Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Andrea Clark-Meier. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Andrea, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?
My very first dollar earned as a creative was doing background on the film Wild, Wild West back in 1999. My dad Jim Clark was working in the movie running the trains as a train coordinator and he had a part in it as a train conductor. He asked me if I’d be interested in working background in the movie as a saloon girl and I said, sure why not! It was exciting to work alongside my dad and see the making of a film come to life in front and behind the camera!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am a wife to my wonderful husband Chas Meier and I have two beautiful children Josh and John. I am a dog mom to our sassy white labrador retriever Sadie. I love the arts, to tap dance and be amongst nature. I grew up around the entertainment industry since the late 1970s due to my parents Jim and Jan Clark owning trains to rent out to different production companies such as the tv show Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, MacGyver, X-Files plus the movie Throw Momma from the Train, Eraser, Switchback, Lethal Weapon 4 and Wild, Wild, West to name a few! I got the acting bug later in life when I was in my early 30’s working alongside my dad, Jim Clark in the 1999 movie Wild, Wild, West. I was BG playing a saloon girl. Ha! It was exciting to go back in time wearing the 1800s costume with hair and make up! I enjoyed living the life of this character, and I then decided that I wanted to pursue acting seriously, so I started taking acting classes and I got headshots and an agent. I loved diving in to the messy characters that I played to explore what made them tick! I think that it is so crucial for an actor to take the time to do their homework on characters they are playing. The who, what, when, where, why of the character and to bring them to life! I have been fortunate to have created in short films, independent films, music videos, commercials and print jobs that have been so fulfilling. It is so important to do what YOU love and to follow YOUR dreams no matter what your age! I truly believe that work should not feel like work. I am most proud of not giving up on my dreams and encouraging others to do the same. Life is simply far too short to be bored or miserable.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is being able to create every day! I get to play with different characters and bring them to life! I get to walk in their shoes. It is such an exciting and free feeling!
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
A lesson I had to unlearn after taking countless acting classes that were not a good fit for me in the beginning was that the characters that I was creating/bringing to life in acting class was NOT supposed to be the acting coaches vision, these are supposed to be the actors vision, thoughts and feeling on my characters, not the acting coaches. When I finally realized this and I got into the right acting classes, I was able to unleash my characters through my eyes not the acting coaches eyes.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreaclarkmeier7/
- Facebook: https://andreaclarkmeier.facebook.com
Image Credits
Andrea Meier Ana Isabel Octavio Chris Henry Sarah Kathryn Christopher Sheffield