We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alex MacNicoll a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alex, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
I think failure gets a bad rap…I think a lot of people are afraid or ashamed of failure…but not only is failure completely normal and common…but it can be a great teacher…and no one is amazing at anything the first time they try it…or the second time…or the third time, etc…When we have the courage to try something and fail, and learn, and try again, and fail again, but this time fail less, and learn, and repeat…and so on and so forth-eventually we succeed. Now, how we measure that success is relative to each individual…in my opinion-success is being happy doing whatever you are doing. Success is being brave enough to try and do something you want to do or go after something you want-while knowing that you might fail, and that’s okay. Success is taking a risk and not letting failure deter you. We have a seemingly limited amount of time in this beautiful experience-why not stay present in the moment, don’t worry about the future or the past, and try and do what your heart desires?
I originally went to college to become an elementary school teacher…to be honest, I didn’t give it much thought other than I knew there would be plenty of job opportunities & it was a very stable and safe career choice…I thought it would be easy to teach simple math and reading/writing, etc…I didn’t think of the actual tiny humans that I would have to show up for every single day (while leaving any personal drama/baggage at the door) and be present for and give them tools and knowledge while cultivating a supportive learning environment. Once I shadowed a teacher and really gave it some thought-I realized that wasn’t the career that I wanted. (Although I also gained AN IMMENSE amount of appreciation and respect for teachers after that)
I then switched my major to Sport Management. I had been an athlete my entire life and enjoyed sports and felt confident that it was something that wouldn’t be too difficult and that I could coast thru. After about a semester of barely going to class, getting D’s and having very little interest in my major…I began to wonder if maybe college wasn’t for me…I certainly didn’t want to get a job where I only looked forward to the weekend and was miserable 5 days a week. My friends suggested I take a creative writing class or an acting class (since I was always goofing off and riffing and improv-ing with people…)
I thought back to when I was in high school and had enjoyed a TV Media class that I took. In that class I came up with sketches and acted a little bit…It also reminded me of my senior year in English class when my teacher (Ms. Gray) noticed that I wasn’t a strong writer and that I loathed essays and book reports, but that I had a knack for creativity. She allowed me to make movies of the books we read rather than do book reports. Which I can never be grateful enough to her for allowing me to do that…so I signed up for an acting for non-majors class with a couple friends that following semester.
I had never considered acting as a career up until this class…I had so much fun in it-it was the one class that I looked forward to every time…the one class that I did all my homework and worked my butt off for…and then one evening, while tripping on mushrooms, I had the epiphany-“Why don’t I pursue a career in something that brings me joy, rather than something that is stable and ‘realistic’…?”
I decided I would rather be broke but happy, rather than have stable income and be unhappy…so I told myself that I’d audition for the theater program & if I got in-pedal to the medal/nose to the grindstone and pursue my dream…and if I didn’t get in, and if I didn’t have the interest in it that I thought I had…then I would drop out of school and stop digging myself into debt and figure out what the heck I wanted to do haha…
Fortunately, I got into the program, overloaded my schedule and managed to graduate while only having to do 1 additional semester than originally planned…(Shoutout DeSales University class of 2011.5!)
I guess the big risk I took was by pursuing a career that has no formula or playbook for “success”…one that can be quite unstable at times and have no guarantees…however, the relationships made along the way and the good times and bad times-have really shaped who I am and who I want to be…
I’ve had my fair share of friends (and strangers) tell me that it is a ridiculous pursuit and that I won’t “make it”…but that only fueled my desire to accomplish my goals even more…(and it also made me feel bad for them-because I think people probably told them that their dreams were outlandish and could never happen-and that probably deterred them from pursuing something that they love…maybe, idk…)
I saved up some money, got a credit card, and bought a one way ticket to Los Angeles in February of 2013. I worked my butt off with multiple side jobs while pursuing my acting career- server/busser/bartender, dog walker, security guard, janitor for a Taekwondo studio that I took classes at…but the whole time I never lost sight of my dream. I kept acting as my priority and whenever I had free time I filled it with things that would make me a better actor and make me more marketable…Stunt training, weapons training, keeping my body fit, learning different accents, training with as many teachers as I could and taking nuggets of wisdom from each one…and to this day I still take classes & look to improve wherever I can…the fun thing about a career in the arts is that there is no ceiling…and no time window…
To this day, I really feel like I haven’t “worked” a day in over 10 years…okay-other than the grinding when I was literally working 3 jobs + trying to pursue acting, I suppose that felt like work…and sure, there were challenging times, and I put in hard work, but it was so satisfying knowing that I was pursuing something that gave me joy.
The best part about taking a risk is that you never know what’s gonna happen during that journey…you might even find something that you love even more than what you were originally trying to do along the way…and that is so exciting to me…So I’m a big fan of taking risks as long as they don’t harm yourself or anyone else…nothing beats working hard & being kind…I’ll leave you with a few quotes that gave me purpose and inspired me while pursuing my goals and taking risks…
“If you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse…” In relationships, in career, in anything…
“Deep the oak must sink, in stubborn earth its roots obscure…that hopes to lift its branches to the sky.”
-Sir Henry Irving
“Fortune favors the bold…”
“Impossible is nothing.”
-Muhammed Ali
Dare to fail…dare to not be perfect…love yourself and honor your truth and your dreams…be kind…have courage, take a risk…
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.
Hm…well, I was born and raised in Hunterdon County, NJ…my father was an opera singer & French polisher…my mother was a social worker…both did community theater whenever they could…
I got into acting my senior year of High School, by performing in a TV/Media class & also making short films based on the books we read in my English class…
I became a Theater major at the end of my sophomore year in college at DeSales University and have been pursuing it ever since…
I’m most proud of my parents for being their authentic selves and for being such goofy, kind and loving individuals…And I’m so grateful for them and for their support and for loving me unconditionally…I hope I can support them in the same way they have supported me…
I’m proud of the friends I have made over the years who are kind and loving and supportive of each other…
And I’m proud of my discipline when I focus and go after things…
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer
Sunrise Gratitude, Sunset Gratitude, Moonlight Gratitude by Emily Silva
Acting in Film by Michael Caine
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The Right to Speak by Patsy Rodenburg
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
I think it’s a Picasso quote, that “every child is an artist…but the problem is how to remain an artist as they grow up…”I think this is mostly due to societal pressures…it’s expensive to live in society…too expensive…I don’t wanna take away from any of the other important careers out there-but I do think we could benefit as a society if we put a bit more funding in the arts…I feel like if everyone went to more live music events and concerts and shows…and practiced artistic things like painting or music or photography, etc-we’d have less war…
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @alex_macnicoll
Image Credits
Patrick Donovan