Meet Tim Ashby

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tim Ashby. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Tim, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.

Ha! Imposter Syndrome still plagues me, but I’ll absolutely say that I’ve changed my thinking about it. Rather than letting it prevent me, I see it as a strength. It keeps me striving, I don’t feel like I’m able to rest on my laurels, and it gets me present to the challenge in front of me.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m an actor, but I encourage other actors, aspiring and experienced, to really see this as an infinite game. I’m constantly inspired by all that this world has to offer. Just this morning, I was watching a video about the second season of White Lotus, and all the social dynamics that that show brilliantly high lights. It got me excited to study even more on how people interact with each other. It excites me to explore a time period, a relationship, something within myself. We don’t work with paints, clay, other materials, we use ourselves, so the more enriched our life and mindset is, the more is at our disposal! So cool!

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?

Tenacity is required. I went 5 years of auditions, occasional callbacks without booking a single thing. Did it hurt? Of course, but those “rejections” can teach you things about yourself.

Therapy saved me from myself in so many ways. I’ve had some good therapists and I’ve had some…not so good ones, but when I’ve felt safe and supported, I was able to get vulnerable. That vulnerability shined a light on my hang ups, sure, but it opened me up to my strengths as well.

In acting, just as in life, there are no absolute answers. I’m still trying to learn that everyday. There’s not a key that’s going to unlock everything, BUT I recommend still digging and looking for it as if there was one. I heard Cate Blanchett say that when she’s working, she ties a few knots to get a grasp on the material, but not tighten it so she can’t untie it if the director needs her too. I loooove that, and I think it can be true for life as well.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

When I feel overwhelmed, I wish I could immediately put tools I’ve learned to use and lessen it. That’s unfortunately not the case. I have ADHD, and so we tend to get into an all or nothing mindset. Knowing that helps, but it doesn’t fix it. I try really hard to set myself up for being able to move through things by journaling, meditating, yoga, and breath work. Doesn’t happen every day, and again, doesn’t fix it immediately, but it loosens the knots easier as I mentioned before.