Sophie
“You are enough as you are.”
Sophie is a performer and a creator. She is determined to keep challenging what is comfortable and to welcome what is unfamiliar. She is learning to trust in herself more, and to be less critical of the imperfections. Meet Sophie. This her story.
P: Please introduce yourself!
S: My name is Sophie Nation. I am a writer and actor from Toronto.
P: Describe or define yourself in your own words.
S: Adventurous, creative, impulsive, passionate.
P: What is your favourite thing about yourself?
S: This took me a while to think of. It’s weird because I’m used to hyper focusing on my flaws and areas I want to improve upon, that I never think about what I like. I’d say my sense of humor and creativity. They both keep me sane and I appreciate them.
P: Tell us a story. Have you had an experience that has defined you or made you stronger?
H: I think pushing myself physically out of my comfort zone has been important for my growth as an adult. Whether that was travelling alone for four months or moving to Halifax recently on a whim. I’ve had to grow and trust myself and my ability to remain strong independently, which is really great. I want to continue to practice that - to gravitate towards change and discomfort.
P: What is one piece of advice you’d give to your younger self?
H: I would tell her to just do things. Sit with the anxiety and just do whatever the hell you want to. Perfectionism is something that has been crippling for me, but the more you force yourself to put out things that aren’t “perfect”, the more you realize that it really doesn’t matter.
My self-worth isn’t based off of this one performance or this one project. I used to put so much weight on every single thing growing up (I still have to work on not doing that).
Also, you are enough as you are. No achievement or failure can make or break your worth as a human.
P: What does being a woman mean to you?
H: Honestly, I’m not sure what it fully means to me. It’s definitely why I engage with feminist theory. It’s interesting to understand which aspects of my gender expression I actually enjoy and which are a result of societal pressure and expectations - but sometimes it’s a combination. What’s most important to me, as someone who identifies as a woman, is making sure I am intersectional and think about the varying influences involved in one’s experience - including age, race, ethnicity, class, and religion.
P: Who is one woman that inspires you? What would you say to her if she were here now?
H: My sister inspires me! I am always blown away by her ability to remain positive and motivated in the toughest situations. She’s incredibly supportive and thoughtful, and also really adventurous and independent.
I would say “miss ya and love ya betch!”.