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

Hi Indya, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I knew I wanted to pursue a professional creative/artistic path before I graduated from high school. The full answer is somewhat two-part… walk with me for a bit.

When I was younger, I wanted to be a pediatrician… far from an artistic career path, right? It wasn’t until I was in middle school and saw a production of West Side Story at Monroe Area High School, directed by my dad with his students as the cast. I was absolutely amazed, enamored, and in awe of what I was watching onstage. I wasn’t new to the stage because of Easter programs at church; but this was different, and West Side Story surely isn’t a child’s annual Easter speech. You’d think that was when I made the career switch in my mind? Nope.

After seeing West Side Story, I knew that I wanted acting to be a part of my life from that point, but I couldn’t let go of the pediatrician dream. I attended South Cobb High School’s Magnet Program for Medical Sciences. I was there for my freshman and sophomore years. I learned quite a bit, but something didn’t feel right. No longer did I feel the same passion for pediatrics that I did when I was a little girl.

In the middle of my sophomore year of high school, I sat my mom down and told her that I didn’t want to be a pediatrician anymore… I want to be an actor. I think she thought I was sitting her down to tell her about a really big life change, like I was pregnant or something. I wasn’t pregnant, but this was still a big life change for me. I transferred to another high school for my junior and senior years, and I performed in my first professional play, A Song for Coretta with New African Grove Theatre Company, when I was a senior in high school.

I believe that an artistic career path was always in God’s plan for me. Before he passed, my father had a video production company, Bussey Video Productions. Also, my dad is a successful actor, director and producer and runs a production company, Starr Enterprises, with my mom. Pediatrics wasn’t my ultimate field, and I’m so happy, humbled and blessed to have taken the leap into this artistic career path.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hey y’all! How you doin’? I’m Indya Bussey. I’m an Atlanta-based actor from Marietta, GA, and I’ve been a professional actor for more than 10 years. I received my BFA with a concentration in Theatre Performance from Columbus State University. Also, I received my MS in Entertainment Business from Full Sail University. Fun fact: I also have a bit of dance training in ballet, modern, liturgical, African, musical theatre, and tap.

I absolutely love what I do, and it’s only by the grace of God that I’m able to do what I love in a professional context. Naturally, I’m very proud of my resume and where God has taken me on this path. Never did I ever think I’d be on big stages and see myself onscreen, but that’s just the surface! I’m proud of the storytelling that I do with my craft. Our gifts are not for us, they’re for us to do for others. I’m not out here acting for myself… I’ve been a part of, and still aim to, provoke thoughts, start conversations and bridge gaps. That’s what I believe is my God-given purpose here: to use my art and do my part to help make this world a better place.

I’m also proud of the connections I’ve made and the community in which I’ve come to be a part. I am most proud of myself for taking the leap and having faith. Faith and fear cannot live in the same world just like we can’t worry and pray at the same time. This profession ain’t for the weak, lemme tell ya. Folks ask how I do it… stay focused and determined, learn lines, etc… My testimony has, is, and always will be… “but God!”

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Admittedly, I learned a couple very valuable lessons when I moved back to Atlanta after graduating and starting booking more roles. First, one singular booking does not guarantee lifetime success. Second, stay grounded and humble. Don’t get a big head.

My first TV booking was a day player role on P-Valley. Some folks I know still call me Blue Cinnamon to this day. I was grateful, absolutely. Shortly after I finished filming with P-Valley and put Blue Cinnamon to bed, I booked a recurring role on Marvel’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Huge jump from a day player role… I was floored and shook. It was one of the best experiences of my life! It was freaking Marvel!

My castmates on Falcon were some of the sweetest souls I’ve ever encountered in my life. Similar to what I imagine watercooler conversations are like in corporate America, we, actors, have similar conversations in the green room while we’re waiting to go on set. So, naturally, we talked and got to know one another. I was on set with some VETS… folks who had been in the game longer than me and it was so cool! After they found out that Falcon was only my second booking upon moving back to Atlanta, they made me feel valued, respected, and so good. They made me feel like a star! A couple of my castmates that I was closer to told me that I was going to be booking this and booking that after this was done… ESPECIALLY since Falcon was only my second TV booking. I had to admit: I started feeling myself a lil bit.

We got back from Prague, filming was officially done, and I was on a high! I was on a podcast, I was still hearing from folks about the show and what I was going to do next! My IMDb star meter was going up and you couldn’t tell me a thing! I got a little too big for my britches and thought work surely was going to come to me because I just finished working for Marvel!

Then…*crickets*…

I didn’t book another TV role for a few years… Can you say humbling??? I was crushed. Let me be clear about something. I don’t blame my castmates for the things said to me. They were pouring into me and saw me as a professional on their level for which I am grateful. My flaw was letting it all go to my head… Pride, indeed, goes before the fall.

I could have given up… could’ve switched to another career path where I wasn’t fulfilled. But God… I learned lessons in faith, humility, and resilience. One job DOES NOT guarantee lifetime success. The hustle is ongoing and the work doesn’t stop. Once the job is done, you’re unemployed so it’s time to do what needs to be done to get back to work. The past job is on the resume but the business of the actor requires more than just relying on that resume… Thankfully, I did book other roles; even going on to book a role on ABC… I wouldn’t have done that if I gave up after there was no immediate success after Falcon… Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready. Opportunity + preparation = the blessing!

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/belief I had to unlearn and get out of my head is the concept of imposter syndrome. Almost every artist that I know has struggled with imposter syndrome at some point in their career. The specific feeling with which I struggled was feeling like I wasn’t good enough and didn’t deserve to be where I was in my career. I felt like there were better choices than myself. I felt like that for a long time… like I was always the last kid chosen for the kickball team.

Self-esteem and imposter syndrome are related in the worst way. Usually, the lower the self-esteem, the higher the feeling of imposter syndrome. But God… (I told y’all this is gonna always be my testimony). After spending time with God, having support from my village, and some much-needed therapy (go to therapy, y’all), the imposter syndrome started to turn around. With humility, I started to realize and understand who I am and whose I am. I’m not cocky, I’m confident.

I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing. It’s all in God’s plan. I used to go into auditions thinking… “But what if I don’t get it? I might not get it. Oh well.” That thinking absolutely kills the creative process and the motivation to continue on. It made my auditions worse! I made the change from thinking, “But what if I don’t get it?” to thinking, “But what if I do?” It’s all perspective. This line of thought changed the way I carry myself as an actor and as a person overall.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://imdb.me/IndyaBussey
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/indyabussey
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/indya.morgan

Image Credits

Leviticus Starr
Casey Gardner Ford