Meet Tessa Markle

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tessa Markle. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tessa, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
Believe me when I say, I’ll probably never stop feeling some level of imposter syndrome. However, I’ve learned to acknowledge that feeling, remind myself of my worth and accomplishments, and not be afraid to exude confidence. When I’m feeling less confident, I remind myself of all of my accomplishments thus far – the work it took to get here and the pride I feel. I also stop and remind myself that everyone had to start somewhere. We all started on our journeys knowing nothing about what we’re professionals or experts on now! We will never stop learning, growing, and honing our craft. There’s always room for improvement, but that also means we’ve continually improved along the way.
The important thing to remember is someone, somewhere looks up to you. Someone, somewhere sees your accomplishments and wants to learn from you. Someone, somewhere is impressed. The chance to share your expertise is so valuable and to help someone else gain the confidence you now have is an amazing feeling.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I grew up in the tiny town of Scottdale, PA, smack dab between Pittsburgh and West Virginia. I loved performing from the time I could talk and was constantly asking my parents to watch my antics and film them on the camcorder. Around age 10, I joined my local community theatre, the Geyer PAC and did every show I possibly could all the way through my college years. In high school, Geibel Catholic, I did all of the musicals, and was very active in the theatre department at my college, Washington and Jefferson, majoring in theatre and re-activating our local Alpha Psi Omega theatre fraternity. After graduation, I performed professionally in Pittsburgh before making the move to Los Angeles.

After moving to LA, I began my career in film, commercial, voiceover, and TV. My passion for acting in a highly competitive environment led me to create my own content, and upon meeting my now production partner, Carolina Alvarez, we formed Femme Regard Productions in 2018. Femme Regard allowed us to write, direct, produce, and star in our own productions. From shorts to our first feature, currently in post-production! While producing our first short, we realized that we wanted to share our journey, get real with the ups and downs, and give other beginners a peek into what worked and didn’t work for us. We were learning things we never talked about in class and felt that we wanted to share that with other creatives! So we started Femme Regard Podcast the following year and have since expanded to interview amazing industry professional guests and join the Geekscape Network.

I am proud of myself for allowing my idea of success to change and grow along with my career and my own self. For trying everything and then narrowing down my own path. For sharing my experiences and knowledge gained with my peers and hopefully inspiring other creatives. And most recently, for producing and starring in my first Femme Regard feature-length film, Sync!

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Patience, Adaptability, Intrinsic Motivation.

I knew from the start that I had chosen a career in an industry that takes TIME to have success in. I knew that I would have to continually work hard in order to accomplish my goals, but also, that even if I did everything “right” it still may take longer than I’d like. The sooner you can accept that in an artistic industry, the less anxiety and doubt you’ll suffer from.

In such an uncertain industry, with no real clear path to success, you have to be adaptable. You have to be able to set goals and be okay with reevaluating them down the road. Maybe your career path will change. Maybe your dreams with change. None of that means failure, it only means you’re adaptable.

As a creative, you will have people cheering you on and just as many doubting you. You will have peers rooting for you and wanting to support you but you will also encounter people who just cannot wrap their head around what you do. Through it all, you have to be able to motivate yourself. You have to have a drive that won’t let you stop when you encounter road blocks.

I think all of the above comes with experience, both in the industry and in life. The sooner you can identify and acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses, the sooner you can improve.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
I’ve always been a go-getter. I’ve always had a lot on my plate and multiple irons in the fire. So, I’ll be honest, I feel overwhelmed A LOT. But when I do, I pause and think about why I feel that way. Is it because of my day job? Because of my social life? Because of a project I’m working on? Or my career in general? Once I can identify why I’m feeling that way, it’s much easier to handle. TAKE A BREAK! Sometimes you have to finish that project by a deadline or can’t call out of work but sometimes you can treat yourself to something as simple as a couple day staycation to reset. Sometimes the solution is as simple as letting yourself sleep in til the afternoon! Sometimes you need a walk in nature. And sometimes you need an actual vacation. Identify what makes you happy and make time for that before the overwhelm turns into burnout.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Christopher Violette Chris Kapcia Bahareh Ritter

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