We recently connected with Dana L. Wilson and have shared our conversation below.
Dana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?
I am not only happy as a performer, I know I was born to express and endeavor as one. That being said, as I’ve gotten older a developing interest in exploring other careers, fields and industries has bloomed in me. Not that I’d like to abandon acting or have any regrets for pursuing it, but more so recognizing I have so much potential outside of it. I’m really passionate about exploring other passions. I desire to diversify my life’s work because there’s work outside of acting that excites me and that I find fulfilling, so why not?! Following my joy led me to acting and as I continue to follow my joy I’ll see where it leads.
Dana, 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’m a Los Angeles based actress and my story is quite traditional I’d say. In a nutshell, I’m an actor who moved out to Hollywood in pursuit of a dream and worked my way up to a career. Starting from the beginning, I began acting in high school drama club and fell in love because as a shy girl I found performing on stage to be a place where I felt I had permission to let loose and express and that felt good. During my senior year I had an internship at a HB Studios in NYC and I was a PA on their mount of Short Eyes. I watched the show from the back of the house almost every night and watched how this majority POC cast poured out raw, honest, haunting, mesmerizing performances and I heard, saw and felt the audience be captured, and in those moments my view of acting transformed from a hobby to a profession right before my eyes. I learned acting could be my work. After getting my BFA in acting I moved out to Los Angeles and hit the ground running. There isn’s a structured pathway to success in this industry but if there were a ladder I’d say I climbed it rung by rung. From my first bookings in non union commercials to my current notable television work, it’s been a literal journey to success. I have over 30 film and television credits and in addition continuously working on my craft and committing ample work and effort in order to book jobs, insuring my journey as an auditioning actor is sustainable has been a major key to my success. What does that mean? For me it has meant prioritizing a happy fulfilled life so I have the bandwidth, courage, strength and faith to continue on in what can be a very harsh climate in this industry. Too often we as creatives will put so much of our life on the back-burner in some noble act of sacrifice to honor our commitment to our pursuit of our craft. But that is not sustainable because over time the lack of enjoyment and the experience of pain begins to be too much to handle. But some part of us thinks this is the way it must be. Funny how even as the most expressively creative people on the planet we will put our journey in a box. What I want us to realize is there is no box. Not only is there no box, but we haven’t missed our chance, we’ve not run out of time, and there is potential for our wildest dreams of a wonderful life looking like we can’t even imagine. So what I want us all to do (everyone on the planet, really) is pursue enjoying the ride. That doesn’t mean hard work or challenge isn’t present, but easy isn’t synonymous with joy.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
There is a stigma around having a backup plan as an actor and in truth it’s a naive and low key toxic perspective. It’s perpetuating an idea that ones sole commitment to the career is a direct correlation to ones belief in themselves and their potential. We’ve all seen some wildly successful actor humble brag when asked in interviews. But how many other actors without backup plans are not experiencing such success and freedom? We’re deserving of a perspective shift. It’s not fare to us and our lives to limit ourselves to one plan. Tequila, makeup, apparel, jewelry, etc,- When successful actors do it it’s called branding, so why can’t diversifying our income and talents at any level be mobilizing ingenuity? We are a business and jobs, streams of income, are individual tools we use to keep our business running. So instead of viewing it as a backup, see in as a diversified plan. A well devised diversified plan can help you create financial stability and freedom, in turn allowing you to continue pursuing success as an actor- I truly believe that in order to maintain pursuing acting you’ve got to be able to afford to be an out-of-work actor. Recent strikes and current flow (or lack threreof) of projects display why. Whether we like it or not, it’s an unpredictable industry. So diversify. Earn more outside of the industry. Identify ways what you love to do and/or what you’re good at is or can be monitized and pursue them.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Everything about it gives me joy. There is a lot of stress, anxiety and disappointment paved on the road to a win, but the work, the play, the creating and developing feels so good and natural and like home. I love working as an actor. And I love how much I love it because it reminds me that, “oh yeah, I’m suppose to do this”. I soak up those moments to hold with me on the journey to till the next.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: yesitsdana
- Twitter: IAmDanaLWilson