We recently connected with Mikey Jay and have shared our conversation below.

Mikey, appreciate you joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

Well, can you even experience happiness without going through sadness? The craziest thing about being creative is that it’s going to drive you absolutely batshit crazy. These past three years have especially driven my mind off of a cliff. I felt completely lost. In a sense, I kind of quit my dream when I moved back home because I couldn’t take any more let downs. I’ve been at war with myself, trying to figure out what to do. Do I keep pursuing this, or do I call this what it is and move on? Part of me was ready to just bartend for the rest of my life, get a house, then grow old and cranky inside of it. The other part of me wanted to keep fighting for my dream, but I was exhausted.

When I tell you I was lost, I mean I didn’t know what I was doing or where I was going. It was the first time in my life that I could not envision my future. There I was, on the verge of 30, without a freaking clue of what to do with my life. My friends in LA campaigned for me to come back and give it another shot. I didn’t think it was the right move, but I knew I wasn’t going anywhere by staying where I was, and it’s better to go somewhere rather than nowhere at all. So, I’m packing as we speak. I’ll be back in LA in October, where I’ll get back into the ring with this dream, and simply knowing that I continue to get up every time it knocks me down, makes me very happy.

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 very first paid job was a small feature for MTV’s Awkward back in 2014, but I had been practicing the craft ever since I was four. Even though I hail from a town where Lucille Ball is painted everywhere, there weren’t a lot of acting opportunities. I did take Drama in high school, along with College Theatre, where I was championed to pursue acting by my teacher, Mr. Tehan. That’s when I let my parents down and quit art, focusing on acting, solely. Then, I moved to LA, did some features/background acting, took classes, and had great auditions. By great, I mean my acting was praised, but my sexuality that I didn’t disclose was the thing blocking me from landing the role. Then, once I was able to trick them into thinking I was straight, auditions changed. Now, you need a big follower count or you have to be a Nepo baby.

That’s what sets me apart from the mass, my resilience. I’ve learned to roll with the punches. If I can’t get into Hollywood the traditional way, then I have to do something unconventional. Which is why I’ve spent the past two and a half years working on a standup comedy special that I’m also animating. My hope is that once it’s finished, I can gain some exposure from it and get my name out there to prove that I’m someone who deserves a chance in this business. On top of that, I’m also doing my best to get a screenplay pitched and a book published. It’s hard when you don’t have connections, but I won’t stop until I shake some hands and sign some papers. I’m getting the KO on Hollywood this round, whether it likes it or not.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Before I made my decision to move back to LA, I told myself I couldn’t think of leaving until I find my inner child. As lost as I was, I needed to retrace my steps to figure out why my younger self was so devoted to this dream. I walked all over town in search of myself. I stood outside my childhood home like a stalker while a new family inhabited it. I looked into old classrooms at my middle school, trying to see if a flashback would come. I spent a lot of time just talking to Lucille Ball’s tombstone like I used to. Yet, it wasn’t until I went back to Lincoln Elementary where I finally found my inner child. I noticed a sign that I hadn’t seen since it was brand new, almost 20 years ago. It was for the playground my class helped fundraise in 2004, before we graduated to the middle school.

I remembered when they unveiled it. It was shiny and brand new. Now, it was deteriorating. The wording cracked everywhere, peeling. The color had faded so much that you could only see hints of the color it used to be. It was the perfect metaphor of how I felt. Twenty years ago, I was 10, with my whole life ahead of me. I was full of color. The world used to be so vibrant to me, simply because it is to any child since it’s still new, but with time the world faded around me and within me. I was cracking, peeling, and deteriorating inside because I felt so lost. When you’re 10, you wake up and just do whatever made you happy. When you’re an adult, you wake up and do what is expected of you. In that moment, it dawned on me why I can’t give up this dream. It’s what makes me happy. Entertaining people through acting, writing, comedy, it just fuels me with serotonin. I’m dedicating my thirties to my 10 year old self because that kid has been through a lot and deserves to be happy. We all do.

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

The most rewarding aspect is the very thing you create. It’s yours. You made that. I’m very proud of the memoir and the screenplays I’ve written. I’m very proud of the art I’ve sold and had on display at museums. Through art, whether it’s physical art, music, movies, etc, it’s always a blessing when you can express something and it resonates to someone. An applause from one person can truly be a reward in itself. You’ve found someone that gets it and you found them in the most creative way possible. What is a world without creative people?

Where would we be without the ones who invented things? Where would we be without the ones that created that album you play over and over again? Where would we be without the people who created that movie you’ve seen a million times? Where would we be without the author that wrote the book that got you through that difficult time? As creators, we need to understand that these people who’ve created these amazing things were once in our shoes. They too were once wondering what they could create that established their legacy. Stop beating yourself up if you’re not where you expected to be. Age ain’t nothing but a number. People get their blessings at different stages of life. If you focus on what makes you happy, guess what you’ll eventually be?

Contact Info:

• Instagram: bitchwiththehighpitch

Image Credits
Mikey Jay