Adirondack Performing Arts Academy, that was the name on my DBA (Doing Business As). Adirondack Performing Arts Academy or APA Academy as I like to call it, is a performing arts school where children of all ages can come and get private voice, acting or dance lessons or they could join a class.
For only being 22 – 23 years old, I was doing pretty damn well for myself. I had a beautiful two story studio, equipped with everything I would need for a performance. A handful of amazing students with more students wanting to enroll. I was the first person in my area to come up with this especially at such a young age, I was at the top of the game and all of my hopes, dreams and fantasies were finally coming true!
March 17th 2020, a day not too long ago that I’m pretty sure we all remember. The day that the U.S basically shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic happened. During the pandemic my business was ripped to shreds. I could no longer give lessons, I couldn’t be in my studio…. My studio was sold…. I watched the dream I have had since I was 13 years old come crumbling down right in front of my own eyes. Heartbroken doesn’t even begin to explain how I felt.
During the shutdown I had a lot of time on my hands and I had another “side job” I was an editor for an online blog site, a site that I had worked for, for five years. I was running a team of writers with my best friend, we are kinda a dream team if I say so myself. During this time we poured our heart and soul into our team more so than we have ever before. While doing so our company faced many uncertainties and we knew it was time to find our plan B.
This is the best thing we could have done for ourselves and for our team….
We gained a new sense of family, and we learned more about running a business and a team of writers in two months more than we had in five years. Moving to our new company actually made me think about going back to school to make a career out of writing and editing rather than continuing it as a side hustle and hobby, because if you enjoy what you do “going to work” won’t feel like work.
Everything happens for a reason, we may not know why bad things happen when they are in motion but sooner or later you will get the answer.
About The Author:
Ashley Denton is a creative artist whose mediums include music, theater, dance, and creative writing. This girl thrives on coffee, adventure, and exploration. Ashley has been writing professionally for five years and editing for four. Ashley is also one of Puckermob’s newest editors.