We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alyssa Anne Austin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alyssa Anne, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
This is something I feel very strongly about! I encounter a lot of young artists who are dead-set on the idea that their artistic work should provide for them – that they can and should make a full-time living from their creative work, and that their identity as an artist is dependent on them being a “full time actor.” I believe this is an unrealistic and unhelpful mindset for all artists, especially young artists.
The reality is – creative work is rarely guaranteed. It is INCREDIBLY hard to get a job as a creative, especially as an actor. Almost every acting job I book, I have to audition for, and 99% of the time – you DON’T get the job! It’s a harsh reality, but it goes with the territory (another reason you have to work really hard on building “rejection resilience” and a strong mindset). So if you go into creative work expecting it to provide for you financially, it’s very likely that you will start to feel disheartened very quickly, and you may even start to feel resentful towards your creative work – which is EXACTLY what we don’t want!
I learned a long time ago that I wasn’t going to depend on acting to provide for me (the reality is that this is the case for like… 2% of actors in the world! Look it up! The stats are staggering.) This is why it was so important for me to build a coaching business that allowed me to create financial stability and time freedom for myself – a business I can control and depend on to provide the lion share of my income. And when I do book those theatre contracts or those high-paying commercial spots, it’s like a bonus!
I feel very strongly that actors can and SHOULD pursue other interests and even lines of work outside of acting. Not only will it provide for you financially, but it will also give you more life experience to draw from WHEN you are acting. (To be an actor, you have to be a human first!) Having other income sources and having other jobs doesn’t make you any less of a creative. In fact, it will actually make you more interesting, more well-rounded, and more CONFIDENT to take risks with your artistic work, because you’re not dependent on or expectant of your artistic work to provide anything for you.
I actually wrote and performed a whole one-woman show in 2022 around the platform that “You can be MORE than one thing” (and that you are more unique, memorable, and authentic when you ARE!) You can be an actor, an author, an entrepreneur, a career coach, a fitness instructor – and this multi-hyphenate quality doesn’t make you any LESS in any of these categories; it actually allows you to bring MORE to each of them! So – pursue what interests you, do your art because you love it, and allow those lines to blur. Because isn’t that SO much more interesting anyways?
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.
My name is Alyssa Anne Austin. I’m an award-winning actor, best-selling author, and creative entrepreneur based in San Diego and New York City. I am currently performing in <i>The Complete Works of Jane Austen, Abridged </i>at Ensemble Theatre Company in Santa Barbara.
As an actor, I pride myself on my sparkling stage presence, fearless comedic instincts, and bold character work. I have had the privilege of working at some of the nation’s most iconic theaters, including The Old Globe, La Jolla Playhouse, and La Mirada Theatre, and I also have an acclaimed one-woman show, “Always a Banana, Never the Bride: An Ode to Broadway’s Lesser Ladies,” which I debuted in 2022.
On screen, I’ve become a recognizable face in households across America through national commercial campaigns with Downy, Tide, SeaWorld, Shutterfly, and more. A trained dancer since the age of three, I’ve performed and competed for decades at elite levels, including as a member of the nationally ranked Penn State Lionettes dance team.
Before fully embracing my artistic path, I spent more than seven years as a marketing professional—a chapter that fuels my belief that it’s never too late to reinvent yourself and follow your dreams. Today, I blend my artistry with entrepreneurship through my coaching business, Poised & Professional, where I empower clients to develop confidence, discover their unique gifts, and own their stories.
I’m also a proud “elder millennial TikToker,” creating uplifting digital content for a community of 10,000+ followers and subscribers of my weekly newsletter, The Friday Five, which inspires self-discovery and reflection.
Offstage, I’m based in San Diego, where I’m a devoted wife to my husband, Mike, and dog mom to Kai and River, carrying in my heart the memory of my angel pups, Kona and Georgie.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the in-person connection. I believe that we were put on this earth to connect with each other, and I have found no better way to do that than through the art of live theatre. There is something truly so magical and powerful about a group of human beings all sitting in a theatre together having a shared emotional experience. It reminds us – at the end of the day – that we’re all in the same boat. Regardless of who we are on paper, we’re all just people with real struggles, joys, flaws, worries, and so much more. It’s the most singularly unifying experience I can think of. And to be an artist that is facilitating and providing that shared experience – it’s the greatest gift.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I consider my mission in life to be to help others discover and use their unique gifts. This drives a lot of my creative work as well. It took me a LONG time in my own artistic journey to realize the power of authenticity – of embracing who you uniquely are, what you uniquely are great at, and that you’re enough, just as you are. Over time, I realized that when you honor and use your gifts, it leads to the greatest type of fulfillment and joy you can experience. And when I stepped into this for myself – when I stopped trying to be like other artists that were seeing “success” and instead embraced what *I* brought to the table and what MY gifts were – this is when my career really took off. In every role or project take on, or every song I sing, I lead with, “How can I bring MYSELF to this? How can I showcase my gifts and put my own unique artistic stamp on this?”
This mission is a big aspect of my coaching business as well – whether I’m working with women in the workforce or women in the creative world – the first place we start is with “What makes you unique? What are you great at? What makes you – YOU?” Because when you know that, you’re able to show up authentically, and with presence, and as the BEST version of yourself – on stage or off.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.alyssaanneaustin.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alyssaanneaustin
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyssaguttendorf/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@alyssaanneaustin
- Other: https://poisedandprofessional.com/
Image Credits
Headshot: Leah Huebner Dance, Photos: Jonathan Edzant