We were lucky to catch up with Nikki LaShae recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Nikki, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
My optimism stems from a chain of experiences that have refined the way I look at things today. In retrospect, I see those experiences from the past as “training camps” that helped to create the version of me you see now. I have allowed circumstances to introduce feelings of defeat, inadequacy, and unworthiness. But those feelings didn’t support the way I wanted to show up in the world. Realizing this set me on a path to figure out a way to ground myself in who I am. Somewhere along that journey, I began to think, “Maybe it’s not happening TO me…perhaps it’s all happening FOR me.” This is where the optimism took its root. I am not a powerless thing flailing in the wind and cultivating a deeper sense of self-love was absolutely necessary for this evolution of thought. Optimism, to me, is about accepting the fact that nothing is constant, and carrying the awareness that you can choose where you want to stand throughout challenging times. You can choose to allow a situation to kill your spirit, or enhance it. I chose, and still choose to stand on the side where I can grow.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a storyteller. My medium is performance-acting. My tool is my body, my heart, and my voice.
I landed in this career chasing my freedom. My childhood wasn’t a kind one, there were many things that plagued my young heart and I had nowhere to put the pain. I dived into extracurriculars such as music, Spanish club, and various athletics, to find an outlet. I ended up in drama class, and even though I had garnered accolades for my writing and skills as a musician, I found a place that unlocked me in the most significant way. I felt limitless. I felt I could finally speak. No one judges the actor. No one tells the actor that what he or she feels isn’t right or acceptable. People come to listen to what you have to say. And I was able to release my pain as I let the characters use my body, my heart, and my voice. It wasn’t about me anymore, it was something much greater. I also was able to find joy, love, and friendship because of these stories that took me to so many places. My love and respect for the craft of acting goes beyond industry, it is lifeblood.
Recently, I’ve expanded my craft to include other facets of filmmaking such as writing and producing. I’m excited for my slate of original content under my production house, H. Pearl Creative (named for my late grandmother, Hattie Pearl).
My focus is simply on telling great stories.
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?
The 1st thing that has been the most impactful realization for me is belief in self. Without that relationship with yourself, everything else becomes complicated and confusing. Belief in self allows me to go out into the world and show up the way I want to, and as my most authentic self. The relationship with yourself sets the standard for the relationships you develop with people and opportunities on the outside. I believe that these external things truly are a reflection of you. Deepening my relationship with myself has allowed me to navigate life with more confidence. The 2nd, would be cultivating authentic connections- emphasis on the word “authentic”. Authentic connections seem to always yield something amazing. I focus on just being open to the right connections.This is the basis of creating sustainable friendships and working relationships that make everyone feel good. The 3rd most impactful thing for me would be self-care. That is a HUGE thing for me. I realized that without me, none of my work can move forward, so I must come BEFORE the work. I’m constantly looking for evidence of happiness, joy, abundance, and love. This has helped me maintain a healthy balance and positive attitude in a very high stakes career.
I encourage everyone pursuing a career in the entertainment industry to deepen their relationship with themselves so they can approach their work from that grounded space and find their “flow” as they navigate their way to success. Spend time doing LIFE things. For an artist, life is the best teacher.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
Everyone has a gift and that gift is different for each one of us. Even if the gift fits in the same category, the way we show up in it, is different. For instance, I am an actress, and there are several other actresses out there. But some of us show up in dramas, some in comedies, and some in action movies. Each of our gifts are uniquely different. With that being said, I feel it’s extremely important to honor your gift and hone in on it. That gift can only be brought to life by you, which is why it was given to you. I also think it’s worth mentioning that the gifts we carry also have a great impact on the world around us, and when we don’t honor our gifts, we do a great disservice to the people who needed to receive that gift that was only designed to be delivered through you.
No one is strong in every category-this is why collaboration is even a thing. It’s why we have so many roles on film sets. The director has a vision he wants to execute and trusts the director of photography to capture his vision. Leaning into your strengths allow you to excel and leave room for others, with different strengths, to complement yours. That’s the value in focusing on your own gifts, rather than spreading yourself thin, trying to do everything.
There is a difference in expanding your knowledge to improve your strength, and spreading yourself so thin trying to be good at everything, that you really can’t show up strong in any area.
I am an actress. Performing is my strength and specialty. I have also written and produced. I have chosen to allow those other roles to better inform me as an actress as I am continuing to realize my maximum potential in that role, rather than market myself in all of those areas. Because I am a strong actor, I would much rather work with a strong writer and strong producer for whom those roles are primary. All of our strengths coming together is what makes the entire thing so beautiful. I suggest you lean into your strengths and let everything else you learn support that.
I must add, however, that I’m not opposed to saying “yes” to other things outside of your strengths with the intention to stretch, if you will. But keep your focus. Don’t hop around because one thing may not be happening fast enough. If you should decide to venture into other areas, let it be to satisfy curiosity or to push your ceiling higher. Let it be because you’re running to something, and not from it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.officialnikkilashae.com
- Instagram: @officialnikkilashae
- Facebook: /nikkilashae
- Twitter: @nikkilashae
- Youtube: /nikkilashae
Image Credits
Reginald Payton of RPM Photography
