Episode #97: Matisse Dupont on “Transitions.”

The Discomfort Practice

In this episode of the Discomfort Practice, I’m excited to bring back a past guest: cultural consultant, performance producer and content creator Matisse Dupont. Matisse has spent the last decade facilitating interactive lectures and workshops on gender, sexuality, culture and identity. I enjoyed witnessing their evolution on social media - from being a TikTok-er famous for educating others about gender to showcasing their talents as a multi-disciplinary artist to founder of volunteer-run LGBTQIA+ community theatre company, The Queer Theatre Project. Matisse and I explore their life changes and public persona.

In this episode, we focus on that and explore how Matisse has realigned and reconfigured who they are publicly to reflect where they are personally. They’ve recently navigated burnout as a content creator and dealt with a concussion, which stopped them using technology at the height of their TikTok fame. Matisse shares how time away from what they had become known for opened up space to re-assess and enjoy other aspects of themselves and their talents. We talk about how creating a mindfully artistic practice can open up space to explore - and how you don’t ever have to stick to just one thing for the rest of your life.

Matisse is an inspirational example of how you can completely change your life, realign with your purpose and not get caught up, staying in the constraints of what people already know you for (or your comfort zone). Settle yourself in for this refreshing and motivating episode. Enjoy!

Key Points Discussed:

• Shaking up the Discomfort Practice, having Matisse introduce themselves. (1:30)

• The discomfort of changing trajectory: from having a successful career and being known as an expert in a field to then starting something completely new. (3:30)

• How dealing with a severe health issue affected Matisse as a successful content creator and gender educator. But how this time out, gave Matisse perspective. (5:50)

• How the social media algorithm was dictating the way to unauthenticity and interacting on social media in a combative way, as well as leading to burnout. (13:00)

• How Matisse’s love of art came out of this period of discomfort in their life. (18:20)

• Meditative quality to painting as a creative outlet. (22:00)

• The transformative practice of not feeling stuck to one job or creative outlet, and being able to constantly evolve and transition. (31:00)

• Matisse’s leaving message: “Change takes time, but not as much time as you think it’ll take.” (40:00)

Connect with Matisse:

• Matisse Website

• Matisse on Instagram

• Matisse on TikTok

• Matisse on Youtube

Connect with Betsy:

• Betsy on Instagram

• Betsy on Twitter

• Betsy on Linkedin

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