We recently connected with Jaymyria Etienne and have shared our conversation below.
Jaymyria, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today.
I would embrace my talent much earlier in life. I let fear get in the way of so many opportunities way too often and I would be further along in my career if I believed in myself at an earlier age. I wasted my early 20s being doubtful of my voice (musically and emotionally) and I wish I knew why sooner. I had lots of support from people around me but sometimes that just isn’t enough if you aren’t fighting for yourself, too.
I would also stop comparing myself to other people and their journeys. I’m bad about wanting to attempt something and if I’m not automatically decent at it (not great, not perfect – just decent) then I convince myself that it’s probably not for me. As I’ve grown as an artist and a person, I’ve learned I cannot compare my day 1 to someone else’s day 200. It isn’t fair to judge myself that harshly. No one else is.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Growing up I was always dramatically charismatic (as the youngest of four wonderfully talented siblings, I had to find ways to be heard!). Singing was my passion primarily. I chose many things before theatre: basketball, marching band, cheerleading, soccer, psychology, boys, girls… By the time I was a sophomore in high school, theatre was screaming out my name and I decided to really give it a shot. I wasn’t as educated in theatre as I wanted to be by the time I got to college though.
I went to Gainesville State – a little community college that has since joined University of North Georgia. Their theatre department is this quasi-conservatory program that allows UNG theatre majors to enroll in theatre courses at Brenau University in the downtown Gainesville area. The two universities have an alliance that doesn’t technically exist on paper, but somehow students are able to take advantage of.
If I could go back, I may have chosen a different school to attend. But for me to do that, I would also have to redo high school and make better grades – prepare harder for the SAT and all that. By the time I got to college I was so sick of school and only wanted to pursue theatre. I had no desire to take core classes because they didn’t do anything for me creatively. I pushed off taking any academics and flooded my schedule with theatre centered classes. Eventually, I began to audition and work professionally in Atlanta. I dropped out and saw no reason to return to school. What’s the point in paying the tuition when I can get paid by companies who can help me add to my resume instead?
Honestly, I should have taken some sort of gap year before college. I wasted at least 2 years in college. I partied too much, drank too often, spent too much money and time on things that didn’t matter in the long run. But at the end of the day, I know all of it, every single moment, led me to exactly where I am today. The people I met, the friends I made, the roles I got to play (and the many I didn’t) helped shape my current reality as an artist. How could I possibly give up any of it?
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I think one of the most rewarding aspects of being an artist is knowing that art will never cease to exist. The industry has transformed so much over the past 10-20 years. Trends change, shows close, pandemics shut theatres down…But art has never ended. It can never die. Humans yearn for it. They plead to hear their stories. They long to escape from the mundane through beautiful designs and orchestrations and masterpieces. And regardless of what is happening in and out of my universe, I am an artist. I have art. Art is life. Art is everything.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I am not an “aspiring” actor. I have always been and will always be an actor – period.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaymyria/
Image Credits
Main photo: Ira Carmichael Photography https://www.iracarmichaelphotography.com