
Originally Posted by
shakti
Stripping has served me in so many ways. First, I started to pay off student loans and have a daring adventure. A year and a half later, mission accomplished and ready to move on from dancing, I was in an apartment fire where I lost everything and nearly died (water heater exploded while I was in the shower, bars on the windows, dramatic rescue) Because I had concentrated ONLY on paying off debt, I had no savings (Remember to stock your emergency fund!). That was an extremely painful time for me, struggling through PTSD and depression, and trying to rebuild my life. Dancing was my cushion then because though I couldn't work much, it could still support me.
Rebounding from having nearly died, I decided from then on I was going to truly live. That's when I began to really pursue my love of travel. I sat in an 800 year old zen garden in Japan, rode camels in Egypt, drank red wine at Picasso's favorite cafe in Paris, wandered through the Prado in Spain, taught English to monks in Cambodia, and indulged in the silky sea and white sand in Thailand. Traveled all over the US and best of all went to Vermont every summer to see my Mom who has MS and can't travel to see me.
I'm an artist and stripping has allowed me the time and space for my own work, and to study with some of the very best artists of today. It allowed me to pursue obscure passions like Japanese tea ceremony and it gave me a beautiful home. I was able to pay off a BFA from a school I loved, and currently attend an MA program in a field I really care about. Stripping has been the padding between transitions, I've left it many times and returned when I needed to. It allowed me to keep saving while I was doing jobs I enjoyed and learned a lot from, but could only cover the bills. As a result I have no debt, and a good savings and investments. This was all done with dancing part time.
Through my experience with the fire I became very interested in trauma, healing, and rehabilitation. I've studied cranial sacral therapy, Thai massage, and am a registered yoga teacher. Stripping helped cover these extra things when I was working at a job at a gallery. Full time stripping would ultimately bring me down every time I tried to stick to it. It always felt like there was something "more" I was supposed to be doing, and now I see that how stripping was more of a path to support another calling.
Next year I will turn forty and I will not be retiring a millionaire, but I still feel like one.
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