Meet Aavyn Lee

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Aavyn Lee. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Aavyn below.

Hi Aavyn , we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?

I’m very lucky to have grown up in a household that cultivated the idea that I could do or be anything I ever wanted. My mom is a big part of that. I’ve known since I was three that I wanted to be an actor. I grew up around the arts- my mom is a singer- and she always pushed the idea that I had the ability to do anything I dreamed about. My mom has a beautiful voice but she used to tell me that when she was younger, she hated to sing in front of people. But then she realized that if people tell you something enough (in her case that she was a wonderful singer) then you have to start believing it. So, after years of tearing myself down and suffering from the middle school anxiety monster that so many of us face, I finally decided one day that I was tired of being under constant self-scrutiny and I remembered her words. People would tell me I was talented and instead of responding how I usually would (“thanks, but I messed up on…”) I would simply respond with “Thank you.” Because I realized that most people are not going to go out of their way to lie to your face. People are mostly good and truthful. So now I say thank you, I reserve the right to have my own self-criticisms, but I also recognize that the work I do is good and I can be proud of the work that was put in to create it. Theres also another thing that helped me develop confidence and that comes from sure hard-headedness. I decided that if I didn’t do it (it being making films, writing scripts, singing songs, etc.), someone else was going to. One day I told myself, “why couldn’t that be me then?” If someone has to fill the roles, why shouldn’t it be me.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

My name is Aavyn Lee and I am an actor. It has taken me a long time to feel comfortable enough to say that because every time I did, I had overwhelming imposter syndrome. Not so much anymore, though. Currently I live in Atlanta and work with a handful of different professional theaters; I also act in films. I’ve done everything from community theater to children’s tours, short films to years spent working in theme park shows.

My first professional job as a performer was when I was 21. In the year prior to getting the job, I dropped out of my school in Illinois, moved back home to north Georgia, and was stuck working a retail job with no real sense of direction as to what my next step would be. When I left school, I knew it would be harder to continue performing because my direct line to opportunities would be severed, but the drive and dream were still there. I worked a few times in Atlanta doing background work, and my first short film, but I knew I needed something more. In the winter of ’22, I did a show where I met some new wonderful friends, one of whom told me about an open call for performers at Dollywood, a theme park in Pigeon Forge, TN. I didn’t think much of the audition because I knew that film acting, not singing and dancing in a variety show, was my main goal. But after receiving an online invitation to audition in person through Backstage, I decided to give it a shot. I auditioned in January and got the call in March that I was cast in a show called “Forever Country”. For the next year and a half, I lived and worked in Tennessee performing at the park in different shows. By the end of my fourth contract, I knew it was time for me to do something different; I had never let go of the idea that I wanted to be in films rather than singing on stage. My time at Dollywood gave me so much- lifelong friends, great connections, and a knew sense of self that helped me advocate for myself and others around me. But I needed more.

I left Tennessee and moved to Atlanta. In the 7 months that I have been in the city, I have faced numerous challenges that have made it all but a smooth transition into this new chapter. But I wouldn’t trade any of it for anything in the world. For each challenge I have faced, two wonderful experiences pop up and remind me why I moved here in the first place. In the time I have lived here, I’ve been able to participate in a handful of wonderful productions with some amazing Atlanta performers, telling stories that really mean something to people- stories that leave people thinking and laughing and even crying sometimes.

At the end of each day, I look at my vision board, (that I created on New Years Eve because I think its good to have a visual representation of my goals), and I smile because the collage that I created on the poster board captures so much of what I have been able to accomplish so far this year. I used to preemptively mourn my years because of all the things I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to do, especially in the months following my leaving school. Now, I’m learning to not superimpose my ideas of what I think life should be onto what life really is. So, I look at my vision board, I smile, I take stock of everything that’s happened to me this year, and I feel so grateful to have been able to experience every part of this story so far. Because that’s what I’m in it for. I want to tell stories and make up stories and be a part of other peoples stories that leave a lasting impact on people.

I feel like I’ve been on a high-speed train for the past seven months and I am so grateful for that feeling. Most recently, I got cast as “Gabriel” in Trick!- A new musical based on a cult-classic queer movie of the same name. The story follows to men as they try and find a place to… be together… all set against the back drop of a fast-paced, queer New York City. The show opens May 1st at Out Front Theatre in Atlanta and runs every weekend until May 17th.

I hope this train never slows down. As an actor (because I truly feel like I can call myself that now) I know it’s unrealistic to never have lulls in one’s career, and while I accept that part of the job, I also know that those periods of slowing down are periods of growth. So, instead of mourning all of my hypothetical missed experiences, I embrace all the parts of the story as they come, realizing that even the slow chapters have a purpose.

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?

I’m not sure I’m the the best person to give advice on anything, truly, because any advice I have to offer would be a regurgitation of words that have been offered to me by the people around me. I am someone who constantly seeks advice from the people in my life who know me best (those who I often think know me better than I know myself). But I suppose that is my advice, then. Find people who you know love and see you. Those people are the ones who you need to have in your ear. I sometimes struggle with self-imposed blinders that are created by my own anxieties and self-deprecating thoughts. When I think those thoughts or feel like I’m in an echo chamber of my own voice repeatedly tearing me down, those people are who I think about. They help drown out my voice and remind me of who I really am. So find your people and keep them close because they are the ones who are going to keep you straight.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love to read. Every book I read leaves an impression on me, some deeper than others. I always think of the quote “It is better to know one book intimately than a hundred superficially,” a quote by author Donna Tartt, when I think of all the books I have read and how well I remember some of those stories, or how not well I remember them. But there are some that I could talk about for hours. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott taught me so much about love and sister-hood (honorary in this case) and each girl gave me such great insight into different parts of myself. Jo, Amy, Meg, and Beth are all so deeply written and flawed and kind and everything a person should be. They show such a lovely range of the human experience and reading that book really changed me, I feel. In the book, Marmee has a short speech about how she feels so much anger all the time over her situation and different ways her life has played out but its what she’s learned, and learning, to do with that anger that helps her get through the hard ships of life. I think focusing the energy that anger gives you into doing good is a great piece of advice and something that I strive to do everyday of my own life. Also the Practical Magic series by Alice Hoffman. That whole series has such deep ideas about love and loss and, of course, magic that makes each woman who centers in those stories such a true reflection of what each of those aspects of life is like.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leeaavyn/

Image Credits

Gabriella Jones (https://www.instagram.com/gabriellajonesss/)