Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandi Cooling.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I am a prop stylist by day and a high flying aerialist by night! Most people are really surprised to hear about my job(s), but yes, I do them both full time.
As a prop stylist, I work to design and style images for home decor, restaurants and lifestyle brands. If you’ve ever gotten one of those catalogs in the mail of a beautiful room with books stacked on the coffee table, flowers in a vase and cozy throw tossed casually on the sofa, that’s me! I’ve worked freelance for the past several years with such companies as Pier 1, Arteriors, At Home, Taco Cabana, and Nothing Bundt Cakes, to name a few. It is a very physically demanding job. I am constantly hauling and carrying chairs and heavy rugs and my step count on a job averages about 20,000 steps! I am grateful for the strength that aerial has given me for my day job, it makes it so much easier to be able to lift a chair over your head and carry it across the room!
By night you can find me flying high in the sky! I have been training aerial for almost six years. I grew up as a dancer since the age of three and really craved movement as an adult. Luckily, a friend signed me up for a class and I never looked back, the love was instant. I teach classes in Lyra and contortion during the week at Moxie Mischief Aerial Arts. On the weekends I perform all over the great state of Texas. I’ve performed for almost every type of event imaginable, from the Tobin Center in San Antonio, Maxim Super Bowl Parties in Houston, AKON in Forth Worth to the Margarita Ball in Dallas. It is absolutely a pleasure to be a part of such a wide range of events and meet different people.
Please tell us about your art.
As an aerialist, I just love to tell a story through movement. I’ve created many different pieces throughout my career. Recently I created an act called The Long Lost Lover I premiered at the 4th Annual Southern Fried Circus Fest. I think the feeling of longing for a person or event thing from afar, not being able to be with them in some way, or any type of distance from a loved one, is something every person can relate to. I love each aspect of creating a piece for performance. From choosing the song, the costume, how to tell a story through just moving your body, I find it very exciting and full of possibilities.
Something I hope people can take away from my art is the inspiration. I find most people get very intimidated by aerial. I get it; it’s hard! But take it from me, anyone can do it. I was never a girl anyone would consider strong, I was bullied for being too skinny, for having no curves, but now I’m someone people feel inspired by. I can do pull-ups, hand balancing, and all kinds of other things I would never have dreamed possible. I work very hard, train a lot, focus on my goals and creating things that make me happy. Every time someone says that I inspired them, it is just the biggest gift.
I would say I feel similarly about prop styling. It’s a job that most people have never even heard of. It’s such a niche industry, especially in Dallas. And the fact that I went after it and am actually not only serving but thriving in a creative field sometimes even blows my mind when I think about it. I just could not imagine another career for me. I would hope that people see you can be successful in a creative field. It won’t be easy, there will be blood, sweat, and tears, and it will be worth it. Do you want to be an aerialist? Work hard and go after it. Want to be an artist? Go get it, don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t.
Do you have any advice for other artists? Any lessons you wished you learned earlier?
Not everyone will like you. You can be the best at what you do, with the prettiest costume and the most epic split and dazzling smile, but some people still won’t hire you again. It’s like the saying ” you can be the juiciest peach in the orchard, but there’s still someone who won’t like peaches.” A thick skin is necessary for this business. I know that’s an old adage, but it is for a reason. Sometimes, the stars just don’t align. Be sure that you are constantly assessing and adjusting your goals for success. If your dream isn’t working, it doesn’t mean you failed, try a new dream! You can have a million dreams. There is no limit. And just because you aren’t doing/achieving the things other people think you should be doing, that doesn’t make your work any less valid. If I had a dollar for every person that told me aerial wasn’t a real job or that freelancing isn’t a worthwhile endeavor I could retire early to my house with goats like I want. Just because you’re doing something out of the norm doesn’t mean you or your work isn’t worthwhile.
Also, charge a living wage! I cannot stress this enough. You have slaved, trained, cried and bled for your art. Charge a rate that puts food on your table. And if a client doesn’t want to pay your rate, then they aren’t the client for you. I don’t mean this to say charge crazy high prices or never negotiate a job. But charge a rate that not only supports what you put into it but pays actual cash money. Just because you want an opportunity to perform or get your art seen, doesn’t mean you have to work for cheap or free. There are scores of people out there ready to take advantage of you, don’t shoot yourself in the foot by doing it to your own self. Another saying every time someone asks me to work for “exposure,” I say, “exposure is what you die from in the cold.” Enough said.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
My next public event is December 7th at It’ll do Club for Disco TX. Or get a regular fix on Instagram @branditakesflight
Have an awesome event coming up? Hire me! Nothing wows guests more than an aerialist!
See my styling work on Instagram too @brandicoolingstylist
Want to showcase your beautiful interiors/food/fashion? I can create images for web, print and more. Make your work look as beautiful as it does in real life with professional photography.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://brandicoolingaerial.com
- Email: brandicooling@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/branditakesflight/?hl=en
- Other: http://brandicoolingstylist.com
Image Credit:
Michael Schulze, Adam Norton, John Milton, Steve Bither, Nicole Owens, Stephen Andrews and Siggni Ragnar, courtesy of Aerial Horizon
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
