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

Hi Abby, alright, let’s jump in with a deep one – what’s you’re definition for success?
That’s a great question, because in a way, it’s both incredibly subjective and objective, right? Obviously in your professional life you’ll have objective goals, quantifiable data sets that you need to reach in order to be “successful”, so that’s something to take into account. But I tend to lean more towards the subjective definition, in both my personal and professional life. I go more along the lines of questions like: Did I do my best? Did I make a difference? Did my efforts result in some positive impact (even if it’s just for myself!). If I can honestly answer yes to all of those questions I’d define that as success. And I find, more often than not, that when I let that lead me and rely on my knowledge and experience as tools along the way, that I am able to accomplish that objective side as well.
And there are also levels of success, right? So you can be successful at something and then do the same thing the next year and be more or less successful – it’s still success at the end of the day, just to a different degree. Applying all of this to my work at Junior Players, I definitely always want to be at the higher end of that success range, as I’m sure most people can relate to. I know I speak for my coworkers as well as myself when I say that with every program, production, or event that we complete, we want to positively affect as many young participants as possible. But even when we have a program where we’ve made a difference in just one life, I still think it’s worth it. It’s still a success.

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Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think that one of the most challenging parts of getting to where I am today was realizing I wanted to be where I am today, if that makes sense. I went to college at Trinity University in San Antonio and when I started I kind of went in with the mindset that I liked English and the Arts so I would just take a lot of classes in those fields (while also completing my other class requirements) and hope I would figure out a career from there. Pretty much instantly I realized that I really liked my COMM/MARCOMM/HCOMM classes, but I also liked my English classes so it was still a bit of a toss-up. And even when I started really leaning more into the COMM side of things that’s still a huge field – I considered RTF, I worked at our college Tiger TV station, and then I got a job at our school Box Office and was given the opportunity to create a promotional video for a production (The Glass Menagerie) and I was like “oooo I like this, this might be it”. So from there I knew I wanted to do some form of arts marketing, it made sense, being able to promote and bring awareness to a field that gave me so much growing up and still means so much to me, and it’s also something I genuinely enjoy!

I didn’t even really consider working for an arts nonprofit until my Junior year of college when I was looking for internships to apply for for the summer between my Junior and Senior year. I was at a Braum’s with two of my friends commiserating when one of them told me about the ExxonMobile internship program, and that’s how I was first introduced to Junior Players! The year between my Junior and Senior year of college I was Junior Players Marketing and Development Associate and it kind of just clicked, that was what I wanted to do, Marketing for an Arts Nonprofit, and I specifically fell in love with Junior Players mission – providing free arts education programs to kids and teens who otherwise would not have access. It was just a lucky twist of fate for me that they were able to hire me on full-time when I graduated and, since then, I have been involved in one way or another. I’m inspired by the work Junior Players does every single day, even when those days are long and hard. Being able to be a part of the team that brings free arts education programs to over 15,000 kids and teens across North Texas means so much to me, and I am proud to be able to spend my days spreading the word about the incredible work we are able to accomplish and about the phenomenal young artists we see day-in and day-out.

I’ve learned so many lessons along my professional journey from how to grow professionally alongside a team to how to protect your work/life balance to one I know everyone can relate to, how to adapt in a completely new and unknown environment. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, no one knew what to do or what to expect and suddenly it felt like all of the education and experience I had was completely useless, because these were uncharted territories, did the things I knew to be true even still apply in this world? But, as a nonprofit, the main component of our job is staying present for our community and that’s exactly what we did. I saw my coworkers and our community partners quickly just adapting and picking up and doing whatever they could to continue to stay present and that, in turn, was what helped me say, “you know what, I can do this. We can do this”.

I think if there’s one lesson I’ve learned from my professional journey that I would want to give to others it’s that it’s ok to feel like you don’t know what you want to do (or what to do at all). It’s ok to not have a perfectly planned out 10-year plan because, honestly, life is just going to throw things you don’t expect at you anyways. Find the things that make you happy, that make you feel fulfilled, and that allow you to make a difference and follow those! Don’t let the fear of not knowing exactly what to do or where to go stop you from learning, growing, and starting the journey.

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Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh boy… there’s so much to do and see in DFW it’s hard to pick just a few! Bishop Arts District would definitely have to be one of our stops – it feels so uniquely Dallas and I love being able to just walk around to all of the different boutiques, galleries, and restaurants. One of my favorite stops there is The Wild Detectives – it’s a bookstore & café with a beautiful outdoor seating area, drinks, and music!

Anyone visiting Dallas also definitely has to do some sort of art experience, depending on what’s going on when they visit. Dallas has such a beautiful vibrant art scene, you can’t visit without catching something! Obviously my first recommendation would be a Junior Players’ production, but on the chance we don’t have anything that coincides with a visit, The Dallas Museum of Art and Nasher Sculpture Center are close enough you can walk through Klyde Warren Park to see both in the same day! Plus, if you’re out and about you can make a pitstop at the giant eyeball. My favorite restaurant over in that area is The Rustic, it has tons of outdoor seating and I can’t remember ever going and not seeing live music.

White Rock Lake is always a beautiful area to visit – I love walking on the trail along the lake with friends! And then, last but not least, if it’s hockey season you HAVE to go see the Dallas Stars!

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The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Definitely my family, first and foremost. They’ve always been a huge support to me, but more than that they inspire me constantly. They’re all so hardworking, and determined, and just wildly talented in so many different ways, I mean, from visual art to music to absolutely ruling the trivial pursuit board for HOURS, I’m consistently impressed by them and proud of them in everything they do. I think that’s a huge contributor to what drives me to keep growing, both professionally and personally. I’ve always loved learning new things and picking up new skills, just trying even if I’m not sure that I’ll do well or be “competitive”, and that’s something that has really benefitted me in every aspect of my life. That’s definitely a character trait that has only been able to grow and take hold thanks to the encouragement and inspiration I get from my family.

I also have an incredible support system through my friends, I’m just better at what I do and who I am because I have them in my life. I somehow managed to find the most wonderful people in all the different phases of my life, from Elementary School all the way through College and into my professional life, and regardless of if we still work together or live in the same city (or state) they continue to make an undeniable positive impact in my life, I don’t know what I’d do without every one of them.

Website: https://juniorplayers.org

Instagram: https://juniorplayers.org/instagram

Linkedin: https://juniorplayers.org/linkedin

Facebook: https://juniorplayers.org/facebook

Other: Personal LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/abby-stigler-94660598/

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