Meet Amelia Clover

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amelia Clover a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Amelia, 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?

Confidence was always tough for me. If left unchecked, my old feelings of inadequacy can still sneak in and needle me in the ribs when I drop by guard. Reminding me that I’m never enough or not doing enough. But, thankfully, these moments are rare and, these days, I feel solid in my talents and capabilities.

For me, finding confidence came from mercilessly pushing myself, kicking and screaming, towards things I didn’t want to do.

I’ve been an improviser for over fifteen years. When I first started out, I had horrible stage fright. Despite being a performer from a young age, I would start shaking right before I had to take stage. Sometimes, I’d cry afterwards. Or before. Or during. But an agent told me that I needed to have improv experience if I wanted to be a better voice over actor. So I gave it a go. I remember the rush of each scene I did in that first class. How much I loved it and how relieved I felt when it was over. I quickly became obsessed with the art form.

I ended up getting on a house team (meaning I had consistent performances in front of an audience) and dreading our Monday night shows the Friday before. I’d spend whole shows on stage, never saying a word; never taking part in a scene. But I kept forcing myself to go to the shows. I kept forcing myself to get out there and say one line. Then two lines. Then start a scene. Whatever it took. I forced myself to make the stage not scary anymore.

And it worked! It took LITERALLY years but it worked! I don’t have stage fright any more. Now I’m a stage hog and have to remind myself not every show is the Amelia show. Getting over that fear and showing myself that I could do something seemingly insurmountable boosted my confidence exponentially. I used this same tactic when I was first starting out as a teacher, a writer, for, essentially, anything that those inadequate feelings told me I couldn’t do.

I’m sure there are easier ways to gain confidence. But, for me, failing hard and often and making myself do the scary thing again and again, was the best way for me to become who I am today.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’m write for children’s animation, primarily, but also direct, produce, and perform. Something I love about writing for kids’ media is the creativity and playfulness. There’s an opportunity to make kids feel seen, heard, and understood. That feels incredibly gratifying to me.

Although I write for children, I’m also love horror and comedy. Most of my shorts are horror based and I love how cute, safe things can become spooky or dangerous in the right circumstances. And no story is complete without a good laugh.

The feature I wrote along with Mitch Levene titled “Vicky’s Big Break” is a good example of this. It’s mixes horror, comedy, with highly fantastical animated elements to create a hilariously twisted journey. The film is set to begin shooting in early 2025 and I couldn’t be more excited to see this dark, strange little gem come to life.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Have you heard the good word of improv?

I know it’s a cliche that people in the improv world can be kind of “culty” about it but it’s for good reason! As mentioned before, I wouldn’t have nearly as much confidence without my experience in improv comedy. It also helped me let go of some of my perfectionism and, generally, become a better human. No matter what industry you’re in, no matter what your journey, I recommend trying a class. You may surprise yourself!

This might sound a little weird as an “important quality, skill, or knowledge area” but being in therapy was incredibly helpful. Being more in tune with myself, my emotions, and my motivations helped me stop and consider why I was making certain choices in my life. This self knowledge helped change the course of my life and allowed me to obtain what I ACTUALLY wanted rather than what I THOUGHT I did.

One quality that I value is being open to new experiences, people, and opportunities. Trying new things, even if I’m not sure they’re for me, has helped me find new facets of myself and a better understanding of the world around me. Of course, this comes with certain limitations (never do anything you’re not morally OK with) but an open mindset helped me become a more well-rounded, understanding person.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

Somedays, overwhelmed seems to be the only emotion I can feel. The world is insane right now. It’s hard not to feel crushed by it.

On those days when anything feels everything, I try to force myself to get outside for a walk. Moving my body and breathing fresh air makes a huge difference in my mood. If I REALLY need some extra help, I’ll find a quiet bench in a park and do a meditation as well. Getting away from my home where all my troubles swirl with me from room to room reminds me that there is a different world than the one on the news or in my head. And sunshine makes a huge difference. If sunshine or getting outside isn’t an option, even opening a window can make a difference. Or, sometimes, I literally do ragdoll pose from yoga. Hanging my head upside down can sometimes confuse my brain enough to remind myself that I’m not drowning.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ameliaclover.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ameliaclovervo/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amelia-clover-015705b0/

Image Credits

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