Have You Seen This Woman?
If not, you really should; her passion and enthusiasm are contagious.
Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion.
George Hegel
Anything that gets your blood racing is probably worth doing.
Hunter S. Thompson
I have a part-time gig working at a couple of theaters in downtown Portland as a stage door attendant. It’s not demanding work, but in my downtime (and there’s a lot of it), I can write. I've written a lot of what I post here while I’m “working.” So, in that sense, I’m a professional writer. Writing is one of the least remunerative ways to make a living, so if I can get paid- even indirectly- I’ll take it.
One of the things I enjoy about my job is that I get to meet a lot of actors and musicians. I’ve met Bob Dylan, Tori Amos, Vance Joy, and bands like Bastille, Glass Animals, and several others. I’ve met more touring Broadway actors than I can remember, and I’ve come to enjoy meeting performers of all sorts. There’s an energy and an enthusiasm that surrounds most of these folks that I find fascinating.
Most of the actors are young kids hoping to be on their way to somewhere spectacular, and they’re in Portland for a short time, perhaps a week or so. They’re enthusiastic, energetic, and fun to be around. A couple of nights ago, I had an experience with an actress I won’t soon forget.
The traveling company for “Hairspray” is at the Keller Theater in Portland this week, and the cast call is at 6 pm. One of the female cast members arrived a bit early, and we struck up a conversation for reasons I can’t remember. As she bounded up the stairs to her dressing room, she asked my name and then, smiling sweetly, said, “I’m Emmanuelle!”
That encounter alone left an impression on me, but something told me that we weren’t done interacting for the evening. Sure enough, she stopped to show me every one of her numerous costume changes, each more captivating than the last. At one point she ran up to me and asked, “Are you from Portland?”
When I said yes, she tried out one of the lines she was planning to improvise. It involved working a famous phrase from the Portlandia television series into one of her lines. I had to be honest and tell her “Put a bird on it” didn’t work, which she seemed to appreciate. Ultimately, she came up with something that worked well, which made me feel that I contributed something to the show, if only in a small way.
When the show was over, she stopped by my desk to show me what she looked like as a “real human.” And then, in the after-show chaos, she was gone. It would’ve been nice to talk to her more because she seemed so impossibly enthusiastic and passionate.
The sum total of our connection ran its course over six hours, but it was fun while it lasted. Sometimes that’s all you get. And Emmanuelle may not have realized it, but she made quite an impression on me.
After finishing up for the night, I sat down at my laptop and Googled her (while trying not to feel creepy about it). Still, I wanted to know more about this person who fascinated me. Emmanuelle Zeesman- born in Montreal, raised in Ottawa, lives in New York City with her husband…and the owner of an impressive performing resume about a mile-and-a-half long. Yes, Emmanuelle is doing what she loves…and it shows. Good for her.
What most impressed me was when I went to her website and read this in her bio:
Emmanuelle loves life! She loves adventure, growth, human connection and more than anything, she believes in love!
Suddenly, I realized what it was about her that I found so compelling. I’ve always been fascinated with passionate people, those who are so in tune with life and career that it’s difficult to know where they diverge. It’s an amazing thing to behold when you come across someone who’s doing precisely what they were put on this Earth to do.
And it’s more than merely “Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” That’s a big part of the equation, but what I felt from Emmanuelle was stronger than that. It went beyond mere passion to something I don’t have a word for. There was such enthusiasm, joy, and playfulness that it was easy to fall in love with all of that. Just being around her energy made me feel alive.
What I felt from Emmanuelle that night was pure joy and enthusiasm. I don’t often run across someone doing something with such delight and connection at such a high level while still managing to involve and include others. It was intoxicating.
I found her Instagram account and left her a note thanking her for the connection I’d felt with her. It was fun and a brief moment in time I won’t soon forget. One of her IG posts said, “To my fellow weirdos;” anyone who leads any sort of creative life will instantly understand what she means. Of course, it takes someone a bit off-center to be a creative, in whatever form that might assume. For me, that’s writing and my guitar. For Emmanuelle, that's acting and singing.
Creativity is not a rational act. It’s not a process that involves finding the shortest distance from Point A to Point B. Creative minds very often take the road less traveled because…well, because it’s the road less traveled and it’s often far more interesting than the most direct route.
For someone with ADD like myself, creativity is the perfect camouflage. Nothing in my brain ever moves in a straight line, and I always feel like I’m on the road less traveled. My laptop’s keyboard is where I feel most thoroughly alive and at home.
Yeah, I’m a proud, veteran weirdo. And I always will be.
For at least a few hours on a chilly March evening, I was able to establish a connection with a pretty special weirdo who I won’t soon forget. It was one of those moments that can make life more interesting.
The odds of our paths ever crossing again are almost certainly slim to none, but I’ll never forget those six hours backstage with Emmanuelle. They were fun, and lively, and she challenged me to think differently about my gifts and how I share them with the world. How can I not be grateful for that?
(Emmanuelle, you may never read this, but if you do you should know that those few hours meant more to me than I can express. You have a rare ability to impact and inspire people, and I’m grateful that our paths crossed. It would’ve been nice to have been able to spend some time getting to know you, but you’ll remain an inspiration to me.)
I suspect I’m not the only person Emmanuelle Zeesman has positively impacted. And I hope that she’ll continue to inspire people for many years to come.
Sorry for sounding like a hopeless fanboy…but I’m a hopeless fanboy. And I’m OK with that.
Thank you, Emmanuelle.
