Conversations with Drew Porrett

Today we’d like to introduce you to Drew Porrett. 

Hi Drew, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
Growing up in Yale, MI is the start of it all. One stoplight and roughly 2,000 people, my inner star power felt shiny and unique. Running down a lane that my other siblings and most friends never saw as a journey, my father called me the true chameleon. Shape-shifting my masculine and feminine energy the best I could, my creative expression had a flow state that was unlike many of the boys around me. My thought patterns were most definitely wired to feel the necessity to do extracurriculars, and my societal, peer, and family imprinting can be of reason. The creative I am today would never have existed without this type of structure, and I am grateful. Instead of football, basketball, or baseball, the sports that I found myself lean towards were gymnastics, cheerleading, dance, soccer, and track & field. Where I found my creativity blossom the most was singing and/or putting on a show. Whether I was artistically directing my own performances for Michigan singing competitions or a VHS tape to send to my grandparents with my siblings, I was a leader for the arts, and when my parents took me to my first musical theatre show I knew it was the path for me. There was so many artistic outlets within the theatre. Throughout high school, I would go to school, have a sports practice, and then head to a rehearsal. My days would go from 6 AM- 11 PM sometimes, and my soul enjoyed the adventure. With a couple school records in track & field, a few trophies from singing competitions, and an Aladdin resume credit I knew I wanted to travel away from the small town that I grew up in. In order to feel a new experience, I chose a school-specific for my dreams. The dream became Broadway. I graduated from Western Michigan University at 2017 with a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre Performance. Throughout my college career, I travelled around the country doing theatre during my summers. Two of those theaters in Michigan actually, Mason Street Warehouse (Saugatuck, MI) and Tibbits Opera House (Coldwater, MI). Naturally, the next move was the Big Apple! New York City! There I worked different temp jobs, and as you can imagine the “starving artist” catering gigs were of many. Auditioning became a huge focus, and as for many actors I was in and out of the city for three years. I worked for Celebrity Cruise line for 8 months, I worked on an Island and so many other adventures that still make me smile to this day. When covid hit I was just about to take the sea again and perform in Kinky Boots as an Angel. It truly was the biggest step of my musical theatre career at the time. Living in the city that became an epicenter during the pandemic was a surreal moment, and won’t be forgotten. My journals will forever hold those emotions. Through those unprecedented times I have landed myself back in Michigan, and I’m back auditioning, just this time virtually. Working remotely as a social media curator for a spiritual practitioner on the side, my creative spirit has evolved. My love for writing has blossomed, I recently have received my yoga teaching certification, and my dream of becoming an artistic director is at an all-time high. My wish is to design and collaborate, choreograph and direct, theme and blossom. I am a creative expressionist through philosophy, movement, and music, and am excited to see where my spiritual journey will take me! Oh, I use to do equestrian too, and funny enough my largest ribbon that I earned at the 4-H fair was from coloring a horse book. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The support I had growing up was pretty amazing, for I know many other LGBTQ+ community members who did not have such love surrounding their beautiful spirits. Feeling different was a challenge because a small town can have their ways set in stone and it can have a path already carved for you. With a couple bullies standing in my way, my high school journey was a little less bold than I would have liked, but I feel my loved ones made it just the best. Like, I totally would have been a male flyer cheerleader dating the high school varsity football captain if I could have had my high school dreams made, but I digress. I do wish I had more close guy friends back then to like understand masculine and feminine energy a little more, and not really diving into many romantic endeavors had me a bit confused when I “came out” right before leaving for college. In my later years, in New York City, the biggest struggle was money. Growing up we didn’t have loads and loads of money, and so handling money wasn’t a practice I had set in stone, and so you can imagine trying to live in a Big City was pretty hard to navigate. Traveling around the country and hopping from one community to the next made life a little lonely at times because there was always something new around the corner, and so not having my home base to come back to every night felt a little chaotic at times, for it was either community housing, a sublet, or a theatre donors house. Lots of shifting, yet like my dad said early on in my life… I was a Chamelon, and so I adapt. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a creative expressionist! What sets me apart from others is my knack for blossoming radical artistic visions… With a Sagittarius Sun and a Pisces moon, I am analytically and philosophically dreamy and adventurous. My soul craves new experiences whether it’s in my creative outlets or physical experiences. I am still in search for that title that just fits all my expectations, but I know my biggest dream is something I can’t even envision, and that makes me run towards the shininess that is all around! So many possibilities, so many opportunities. My dream today is to have an artist’s warehouse that is very versatile: an art gallery, immersive yoga space, cocktail parties, photoshoots, theatre, etc., and to direct and choreograph, and like who knows… become a drag artist on the way! 

“Creating the life of your dreams is not a hobby or a spiritual side project. It’s everything. Keeping your vision at the center drives you forward with clarity, confidence, and direction.” -Andi Eaton (creator of Oui, We & Rituals of Manifestation)

Join this sacred community month over month to hold yourself accountable on manifesting your biggest, juiciest dreams. Rituals of Manifestation costs 77$ for the first month, and $44 the following months. This method incorporates yogic technology, cosmic alignment, psychology, and human energy. Now that it’s been a year, I can say that it has truly transformed my life. Come join! You may see a friendly face teaching at the ouiwestudio!

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
My manifestation mindset. 

Contact Info:

• Email: ddporrett@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drew_porrett/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drew.porrett