David Sauvage

Last updated
David Sauvage
Born
Los Angeles, California
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)filmmaker, performance artist, empath
Years active2011–present
Notable workHealing Heals the Healer Too, [1] The Simplest Meditation in the World, [2]
Website https://www.empath.nyc/

David Sauvage is an American activist, performance artist, filmmaker, and self-described empath. [3] [4]

Contents

Early life and education

Sauvage was born in Los Angeles, California in a Jewish family. His mother worked as a lawyer and his father, Pierre Sauvage, made historical documentaries. [5] Sauvage attended Harvard Westlake School and Columbia University, where he earned a BA, and UCLA, where he graduated with a MBA. [6] [7]

Career

While in business school, Sauvage directed Carissa, a documentary about Carissa Phelps who overcame abandonment and prostitution as a child to attend UCLA. [8] [6] [9] The film received multiple awards and was licensed to Current TV. [7] Sauvage produced Soundcheck, a film about musician Bill Laswell. [7] He worked as a director for commercials, including Bon Appetit. In 2011, he joined the Occupy Wall Street movement, where he sought to communicate some of the protesters' demands and raise additional funds. [6] He co-founded Occupy.com, which served as a news aggregator about the movement's developments. [10]

Life as an empath

In 2015, during a period of depression, Sauvage had a transformative experience with the hallucinogenic drug ayahuasca. [11] [5] The episode encouraged him to follow his "authentic self" and taught him that emotion was rooted in the body. [5] Subsequently, he cultivated an ability to feel the emotions that others are experiencing. [5] [11] According to Sauvage, the basis for empathy is emotional self awareness, which is not cultivated in current culture. [12]

In 2018, Sauvage presented EMPATH, a one-man show at TheatreLab, where he gave live presentations of his ability to feel others' emotions. [13] [14] The performance started by Sauvage explaining how he acquired the ability. [15] Next, when reading an audience member, would begin by releasing any pre-existing emotions before physically responding to the emotions he was sensing. [11] Sauvage says his read of the other person is instantaneous, and 75% of those he interacts with say his reading was meaningful and non-generic. [11]

In 2019, Sauvage launched the Empath shop, a pop-up store in the East Village. Visitors received free counseling, discussion sessions, and learned about empathy. [16]

Sauvage serves as a consultant to businesses and philanthropists who want to align their strategies with their feelings. [5] Sauvage works with individuals and approximately 80% of his clients are female. [5] He teaches fellow empaths through a class called School for Empaths. [3] [11] [17]

Sauvage has led group meditation sessions to accompany the publication of his companion book, The Simplest Meditation in the World. [2]

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. ↑ "Healing Heals the Healer Too". goodreads. September 1, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  2. 1 2 Mcvey, Kurt (November 2022). "Poetry and Performance Before Art Basel". White Hot Magazine. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  3. 1 2 "The Way of the Empath with David Sauvage". thecentersf.com. July 14, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  4. ↑ Jordan, Ken (April 5, 2019). "David Sauvage – An Empath's Self-Discovery". evolver.net. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Godwin, Richard (24 Jun 2017). "'It's a superpower': meet the empaths paid to read your mind". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 Jun 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 TANKERSLEY, JIM (October 23, 2011). "Occupy Wall Street's Marketing Crisis: What Would an OWS Brand Look Like?". The Atlantic. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  7. 1 2 3 "David Sauvage". brooklynbrainery.com. Brooklyn Brainery. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  8. ↑ White, Tom. "Meet the Filmmakers: David Sauvage--'Carissa'". documentary.org. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  9. ↑ Pfefferman, Naomi (August 21, 2008). "Documentary explores UCLA alumna's past as a child prostitute". Jewish Journal. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  10. ↑ HARKINSON, JOSH (April 2, 2012). "Huffington Post for the Occupy Crowd". Mother Jones. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Pauly, Alexandra (May 2, 2018). "FEELING WITH EMPATH DAVID SAUVAGE". Untitled Magazine. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  12. ↑ Manning-Schaffel, Vivian (May 29, 2018). "What is empathy and how do you cultivate it?". NBC News. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
  13. ↑ "#50: Articulate Empathic Truth with David Sauvage". lisabl.com. November 15, 2018. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  14. ↑ BWW News Desk (October 15, 2018). "Theaterlab Presents David Sauvage's EMPATH". broadwayworld.com. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  15. ↑ Bartholomew, James (December 8, 2018). "Encounter With an "Empath"". All About Solow. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  16. ↑ Spadea, Bill (Jun 26, 2019). "Local News: East Village Empathy Pop up". Chasing News. New York. Retrieved Jun 26, 2020.
  17. ↑ Ewens, Hannah (November 17, 2017). "Who Feels for the People Who Feel for Everyone Else?". Vice. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
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