We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Liza Seneca a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Liza, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
In the past few years, I have developed a passion for running and I have found it to have a huge impact on my life as an artist. When I was first starting out in the entertainment industry, I often heard the phrase, “This career is a marathon, not a sprint,” but it wasn’t until I started training for a half marathon and then eventually a full marathon that I saw the similarities and the vital importance of discipline in maintaining a long career. As artists, we often wait until we feel inspired or until we feel like the muse is with us to sit down and work on an audition, or write, or memorize lines, or any of the countless things we do every day to build and maintain artistic careers. Running has taught me that discipline, not motivation, is the key. If I have five miles on the calendar, I don’t wait until I feel like running (because on many days that would be never), I just lace up my sneakers and go. Running has also taught me that every day is different and we don’t always feel like our best selves, but we continue to show up. Some runs are great and I feel like I could go forever, some feel eternal and like I never should have gotten out of bed. Same with auditions, same with live performances, same with every single aspect of being a creative person. The satisfaction comes from doing the work.
A marathon, like a career in the arts, can feel daunting. Because of the discipline of running, whenever my head starts spinning about how to achieve something that feels out of reach, I remind myself that it’s one foot in front of the other, one mile at a time.
I would urge anyone who feels stuck in some aspect of their lives to seek out a physical discipline, implement it regularly, and see what kind of impact it has.
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?
I am originally from The Netherlands, but have called California home for many years now. I am an actress, voice over artist, Co-Artistic Director of The 6th Act Theatre Company, and a fledgling writer and director. I am married with two boys who are 3 and 6, so I know what it’s like to juggle a lot and still try to carve out some space for yourself. I have performed on big and small stages all over the country, have been seen on tv and in films, and have had my voice featured in video games, tv shows, movies, and audio books.
One of the things I’m most proud of is my theatre company, The 6th Act, that I co-founded with my dear friend Matthew Leavitt. We have been around for about eight years now and just wrapped up a successful run of Matthew’s new play “Sukkot” at the Skylight Theatre. The company was formed as a true labor of love, wanting to feel more in control of the things we are putting out in the world. As an actor (or writer or director), you can so often feel like a cog in a wheel, just waiting for someone to decide you get to work (this is especially true as an actor, which is my primary career). With the theatre company, we get to decide what shows we want to do and the people we want to work with. It’s an extraordinary amount of work, but it’s incredibly rewarding.
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?
A hunger to learn and improve – in my experience, the most talented people are always still a bit insecure about their work, which I think comes from a life long devotion to excellence. The mediocre are always somehow the most confident. I think there can and should be a balance – enough confidence to know you are good at what you do, but enough curiosity to always keep learning.
An ability to let go of things that are not in your control – this one is so hard. In any creative pursuit, you truly have to make peace with the fact that you (or your writing, your art, whatever it is) is not going to be everyone’s taste and that’s ok. As an actor, you have to learn to let go of an audition as soon as it’s over, because it’s completely out of your control. So many factors go into making some people mega stars and others journeyman actors. Many of my very favorite actors are people that you have never heard of, but they are steadily working, making a living, and doing what they love. You have to surrender to the marathon nature of the beast and decide if you have the temperament to deal with it.
A sense of self – knowing yourself, what you do well, where you fit in the business (I think this is true of any profession). Take an inventory of your skills. As an actor, take an inventory of your strongest traits and how people see you. Go to the theatre to be a chameleon – that’s the true actor’s medium.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
Like so many parents, I am dealing with that ever elusive notion of balance. I want to be a fully present parent and I also know that I am a better parent when I work and am satisfied artistically. Though I think we are finally having long overdue conversations about burnout and the unrealistic expectations put on particularly women, there is still this notion that you can “have it all.” I’m certainly not the first one to say this, but I subscribe one hundred percent to the idea that yes, you can have it all, but you cannot have it all at once. You have to make choices about where to focus your energy or you will run out of it. My children have provided the most wonderful and healthy perspective shift in terms of priorities. I don’t say yes to a project that I’m not fully invested in, because I know that it will mean time away from them. They also remind me constantly that at the end of the day, nothing is more important than my family. If I had a horrible audition, or didn’t get a job, or feel like the world doesn’t want to buy what I’m selling, I know I am loved. That’s ultimately what counts the most.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.The6thAct.com
- Instagram: @Lizadseneca
Image Credits
Jeff Lorch (main picture) Karianne Flaathen (split screen image) Jackson Davis (second image)
