Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gaya Verneuil. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Gaya, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
I’ve adopted a lifestyle rooted in Nature, which makes me extremely happy and fueled. I live in a beach shack by the ocean, two hours away from LA. Surfing helps me so much to meditate, create space, challenge myself, and connect. It keeps me very present. Being out there in the vastness of the ocean, surrounded by wildlife and never-ending cliffs, the current rocking me, studying the waves, and paddling for them, trying to feel the lift of the board, standing up when I think I’m falling. It’s a wonderful metaphor for life. I find it all so incredibly relevant and I learn so much about myself out there. Surfing really mirrors how you hold yourself in the world, how you talk to yourself…When I get out of the water, I feel I understand myself better, what I need to nurture, what I need to let go of. It makes me feel brave and I can take on anything! I surround myself with people who inspire me, challenge me and help me grow. And I always push myself to be curious, to experience new things with an open mind, food, travel, books, movies, anything. I can feed off it all as long as I have the space and energy to be present and receive. It’s no secret why all my favorite poets spent so much time outdoors, filling their souls in the abundance of it all and putting into words their marvel in the face of such beauty,
And within all this abundance of good vibes, I survive the hardship I go through by turning it into art. Whether it is writing a poem, adding pages to my diary, inventing a story, or playing a character whose circumstances I can relate to. It’s very therapeutic for me and truly helps me face my own monsters and overcome them. It’s been this way since I was a kid, I lost my Dad and found acting as a means to push out all the sorrow and anger that were taking hold of me. I’ve always been curious and I love observing people. Once you’ve made the space around you and you make a true effort to be present, whether it be at a play you’re watching, a movie, around people, or reading a story, when you open yourself up to the world, you realize that the monster you thought you needed to exorcise lives in each one of us and we aren’t so different. The bad thing that happened to you which you believe to be unfair and which has chastised you from others hasn’t. It makes you just like everyone else.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
So, I’m an actress, it’s basically the only profession I have ever experienced. Except five years ago when I took a break and served at a restaurant/club in Geneva. At the time, I was fascinated by the nightlife and assumed that since I liked partying I would enjoy working at a club too. HAHAHA Well… come to find, partying and serving the people who are partying are polar opposite experiences.
Going back to my thespianism, I started working in France as a series regular on a cop show, Candice Renoir. I don’t think I could have asked for a better introduction to acting. The whole 5 seasons I was part of felt like summer camp. From the get-go, a strong brotherhood/sisterhood established itself amongst the entire crew (not just between the actors). I had always wanted to act in the US, so five years in, I took a big leap and amicably parted with the show. Cut to, here I am trying to establish a career in the US and obtain my green card. I wish for a nomadic career in which I can work on both continents. My ultimate goal, of course, is to get to work with Quentin Tarantino and Guillermo Del Toro as I am a massive admire of their work. I love the way Tarantino empowers women and turns them into the most badass chicks anyone can ever hope to be. And Mr Guillermo’s stories bleed out such poetry, it shakes my core.
On another very exciting note, Marc Forster is directing a remake of one of my father’s movies « The Cow », needless to say, I would want nothing more than to honor my Dad’s memory and be a part of this project.
Lastly, I’m sorting through my own writings… As time flies, I’m becoming more aware that I not only want to be a channel to other people’s stories, I want to share my own. A lot of them seem to theme around dark tales…in which my characters overcome their wounds and fears, by choosing to survive and grow and become a better person because of it.
I’ve always been fascinated by people, why we say what we say and then do what we do. We’re such complex beings. Art allows me to explore the light as well as the darkness within me and broadens my empathy towards others.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I don’t care about other people’s’ judgement I believe empathy is a strength not a weakness
I never stop going after my dreams
The two biggest lessons I’ve learned and keep revisiting and would offer as advise are:
1- To never ask for permission to create!
2- To immerse yourself in abundance. So that when your expectations aren’t met in one area of your life, your whole world doesn’t come crashing down. Because so many other things fulfill you!
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
I cry and then I take a BIG step back.
Zoom out. Reconnect with what and who you love and know that it’s the only thing that matters. For me that usually looks like a two hour conversation on the phone with my brother followed by a surf session.
Then kick yourself in the ovaries or in the nuts and get back up! Figure out what you need to do or change to get over that wall you just hit. There’s always another way…
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.gayaverneuil.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wakatepebabun/
Image Credits
Main picture, by Paul Smith
