Meet Alison Zhang

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

Alison, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

Growing up in a Chinese household in New Zealand, I saw how hard my parents worked to create a stable life. During most of my upbringing, I felt angry that I never got to spend time with them but now I understand it was what they needed to do. My mom held down two jobs while being a full-time housewife, while my dad worked long days in construction. After a few years, they bought a cafe and ran it for 5 years. I had never seen my dad take a sick day, he was always out of the house before I went to school and came home an hour before dinner time. I saw how my parents used their time wisely. Even on weekends, my dad would write a list of things he needed to do. Seeing what they did allowed me to develop a strong work ethic and instilled how important it is to get on with it. They kept working because they had clear goals of how they wanted their life to be in New Zealand, which I see in myself with moving to New York. I learnt how to set goals and break down the steps so you know that your on track.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’m an actor from New Zealand. I moved over to New York two years ago, after being accepted to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Before pursing acting, I was completing my Bachelors in Business while being apart of theatre groups and camera classes which nurtured my desire to pursue this career. A precious aspect of acting for me is learning something more about myself with every character I play, especially characters that are unlike me. They have brung out pieces of myself that were forgotten or undiscovered. Apart from acting, I have interests in producing and writing. Currently I am producing an original staged play reading that is on the road to show in mid May. It is a new aspect of the industry that I find exciting to learn about. My artistic goal is to create work for me and my community. Moving to New York, I feel lucky to have a supportive community and hope that I have the chance to give opportunities to them, using my skills to pay it forward.

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?

Be organized! I work the best when I have set tasks to complete everyday. This might not be for everyone, but personally I find it beneficial to list down the things that you need to do. When I see it in a list, it’s easier for me to focus on one thing at a time. I organize my tasks by what is my priority today. I’ve realized you won’t wake up with everything you dreamed off if you don’t consistently chip away at the small tasks to get you there. It could as small as setting up an email list, taking 30 minutes to find auditions to submit for the day, editing resumes. These small tasks will accumulate.

Number 2, building resilience. I am guilty of wanting to bed-rot every now and then when I feel bogged down by life, but the way to keep going is simply to keep going. It isn’t about giving your 100% everyday, but knowing that you can still give 60% on days when your not at your best. I learnt that every setback is a lesson to make you wiser. I am a big believer in learning from your mistakes, instead of dwelling on the mistake. I built my resilience by rationalizing my feelings in situations that have upset me. Separating the emotions to the actions makes it easier for me to continue with what I need to do.

Lastly and I think is the most important, remembering to put yourself first. The word selfish has negative connotations, but no one is going to look out for you the way you do for yourself. It was a hard lesson for me to learn, but I reached a point where I couldn’t keep giving my energy and time to people that didn’t respect my needs. Sometimes you can’t worry about other peoples feelings if it is limiting you on making the best choice for yourself. One of my acting teachers said, “don’t let anyone scare you into unleashing your ability.” Don’t worry about others, and keep doing you!

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

I would love to connect with playwrights that have new work they would like to see put on, directors who have a project they want to do and venue owners that wish to support the arts . It would be a dream to work with like minded individuals who are dedicated to taking action on making ideas come to life. I don’t believe we have to wait for our chance, we can collaborate and make opportunities for ourselves and each other.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.alison-zhang.com
• Instagram: alisonzzhang