Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alex Christian. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alex, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
It’s funny…I don’t think I’m naturally an optimistic person, though my wife would disagree. She would say I’m more silly by default (which I definitely would agree with haha.) I think my optimism actually manifested itself through a lot of really difficult and challenging moments in my life…Whether it was any of my struggles professionally, or going through grief and loss personally, my optimism was the only lifeline I had. There were times when I would have absolutely no idea how I was going to pay my bills the next month, and others where I’d get news that I’d just lost someone close to me. I felt like I was stuck in a dark and incredibly lonely hole, and the only tiny beacon of hope was just putting one foot in front of the other. I’m really thankful I went through those moments though, because my optimism really helps me take a step back from a situation and understand the path out. Difficult situations don’t bother me as much anymore 🙂 I guess that’s where my optimism comes from. A tool to combat the darkness so to speak .
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My name is Alex Christian, and I am a Professional Actor.
I guess that kind of puts it a little too simply haha. I do Film/TV/Commercial work on camera. I’m also a Professional Voice Artist which gives me the opportunity to work on a lot of commercials, video games and animations. I most recently got into Professional Motion Capture work, which has been my favorite experience on set thus far!
I got into entertainment while I was 7 years deep into a career in Finance. Now at this point, I was massively depressed. I was insecure, and was always afraid of doing anything outside the box. That right there was the problem. I wasn’t doing anything to make myself happy. I chose a life path because I thought it would make everyone else happy. I was chasing success in the wrong way. I eventually got the courage to go and join a gym and start working on my own personal insecurities, which I suppose was the catalyst. After about a year or so of working out, I summoned up the courage to do my first photoshoot and loved every minute of it. I began to pursue modeling (which felt like a crazy pipe dream for some random Korean/Filipino kid from SoCal, but hey, dreams are meant to be a little crazy, right?)
Eventually, one photoshoot per week, turned into 1 everyday, and then 3 a day consistently. Someone eventually saw some of my swimwear photos and asked me to do runway, which then led to more shows, and then all of that somehow landed me on a show on Disney XD.
6 months later, I left my job completely and dove headfirst into the world of entertainment (with virtually zero experience). I wasn’t an actor at that point. I didn’t grow up acting. I didn’t have good “formal training”. It was all very much trial by fire.
The next 4-5 years of my career was spent basically rebuilding my life from scratch. I was learning a completely new skill from the ground up, and trying to make a name for myself. I did everything I could get my hands on. Once even working 14 hours on an indie project for $35 (that I had to drive 3 hrs for). I was slowly doing more and more work for local brands and companies, still trying to get better with each job and audition. And that’s exactly what happened. I eventually found myself in global and international commercials, campaigns, and print ads. I also ended up doing voice work for a national brand campaign across every type of media. Which still feels surreal…
You see, I grew up having ZERO clue as to what I wanted to do with my life. I couldn’t pick one direction. I was fascinated by so much the world had to offer and I wanted to do it all. When I found myself having to pick just one thing, I felt trapped and depressed.
Entertainment allowed me to exist within all of my passions and hobbies. It led me to my wife, who is my everything over anything (we actually met on set haha). I don’t know if I really have a point to all of this, other than I feel successful. Not in that I have all of the money in the world. I just feel fulfilled. My frame of success has completely shifted to being able to wake up happy everyday. That all happened because one day I had the courage to do it all over…for myself.
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?
Resilience – There were so many times when I felt like life had knocked me down several pegs. Life will always have its ups and downs, and while everyone at the top does great…eventually…that roller coaster is going to take a plunge. Your ability to stand back up after you’ve been shoved to the ground…that grit will pull you out of those dark places more often than you will anticipate. Resilience doesn’t come easy to everyone, and oftentimes is a learned trait. I learned a lot of resilience through necessity. I grew up with my fair share of adversity. Most of the time I was forced to get back up and face life. I just didn’t have a choice. But I was always better for it. That was kind of the same with burning all of my ships and jumping headfirst into entertainment. I just didn’t have a choice, so UP was the only way to go. I’m not saying anybody should do what I did. I think I just understood that enough about myself to know that was how I was going to succeed. But for anybody else, doing something physical with a goal is the best and easiest way to really understand resilience over an extended period of time.
Perseverance – This kind of goes hand in hand with resilience, but has played enough of a role in my life to be deemed its own quality. I wanted to give up a lot. There were so many times when I thought to myself, “What am I doing here?” and I just wanted to “go home”. The thing about perseverance is you have to understand that something better is on the horizon. That while you’re suffering right now, there will always be a brighter, better day. Just keep going…One foot in front of the other, as they say. As far as developing perseverance…it’s kinda something that you just have to practice and apply to your life all of the time. Whether it’s doing something like a sport or working out, or just trying to make it through another day. You can’t quit or avoid difficult times if you ever expect to grow in life. Not giving up and believing in myself has led me to some amazing self discoveries and professional opportunities. I will always be an advocate for not giving up. When you’re feeling down, just know: You can do this.
Perspective – This one’s a big one. It’s played a role in this journey in two ways. The first is that it has allowed me to re-shift my focus when I’m facing adversity, or when I’m feeling stuck. Taking a step back and looking at the obstacle in different ways has allowed me to turn a lot of those difficulties into opportunities. For example, not booking a movie I initially wanted, only to then book another opportunity that turned out to be the best experience I’ve had on set to date. The other and more nuanced way has been from a tactical/logistical standpoint. This is a career with a lot of moving parts, and A LOT OF CONTRACTS. Being able to zoom in and out, and turn the career map around has allowed me to plan and navigate this world of entertainment really well. Its allowed me to understand what projects will lead to what opportunities, where to focus my time and efforts, and areas of weakness to work on to better suit the path I wanted to walk. It’s also allowed me to know who and what to avoid, what boundaries to put up, and how to protect my teams’ best interests. As far as advice to readers, always look at the fine print, know who you’re shaking hands with, and know where you want to go (if you don’t that’s ok. Just try to find the general direction).
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
I think that depends…one thing I’ve learned about acting is that people are different. Their lenses…their perspectives…their journey’s are all different. We have different parents, different experiences, different stories that shape how we view the world, and how we move throughout life. I was always shamed for not being able to pick just one thing, and that really sucked because I didn’t want to be stuck just doing one thing. What I know about myself is this…I am different. I don’t do things the same way as most people, and that is totally ok! I love working on my weaknesses. I love having as many lines in the ocean as possible. I love being good at the things I’m good at, but I also love being really sh*tty at things I’m sh*tty at (and trying to get better at them). Its made me an incredibly well rounded person, and I’ve come to really grow and love that about myself. Knowing that has led me to a career that utilizes ALL of those skills and interests.
But that doesn’t work for everyone. Just like only working on my strengths doesn’t necessarily work for me.
I think the real answer is this: Try to understand yourself better. Through self-awareness, you’ll discover all of the things you’re capable of, the things that really make you happy, and what it is in life you really want to do. Whether it’s doing a BUNCH of things or being really kick ass at just one thing…never let anyone make you feel bad for it. Do what makes you happy and the rest will follow.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.alexchristianfit.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/alexchristianfit
Image Credits
Destynie Ellis Yi
