We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Andrea Adamson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Andrea, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I think I always knew that I wanted to be an actor! I remember being a young kid and daydreaming about being on disney channel, or practicing being interviewed in front of the mirror. I always loved being in the spotlight and entertaining people. I did acting and singing classes at my local playhouse up until about 8th grade, and then I started getting embarrassed about being a “theater kid” so I stopped those classes. It has always been something that I have tried to shake but that has just nagged at me, I seem to always find my way back to performing. When I got into High school I auditioned for my schools Music, Dance, Theater (MDT) team and I got in. My school was ranked high in our region and it was pretty competitive so I felt extremely proud to make the team. I did that until I graduated, and then once again I dropped performing when I went to college. As you can guess, I eventually found my way back to it, signed with a local agent, and started doing local films. I have basically spent my life trying (and failing) to run from the life of being a creative. I convinced myself it was impossible to make it my career and that I would need to do something else instead. I have been certified in basically anything you can think of but nothing makes me feel as happy and alive as putting on another person’s life. While working as a master esthetician at an acne clinic around 2019, I just felt my soul beg me to chase my dream. It felt like now or never. My roots were starting to get really set and it would only get more difficult. I started researching schools in Los Angeles that I could go to to help me feel more prepared to audition. I ended up going to Stella Adler Academy of Acting in August 2020 and graduated in June of 2023. It was the best decision I think I have ever made, and to be honest, I haven’t looked back once. So, here we are, at the part in my story where I run head first at my dreams. I have also built a spray tanning business on the side that helps me chase the life of an actor without compromising my immediate happiness. It’s seriously been the craziest ride and I would not change a single thing.

Andrea, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a beauty-loving actor. The brand/ career I am building for myself is kind of twofold! I come from a family of entrepreneurs and was raised with that mindset, which I am so grateful for. I tried everything I could to avoid the life of being an actor because I was convinced I would never be able to actualize it. I am certified in everything you can think of, from being a licensed insurance agent to becoming a master esthetician. Things shifted for me in 2019. I was working as a Master Esthetician at an acne clinic in Utah while auditioning and doing films and commercials on the side. I couldn’t shake the deep feeling that I wasn’t where I was supposed to be and I needed to find an acting school and pursue this path with everything I have. No holding back. So in December of 2019, I took advantage of my (now ex) husband’s work trip to LA and tagged along. I had been looking at Stella Adler Academy of Acting on Hollywood Boulevard and so I decided to tour it. The moment I walked in, I knew it was for me and I needed to figure out how to shift my life so I could make it happen. A few weeks after touring it my father suddenly and unexpectedly passed away and it put my plans on hold. I was devastated for many reasons and had kind of come to terms that It probably wasn’t ever going to work out for me. Well lo and behold the pandemic struck just a few months later and closed the clinic I was working at. I started working for my family’s business to try and help my mom take time off to grieve. It gave me control over my schedule which would prove very necessary because in August of 2020 I got news that the school would be opening and doing classes via Zoom. I felt like in some weird way everything was working just for me. I was able to follow my dreams amid a really difficult period for me. It was kind of like some trees were parting and I could finally see a path forward! A year into my schooling online, I got news that they were opening the program back to in person. By that point I had kind of put my ducks in a row so to speak and had tied up a lot of loose ends that remained from my “old life”. We sold our house and most our belongings and drove a small u-haul from utah to LA. By August of 2021 I was living a life I thought wouldn’t be possible. Going to acting school full time, making friends, putting down roots. Unfortunately, my life wasn’t finished evolving and by January of 2022 my husband and I decided to separate, which left me to figure out a way to create a stream of income that would be flexible in the long term with my school schedule and later with auditioning. Once again the hands of fate dropped in, my beautiful friend was a celebrity hairstylist and approached me with the idea of learning how to spray tan. I have a lot of knowledge in the beauty industry and it was a pretty natural fit that allowed me to work at weird times. She introduced me to Isabel Alyse, the founder of Dolce Glow and I was trained by one of the best spray tan artists in the industry. It’s been about a year and 9 months since then and I have continued to grow my clientele and have had some pretty incredible experiences spray tanning people. I have since graduated from acting school and have cracked myself open to my core as an artist. So that brings me to now where most of my days are filled with auditions, callbacks, and spray tan appointments. It has led me to the conclusion that the two avenues aren’t so different. Being an artist requires you to be the CEO of your brand. Building a business of my own has given me so many skills to take on the business of acting. It all seems to be a bit cosmic if you ask me. That’s the basics of my story. My mission is to uplift. Whether that be through telling stories or making people feel beautiful and worthy in their skin.
My business Instagram is @tandrea_la. You will find tips and tricks and lots of beautiful tans there! I use the cleanest, and highest quality tanning solutions that guarantee the best spray tan you have ever had. I have done over 1000 spray tans at this point and have every little detail fine-tuned which is great, but the best part is that we get to hang out for a bit and have so much fun while making you GLOW. Every single body deserves to glow.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

YES! My belief for a loooong time was that to be successful I had to work really hard and it was going to be really difficult. What I have since come to learn is that it actually…doesn’t have to be that way. There is a world in which you can step into a state of pleasure and joy and allow yourself to flow. Of course you will still need to take action and do work but it doesn’t have to be difficult and it doesn’t have to be heavy. Do what sets your soul on fucking FIRE.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think when you are not pursuing a creative path it’s hard to understand someone that is. There isn’t a written plan for the life of the creative. There is no ladder to climb. You are a trailblazer. You are the one writing your own story and that triggers a LOT of fear in people. The path that feels safe to most people kills the soul of a creative, When your soul calls you into living an alternative life or a creative life it takes learning how to not take on other people’s fear as your own. Have faith in your journey, and as you put one foot in front of the other your path will unfold. Love over fear always. And also caffeine, cause damn that shit gets crazy.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Business: @tandrea_la Personal/Acting @andreaalexisadamson

Image Credits
@allie_ecklund @kjsmeby @DarkerThanTheSun