We were lucky to catch up with Aliysa Shareef recently and have shared our conversation below.
Aliysa, 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?
I definitely get my work ethic from my mother, Cynthia Shareef. She’s the type of person that if you told her to write a 5 page essay on her life, she’ll create a 500 page book detailing every aspect of it perfectly with interviews from influential people throughout it. Oh, and the book would be hardback, sold at Barnes and Nobles stores nationwide, and would eventually make the Top Bestseller’s List. It sounds crazy, but that’s just how she is. And she’s always finding ways to improve. I’m so inspired by my mother’s work ethic. She has always been my ultimate role model.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m an actress and singer from Atlanta, GA that made my way to Los Angeles to study Theater at UCLA. I’m now a working actress that can be seen in numerous national commercials, films, and will be making my entrance into more TV shows very soon. My decision to pursue the arts came from a very young age when I stepped foot on my middle school stage in my very first role as a munchkin in “The Wiz.” From there, I was hooked and knew that I’d found my passion. What’s most exciting is getting to take on so many different characters and explore their lives, while still bringing a bit of my own essence to them.
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?
It took discipline to push past uncomfortable moments in my life and keep going. I saw a quote today that summed up that point beautifully. It read, “Focus on being your best, not being famous.” That quote speaks volumes in so many ways.
That sort of leans into the next gem that I live by of “what’s meant for you will always find its way to you.” Here’s an example of I implement this. If I have an audition or role I’m preparing for, naturally, I strive for the best. I develop my character, create my characters world, I research, I know my lines, subtext, and scenes inside and out, and finally, I deliver the best dang audition that I can. I submit my audition tape and hope that the casting directors see that I’m the missing piece to their puzzle. But here’s the kicker. Once I submit that audition tape, I have to forget about it! I don’t think about it anymore! Yes, I spent the past couple of days doing the work. Yes, this is my dream and I can’t stop thinking about how my first day on set might feel after booking the role. But once it’s out of my hands, I’ve learned to let it go. I trust that I’ve done all the work that I was supposed to. And if that role is for me, I trust that it will come to me.
Lastly, my mother has always told me that “the best revenge is success.” Naysayers are out there. I don’t feed into negativity and I approach things with optimism.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
Sometimes for me the feeling of being overwhelmed is inevitable. I can be having the most peaceful, stress free day and then boom… I can easily get overwhelmed. Earlier on, I didn’t know how to handle the feeling, so I would just sit through it until I felt like I wanted to explode. But through my growth into adulthood and surrounding myself with people that I can constantly learn from, I’ve learned to work through the feeling of overwhelmingness. Yes, it’s ok to sit through the feeling of being uncomfortable for a moment (pressure creates diamonds), but I try not to dwell in it too much. I push past the feeling, focus on myself in the present moment, and start tackling one thing at a time. That feeling can be a hard thing to get over (and I’m still working on), but you’ll get where you want to be with persistence.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aliysashareef/
- Other: [email protected]
Image Credits
Cathryn Farnsworth Photography James DePietro Photography
