What excites me the most about my work is the ability to rejoice in emotion with others, whether it be joy, fear, disgust, anger; recognizing that I am never alone in what I feel is such a gift. It’s the beauty of the human condition.

As far as how I got to this point, nothing was easy for me. As so many of us in this post-industrial, post-Covid, post-everything world, I am constantly riddled with executive dysfunction, anxiety, and the general feeling of drowning in absolutely everything. But ten years ago, I never would believe that I am the person I am now. And I’m not the most successful person by any means. In fact, I’m sure many people would fear the instability of where I’m at right now, but recognizing my own growth gives me a lot of hope and reassurance. Taking risks, making myself uncomfortable, constantly embarrassing myself, and getting rejected is really the only way I have grown as a professional. Allowing myself to recognize my discomfort, challenge it, and learn from it has gotten me to exactly where I need to be right now. But, it would be naive of me to look at my success and to not to recognize my own privileges. I do believe that being a young, white, cis-gendered woman has allowed me into spaces with less challenges than what others might face. This is something that I strive to recognize and reflect on in my work.

When looking back on my experiences in growing into the artist I am now, the most important lesson I have learned is that everybody is just a person and nobody truly knows what they are doing. We are all just figuring it out. There are so many mentors that I have looked up to, have strived for the attention and acceptance of, in the hopes that their recognition would make me successful. But no matter who you are trying to be accepted, valued, or adored by, remember everyone is just a person. They will be right and they will be wrong. It’s wonderful to draw inspiration from other people, but yearning for the acceptance of everyone is a losing battle. It’s okay to just be human, even though it can kind of suck sometimes.

When thinking about the impact I want to make on the world as an artist, I would just say that I hope my work allows people to challenge their own perceptions of normality.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If I wanted to try and show a visiting friend the best time I could in Los Angeles, my first stops would definitely encompass the art scene. There are so many incredible galleries tucked away in this city, I wouldn’t even know where to start. Thinkspace Gallery and La Luz de Jesus Gallery are some of my favorites. There are also the bigger museums such as The Broad, LACMA, and The Getty that you can spend entire days at. The list is truly endless.

I think that visiting the shore is also a must. Not even just to go to a beach, but honestly just to people-watch. The last time my siblings visited, we were down in Venice Beach and we just stood at the skatepark for an hour, just watching the skaters do these amazing tricks; it was incredible. There’s always so much life on the shore. The Los Angeles beaches are beautiful, but the people it encompasses is really fascinating. You can learn a lot just by looking around you.

One thing that gets overlooked a lot in Los Angeles in my opinion is the theatre scene. There are a bunch of hole-in-the-wall theatre scattered about this city that are just oozing talent. Some of the best performances I’ve seen are small productions in theaters such as The Sherry, The Broadwater, The Garry Marshall, The Morgan-Wixson. I could go on.

As far as the food in Los Angeles, I’ve never lived in a place with more options, it’s almost overwhelming. But for me, as someone who has been plant-based for almost 15 years, the options are outstanding here. My all-time favorite restaurant is Something Vegan in Toluca Lake. Their chicken caesar wrap deserves an award.

All in all, this place is so big. I’ve been here almost five years, and I feel like I haven’t even seen 10% of it. I discover something new everyday.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
As far as who I owe my growth as a person to, the list is never-ending. I can truly say that the list is constantly evolving, but I think off of the top of my head, my peers in the Los Angeles art community, my fellow theatre-makers at Firefly Theatre Group, my mentors from Pace University’s School of Performing Arts, my family and friends, and my partner, Tom. I would like to thank them for challenging me and inspiring me.

Website: https://www.catcharles.com

Instagram: @cat.charles.art

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catcharles/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cat.charles.art

Other: TikTok: @cat_charles