We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chandia Chansrisuriyawong. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chandia below.
Chandia, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I think my resilience comes from numerous places. I 100% get my resilience from my parents and the communities that I had around me while I was growing up. Also, connecting with my history and learning about it definitely gives me a resilience boost. I think my resilience comes from a long line of immigrants and underrepresented people who fought for their freedoms and still choose to walk through life with their head held high. It comes from a long line of women who never let their crown fall and who always kept their shoulders back. It comes from my ancestors which lead to the warriors I call, my parents. My mom whose family is from the Caribbean – Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic to the other side of the world where we meet my dad in Southeast Asia, Thailand. ( I know, it’s a crazy mix ) And they both somehow ended up in the Bronx, New York. Not only did my parents face poverty, immigration, and gang violence but they faced the consequences those things had caused on their mental and emotional health. “Growing up poor, as minorities, in the Bronx in the 70s-90s was a war . We came out bent but not broken”, they always say. My resilience comes from watching my parents work their skin off to give my brother and I a life that they did not have. It also comes from my grandma, who has raised me since I was born while my parents were out hustling. She was traditional and my manners and most of my respective traits come from her. My aunts and uncles who took care of me when tragic events had happened in my family, and the wisdom that came from all of them. My resilience comes from my village. They had and still have the strongest souls and the kindest hearts. They make me appreciate life and to never stop pushing. With all the knowledge, and all the wisdom from everything they have endured, they make me believe that I can do anything. Because they did, and they did it graciously. They motivate me and inspire me to do better, to be grateful for the life I was given, to live truthfully and unapologetically, and to continue to break the cycle.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Hey! My name is Chandia Chansrisuriyawong, but I usually go by my first name, Chandia. I am an actress/filmmaker, born and raised in New York. I always find it hard to describe what I exactly do to make it make sense to people who don’t understand it, but I feel like storytelling is the best way to encompass it all. I am a storyteller. I thrive off getting to tell other people’s stories as well as my own. Getting to peek into someone else’s soul, and learn about them while simultaneously learning about life itself is just extremely fun and rewarding for me.
Acting is just about reflecting and learning about what it is to be human. This can also be done by writing and through visual mediums, such as film. I am an actor but I also write my own stories and I’m working on bringing them to life. My professional goals are to be able to tell stories whether they are my own or not, accurately, and to be a symbol of representation and hope for our world. No matter how small or big, my goal is to make an impact that steers the world in a better direction. This profession is not cute most of the time. It’s very tough, odd, funny, and yet so rewarding. It reminds us that we’re all more alike than we think, and that unity is something that I think the world needs more of and I’m more than honored to be a part of that. I’m just a fan. I love movies. I love creativity and creating. And I love being able to connect with other humans through storytelling.
I have a couple of things I am working on as of right now. I am currently in school finishing my Bachelor’s and at the same time working on writing my first film. You can follow my process and updates on my social media as I work on getting that process started! Also, a short film that I am the protagonist in called “Wilder Greene”, was written and directed by my lovely friend, Ximena Uribe and is currently in post-production and will be out very soon, so be on the lookout for that!
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?
Three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that have been the most impactful so far would probably be perseverance, confidence, and knowing your limits. I think perseverance is one of the most important ones out of the bunch. This line of work can be deteriorating physically, emotionally, and mentally. It requires mental strength to keep going after a million no’s but it makes the yes’s so much more rewarding. Perseverance has helped me keep my head on straight and has helped build my character. I have to remind myself constantly that what I can offer is perfect for the right role or the right project and that I did my best on that audition, and to move on. Perseverance also strangely allows me to be more open-minded and less controlling. I am someone who tries to have control over everything. As an actor, there are so many things that are not in my control and could just come down to luck. It has taught me to be okay with that and that sometimes it’s best to just see where the journey takes you. I think harping on positive affirmations and giving each audition 120% will help to build these skills. Positive affirmations to yourself or writing them down can keep you grounded and build confidence and discipline. Giving each audition 120% can allow you to be satisfied with what you brought to the table and not regret wishing you tried harder.
Having confidence as an actor/filmmaker or even just in life is so important. Specifically in this field confidence can get you into so many rooms and can even draw opportunities back to you. Strangely though, in acting confidence must come from stripping your ego. I learned this from a teacher and it has stuck to me ever since. Stripping your ego makes you lose self-consciousness, which allows you to be completely vulnerable in your work. Every actor wants to be vulnerable in their work but is often worried about things they cannot control, such as their appearance. Stripping your ego builds confidence and allows you to not be afraid to yell, scream, cry, and look absolutely crazy on camera to tell a story accurately. Stripping my ego to build my confidence has been eye-opening for me. I discover things within myself that are new and I discover new things in my work and how to get into that mindset. It also feels so amazing to be just be free. We have all these pressures put on us in this day in age and societal norms that keep us from connecting with each other and learning how to dismantle that has been super healthy for me. It kind of feels like a cheat code that I hope many other artists find. I think getting out of your comfort zone and trying new things in your work and just in life is the best way to do this.
Knowing your limits is a must. This goes for in terms of taking care of your health and knowing what limits you have on what you are comfortable doing. I think I have been overworked numerous times but because of my own doing. In the beginning, I tried to work on everything I could get my hands on and for me I hit burnout very frequently. Since then, I have learned to prioritize my health because my body is my instrument. I am big on working out, eating right, and getting a good amount of rest for me to feel my best and be able to work long hours every day without feeling burnout. It has helped tremendously. Knowing your limits also has to do with being asked to do something you aren’t comfortable doing. In the beginning, most actors are being asked to do things that may be out of their comfort zone and are not getting paid to do so. The desperate urge to work shouldn’t overshadow your dignity. It is okay to say no to things that make you uncomfortable and you shouldn’t be afraid to do so.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I am always looking for people to partner or collaborate with. I really just want to work with artists who are okay with pushing the boundaries a little bit. I want to work with unapologetic creators who want to bring stories to life that can start conversations and change perspectives. People who are organized, professional, open-minded, and are not afraid to fail and pivot are the best people to work with in my opinion. I’m multicultural and multiracial and love to work with people who are of the same background as me as well as people who are of different cultures and backgrounds. I love working with diversity because it brings so many options to the table and so many amazing ideas. So, if this sounds like you, please feel free to reach out to me to work together!
You can reach me at my email: cchandyy7@gmail.com or my instagram @chan.dia
Contact Info:
- Instagram: chan.dia
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chandia-chansrisuriyawong-4170b2332/
Image Credits
Image credits: MJ Romero Coy, Ximena Uribe, Max Olivieri, Jeremy Thompson
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
