We were lucky to catch up with Dani Guillory recently and have shared our conversation below.

Dani, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I have always been creative since I was a little girl. I always found different ways to express that side of myself, whether it was through talent shows, painting, drawing, or anything else that drew in my attention. So being involved in art in some way, shape or form has just been a part of me always. Of course as I grew older, thinking of acting or any type of creative career just started to seem like such a far fetched idea. Once reality hits, bills come in, real life happens, thinking of expressing myself creatively and following that type of dream starts to feel like it’s “just a dream” or like it’s something you just do for fun but you can’t take it serious because life is serious.

However, I am very much into bettering myself and continuing to learn and grow in life. I came across some advice that said “if you’re unhappy in life, think about what you used to do as a kid, what did you do for fun, what brought joy into your life?”, and when I thought back I remembered all the plays I would do at school. I remembered how much joy that brought me and how effortlessly happy I was. Even when I would play “make believe” and create scenarios to act out while letting my imagination run wild, those are some of my favorites times in childhood, so I decided to bring that back into my adult life by pursuing acting! It’s funny because the other day I was doing a deep clean at home and I came across old paperwork and arts and crafts I did from elementary school, and I saw that on one of the papers the question was, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” and I said “Actor!”. Seeing that just solidified for me that I am definitely on the right path and doing what truly makes me happy!

Dani, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am an actress, and I also do social media management. I feel both of these work really well in my life because I have a job that is super flexible and allows me to do auditions or be on set at random times. It’s also great because even though social media management is my job, it is still something that allows me to be super creative. I also love it because I love working with my clients, they are all so great and I love that it allows me to meet such amazing people from many different backgrounds.

With acting, once I realized this was something I wanted to take serious I really didn’t know where to start. I feel like acting is something that has a unique path for everyone that goes into this field. First I started by just doing my own research on the craft. I bought many books, watched lots of videos, followed other actors on social media and soaked in as much as I could on my own. Next I joined an online acting community that gave lots of advice, resources and allowed me to connect with other working actors. Then I joined an acting class which has been so amazing and fun for me! Between learning the Meisner technique and even doing improv, I grew so much! After that I started submitting for roles and auditioning and I continue to do that. I recently was on set for a supporting role I booked and it’s just such an amazing experience, and is definitely something I will do for the rest of my life!

I think when you do what is truly meant for you, things will happen organically, nothing needs to be forced! That has been my process with acting and even with social media management, things happen, doors open, things take me down a certain direction, and I always end up exactly where I need to be.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson I had to unlearn was about being “perfect”. Perfection is not the goal, but I used to think it was. I think we all at one time or another have this feeling that we have to be perfect. We have to have a perfect image, any project you submit has to be perfect before turning it in, you have to have things go exactly the way you perfectly planned or else it’s a failure. Perfection is not the goal. I submitted an audition one time and I kept rewatching it before I submitted it and I felt like it was good but I didn’t feel like it was perfect, but I submitted it anyway and ended up booking that role. When I started acting class, I felt like this wasn’t the perfect time, I had a lot going on in my life and I remember I kept thinking well maybe in a few months when things are more settled I should join, but something in me just pushed me to start now, and to stop waiting for the “perfect” timing. I’m so happy I didn’t wait for the perfect time. I also noticed in life some of my favorite actors that I look up to are so amazing because they aren’t perfect! They have something about them that is quirky or different but that’s what makes them so intriguing! Perfection isn’t real, and you should never wait for anything to be perfect, just do what feels right instead.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect is the feeling of doing something because I genuinely love it. There are so many people in the world who never chased their true dreams and that makes me sad. There is so much joy in really doing what you want and what you love. That happiness bleeds into all the other areas of your life as well, which creates a sense of fullness. I can say that I am truly happy, and I know that the universe will lead me down the path that will bring the most joy and abundance for me as long as I’m doing it for myself and my happiness.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/daniguillory
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daniwiththevibes/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/daniwiththevibes