We were lucky to catch up with Lina Outler recently and have shared our conversation below.
Lina , thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
I believe I get my resilience from… are you ready for this? FAILURE! Yes, that is right I’ve have failed so many times in this life. It all started when I was born. I am my dad’s first born and my mother’s first daughter. From what I understand to be true. My parents meet in church my mom was already a young mother of two young boy’s and my father was sent to Pennsylvania to live and work with his uncle and to send money back home to help take care of his mother and younger sister. My mother totally foiled my grandmother’s plan for my father with her beautiful looks and go and get attitude. My mom’s say’s once I came along my father would come home from working the night shift as a janitor at the hospital whisk past her run up the steps get me out of my crib and hold me in the light and admire me so. I think thats when I began my journey to failure. I was failing at the job of keeping my father in all of my mother because I had come along and stolen his affection. My parents went on to have my sister 22 months after me I understood very early that I had to give all I could at everything I did. I found out very early that nothing I did came easy from school, cheer leading I used to get frustrated because I would give my all. I became a mother at 15 years and had a understanding that and long as I give my all to whatever I want even if I fail that I can over come and still get to where I need to be. I wish I had this other….NOT! No, I have day dreamed about how who would I be if every thing came to me easy. I come to understand that I would not be the best me if i had failed at so many things in my life. I am extremely grateful for being able to fall, dust myself off and get back up and continue on my journey. My life’s failure have led me down a career path that I never could have even dreamt about. I really get warm and tingly inside when folks have counted out me of success and I am able for bounce back from the failure. It really drives me, to take what others think is nothing and against all odds turn into some something that is of good. I think under dogs come in all shades and sizes and colors I am one. I almost forgot you must have faith to even get to your failure so take that leap of faith and cross your fingers that you’ll fail.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am a actress, writer, director and independent film maker. I would have never ever thought that I would have ever been able to do anything in the entertainment field. I often have said if I had a bet a million dollars on being someone who made movies I would have lost that bet. I never knew that was a thing… at least not where I was born and raised which was in Harrisburg,PA. I’ll let you in on a funny story, when I was about ten years old my twin aunts told me that Eddie Murphy was coming into to town to shoot a movie and there will be a casting call in downtown Harrisburg at a place called strawberry square. So I gathered my sister and my best friend and her cousin and we walked all the way from my side of town to the casting call. We show up and there’s a line thats wrapped around the entire inside of the building. I noticed some people starring at us but I was none the wiser I was all ready with my most recent school pictures that I put in my yellow report card envelop. I get in the line and once to the front the woman says yes how can I help you? I said yes, I’m here for the Eddie Murphy movie.. She looks at me then she scans her eyes over my crew. Are you here with parents? I replied no. She say’s ok I’ll take your picture. And I was sent packing, I didn’t even understand that I wasn’t in the running or that I didn’t even come close to having a chance. But, I had no clue until I got older and understood that you need way more the a school picture in order to get in this business. But, I love my 10 year old confidence and the fact that nothing could stop me from shooting my shot. I have kept that hope that if I think I can do then I can and it has nothing to do with anyone thinking i’m good enough or that I have the things that some may say I need in order for me to accomplish my goals and dreams. I also would like everyone to know that it is important to support people even if you think you don’t think they need it. I currently have my Christmas movie on Tubi entitled “Christmas The Wright Way” I’m currently working on a dramatic suspense series that will be out the fall of this year. My goal is to continue to create content that brings hope and faith while be true to life’s experiences.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1. Don’t be afraid to fail and look silly while doing it.
2. It’s ok to have phases in your life, If your a stripper at 18 it’s ok to be a writer, director, film maker at 40. Or whatever GOD has called you to be your purpose will never fail you. But, others discouragement will.
3. Never allow what you never seen to determine if you can achieve it.
My advise would be that don’t quit it’s ok to step back and even take a break. But never give up, never be laughed out of a room everything you have done to get into the room allows you to hold your head up and stand on business as my 12 year old enjoys saying.
Always stayed prayed up. I do! My faith and love of Jesus allows me to keep going in times that I want to give up and quit. Understand that there is a plan and that if GOD showed it to you all at once you would run. Also remember that of you have been given the task a way would be made for it to come to pass. You don’t need a whole lot of stuff just a whole lot of faith.
Be prepared to work hard and long and sometimes it goes without others seeing it. Nothing matters as long as you keep going.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
I usually have faced hardship do to others disbelief in being more then what some would consider an attractive woman. I have always been taught that looks fade and you need to be more than a pretty face or pleasing to the eye. I have always had to prove myself more the then what I’ve would have liked to because I’m woman of color. I would like for people to be open minded and not to judge a book by its color. I over come this by leading with the work I have done up until this point and showing I’m of value with or without some one giving me the thumbs up. I would like to connect with others who see value in people who may not have gotten into this business by old standards gifts and talents come in all types.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @LINAOUTLER
- Facebook: LINA OUTLER
