We recently connected with Nicole Cinaglia and have shared our conversation below.
Nicole, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?
Haha, no, unfortunately. I wish. My journey looks like many others journeys. Where you work a side job to provide for your life so you can stay in a specific location to do what you love to do. I worked in countless restaurant jobs to pay for my rent and food so I could live in Los Angeles, CA and follow my dreams to be a successful Actress. It was like this from day one up until my last day when I moved back East to take care of some health stuff in 2023. Major steps and milestones…getting on TV for the first time, Auditioning at WB studios, Making my own projects. I think if I went out earlier than 25 years of age I may have gotten more opportunities and sooner. And who knows, everything happens for a reason. It unfolds how it’s gonna. And you really have no control over most of it. All you can control is what you put into it. Get into that acting class, develop your craft, audition for as much was you can (it’s a numbers game), network, learn as much as you can, be humble, and show up for yourself.
Nicole, 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?
Hello gracious readers! I am an Actress and Filmmaker. I was acting from a very small age, like kindergarten, and I never stopped! When I was in HS and I blew my knee out, I felt that was my sign to go to school for Acting over pursuing sports. When I was in college, I didn’t make any of the productions and wanted to give up. Eventually, I was cast in someone’s thesis film and fell in love with the art of Film. By 2009 I made the brave decision to try this for a living and wanted to move to NYC. After staring at a fireplace in a dark dank apartment in Brooklyn for an hour, I decided to go big or go home…Sunny Los Angeles, California it was. I moved in 2012 and it was my home for the next 11 plus years.
I hit the ground running once I got there. I’m a hard worker. I’m dedicated. I’m loyal. It’s in my DNA (Thanks Mom and Dad). I could not, not succeed. I didn’t get all the opportunities I wanted and it didn’t look how I intended it to look, but I got a lot more than I ever could have imagined. I am very grateful for my time in LA. I got to play some exciting roles and everything I experienced was a catalyst for making my own projects. It’s all relevant.
I would say my strengths are bringing people together, getting things completed, time management, production management, and being a leader. I can think outside the box which can be extremely beneficial in a production environment when things move very fast. If we can’t get it done due to timing or money or one of the many hiccups you’ll experience during production, I’ll find a way and come up with something else. I know what I’m capable of and I’m a huge asset wherever I land. I’m a great collaborator and thrive off the energy of a production set. To date I am most proud of Drift and Porcelain, my own projects, that are out there for the world to see. Mental Health Awareness is a huge part of my work and what drives me.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I love the term “pivot” …it’s a positive perspective on life taking an unexpected turn, which happens often, as that’s life. It’s all about what you do with it. I wish I could tell you I was 100 percent graceful about it, but I was angry, lost and confused through this process. I felt “ripped off” and “ripped out” of a life I created for myself.
I had a Fibroid issue that was impacting my quality of life, it started in 2020 when I had a cyst pop, leading to a Fibroid diagnosis, and a 3 year journey seeing many different Doctors, having a surgery set up, to it falling through due to an insurance issue and forcing my decision to move back East to seek better medical care. I found a lump in my breast in 2022. After an ultrasound labeling it “most likely benign,” I was due for my 6th month follow up ultrasound while I was here and it turned out to be Breast Cancer. My health was a “pivot” if you will.
It was scary going through all this health stuff and not having financial stability and at such a young age. Not even having a home to call my own. I was lucky to be able to come back and stay with family through treatment. I had to put the career on hold (even while selling my feature Porcelain) and got a full-time job after treatment. I had to really hunker down and focus on healing and surviving. Not only from the health stuff, but in a world where the economy is terrible, and no one is paying you enough. I developed an autoimmune issue after treatment that affects my muscles and I’m still playing catch up on processing everything that happened. What I’ve been through, what’s happening now, the transitions that came with it (the pivot if you will) and making the most out of it. I will say I’m finding my way back to the industry and even excited to start auditioning again. I am filming a Documentary at the end of October. Even through this, I am always keeping a foot in the creative. It feeds my soul.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect for me is when I can help someone else follow their dreams of acting or filmmaking. Or guide them from my experiences. Even just connecting people is extremely fulfilling. Why not? You can’t take anything with you when you go and why not share what you know. Pay it forward is my mentality. If I can share or help in any way that really lights me up. And when someone has seen some of my work, that just blows my mind! If I made them think, feel, and/or have some sort of response…it is an incredible feeling. To give something. And then I can receive their reaction. It’s a beautiful process. And hey not everyone is going to like what you do! I just had a friend ask what I do about negative reviews or something that didn’t turn out how I expected. I told them, “it’s art, it’s relevant, it got made and completed, and it’s out there…be proud of that, because not eveything you do will” also, “everyone is entitled to their opinion” I stay away from any negativity. I take it all with a ‘grain of salt.’ I embrace constructive criticism and try and learn and grow and do better on the next one. And I’ll say it again, it’s all relative. All part of your journey. Keep going.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nicolecinaglia.com
- Instagram: @nicolecinaglia
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicolecinaglia
- Youtube: https://www.facebook.com/nicolecinaglia
Image Credits
Josh Quintero