We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Robyn Accetta. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Robyn below.

Alright, Robyn thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you 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?

I am finally in a place in my life where I can say that I am making my living entirely from work related to my art. I have been working and studying as an actor for almost 30 years and it has taken this long to get to where I am today. I’m not suggesting that it takes everyone this long but that has been my journey. I have always had a foot somewhere in my acting or teaching but was never able to make it my sole focus. Life is expensive and unfortunately artists are not compensated appropriately for their time or talent, so a second (or third) “Joe Job” was always required. Especially later in my journey, when I became a mom and I was no longer the only one feeling the pinch of small stipends for work done, it became important to have a reliable source of income. I often wonder sometimes if I had been more focused in my younger years if I wouldn’t have had to wait so long for things to come together. But I also don’t believe in regret. I do believe that I am exactly where I was meant to be and I had to take the path I took to get to where I am today.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am an actor and a teacher of performance. I started performing at a very young age and went to school to pursue the craft of acting as a career. I received my BA in Theatre from Michigan State University, I have a 2 Year Certificate of Completion in Performance from the prestigious Circle in the Square Theatre School on Broadway in New York City and and I have a MFA in Acting from the University of Georgia. I am also studying to become an Intimacy Choreographer and am continuing my own education with hopes of achieving certifications in The Alba Method (a safe alternative to emotion memory and other psychological techniques for releasing, maintaining, and controlling emotional states in the rehearsal studio and on stage) and in Linklater Technique (a vocal technique meant to connect the performer with their natural voice absent of habitual tensions that inhibit expression and awaken new connections to the voice/body/mind connection). I am fascinated by the connection of our bodies with our emotions and how we can utilize these in healthy ways as performers. Growing up in my early days as a performer, I was never modeled good mental health practices in this business. As the landscape of the performing arts changes, I hope to be able to provide myself and my students with full access to their instrument without self-abuse.

I currently work as an Assistant Professor and the Head of Acting at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. I am also a professional actor with representation and a member of the Actors Equity Association (the Union for Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the US) and am an eligible member with SAG-AFTRA (the Union for media professionals worldwide). I also offer private coaching to actors for both stage and screen auditions.

I am proud of my body of work both as a performer and as a teaching artist. I have had the opportunity to work with amazing people, learn from some of the greatest teachers and continue a beautiful tradition of assisting the next generation of performers make their stamp on the world.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

In my opinion, the best thing that we as a society can do to support artists and creatives is to engage. Go see the plays, concerts, and art shows all around us. Teach our children at a young age the importance of feeding our souls as well as our bellies. We need to cultivate and promote the idea that the arts are just as important as our sporting events and deserve equal attention and funding, starting inside our school system and extending out into our communities.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I come from a family where I am the sole professional creative. My family has struggled for years with my decision to pursue my art as a profession. They have worried for me that I would not be able to support myself properly and have questioned my single-minded focus on something that is so difficult to achieve, especially in our current cultural climate.

Because of this, I am acutely aware of how non-creatives look at creatives and are confused and frustrated and sometimes scared of the path we have chosen. But I would encourage non-creatives to see that we are a necessary and vital part of society. You wouldn’t want to live in a world without our creations, that we offer as gifts to the world. And if someone has chosen a creative path for the their life, I can guarantee you it was out of a need deep inside of them. Our art choses us, not the other way around.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://robynaccetta.com/
• Instagram: @accettarobyn
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robyn-accetta-9a247365/

Image Credits

Headshots taken by Atlanta based photographer Daniel Parvis (https://www.danielparvis.com/)