Meet Aylia (AM) Colwell

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Aylia (AM) Colwell a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Aylia (AM), we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

This is an ongoing struggle for most artists, I’m sure. As an actor and a writer, I constantly face rejection, and it requires not only a thick skin to continue, but a confidence that I am good at what I do.
I suppose the real challenge is that I am constantly trying to remind myself that I am capable and talented even when there are times it may not feel that way. The single most useful thing I can do is to push through the fear of “not being good enough” and continuing to write or act.
As a writer, one way I can do that is by reading a LOT and writing a LOT. I compare my work to books I love and to books I’m not crazy about, and they both offer varying levels of reassurance. A book I love illustrates the power of a story I can connect with, shows me what I want to strive for as a storyteller, gives examples of how to do it. A book I don’t connect with reminds me that I am as capable as any author, because even if this story didn’t connect with me, it connected with someone else. Not every book is for every reader, and it’s a good reminder that surely mine is right for someone.

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

I’ve studied acting and theatre my whole life. I’ve always loved watching movies and TV, and telling stories by inhabiting a character is one of the most enriching experiences of my life. And along that same vein, I’ve been a reader since I was very young, and I started writing my own stories as a hobby. During the pandemic, productions shut down, and acting opportunities were few and far between. It’s such a collaborative act, that without being able to be around other people, I wasn’t able to channel that particular love of storytelling. While acting is collaborative, writing can be a solitary activity, so I turned back to writing in earnest. I completed my first novel, The White Mask Society, during the shutdown, and published it in 2023. It gave me a liberating experience to inhabit multiple characters (as opposed to just one — the job of an actor) and I was able to do it with or without the permission of a whole team of artists. My second book, The Guardians, came out in 2024, and I just published my third, Blaze Forth the Death of Princes, in October of 2025, all the while working as an actor now that productions are back in full swing.
My next book is a bit of a departure from the three I’ve already published. Those are sci-fi, fantasy, romance novels. This next one will be a collection of web comics I’ve shared primarily on social media under the handle @ReasonsMyFriendsHateMe. It’s a self-deprecating series of short form comics that I’ve been writing since 2019.

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?

Everyone’s experience is different, and the most important thing is not to compare your failures or struggles with other people’s successes. We never know what is happening in order to make something possible for another person. If anything, look for the struggles of people you admire or look up to as a reminder that there may be bumps in the road, but ultimately perseverance is key.
There is always room for improvement, but don’t let perfection get in the way. I know that I would do things differently with my first book given the chance to do it again now, because I’ve learned a lot since then. But if I hadn’t published my first book when I did, I don’t know that I would have gotten to the point I’m at now. Risks are necessary, and stumbles are inevitable. All we can do is push through the fear of failure and try try try.
Don’t follow every rule. I struggle with this a lot, but often times we try to emulate what we’ve been told is “the right way to do things” only for us to get lost in a sea of mediocrity because we’re ignoring the things that make us unique.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

I’m an incredibly privileged person in that my parents have always supported my dream of being an artist. I’m sure they knew it would mean a hard life, but they have always been there to champion me. That means through the good times and the bad. I can’t imagine how much harder everything would have been without their support of me going to the school I wanted to go to, living where I wanted to live, and pursuing what I want to pursue. Not once did they ever make me feel like a failure when I was financially struggling or having to fall back on day jobs I hated. Their words of support and encouragement mean everything to me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ayliacolwell.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amcolwellwrites/?hl=en

Image Credits

Aylia Colwell