We were lucky to catch up with Dina Drew Duva recently and have shared our conversation below.
Dina , first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Your mindset is everything. You can study, train, work hard – but if you don’t believe you can do something – well, you can’t. The one thing that separates those who do and from those who sit on don’t is MINDSET. Whenever I have one of those moments when I think – “Who the heck do you think you are?” OR “Wow, so and so is so much more talented, trained, whatever than I am. I can’t compete.” All those negative thoughts and beliefs are what hold you back. And that’s all they are. Just thoughts. I consistently practice being aware of my thoughts. When I catch myself thinking about those negative self-beliefs, I pause and reframe it for myself. My favorite mantra is, “Someone has to do it. Why not me?” Another is “I was born with the desire to perform, the universe made this way, so to honor my maker, I need to do this, I was born to do this.”
I also spend time researching others who have accomplished great things. I just watched the Netflix film “Nyad.” At 64 years old Diane Nyad swam from Cuba to Florida. She never gave up. Each time she “failed” she went and learned from her mistakes. She researched how to improve and do it better. Her failures weren’t “failures” – they were opportunities to learn. She also worked with a team. Having a strong support system, and learning how to inspire and lean on others – are all part of building a support system for success.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I guess you can say – I’m a storyteller. I’ve always loved stories. When I was a teen you couldn’t pull me away from the TV – I would sucked into a movie, and I would blow off plans in a heartbeat to finish whatever it was that I got pulled into. I loved how movies provided an escape – they could make you laugh, cry, and think about things, about life.
Years ago I had an actor teacher who said – “Doctors save lives, actors save souls.”
When I was a younger actor starting out in my 20s. I was cast in a tour of a play called “Halfway There.” The show was done at junior high and high schools throughout the country, and covered a host of topics, including drugs and abuse.
My character was this tough girl who had gone through some terrible stuff with her family. One of the monologues I had to do touched on how her dad abused her. During one of our performances, there was this girl in the audience who began sobbing uncontrollably. She sobbed from the time I did my monologue, till after the show ended. It was apparent that our show had brought something up in her – that she really needed some help.
Art has a way of doing that. Making us see what we sometimes refuse to.
My entire life I’ve been chasing those opportunities – to make people feel.
And I’ve been so blessed to work as an actor, as well as a photographer.
I get to express myself and share my talents with others.
I feel very blessed to be able to do that.
This past year I had TV appearance on Netflix’s “Survival of the Thickest”. NBC’s “Blacklist, CBS “FBI Most Wanted.” “The Equalizer” “Showtime’s “Billions” and soon to be released FX’s “Gladiator” And “Feud: Capote vs The Swans.”
When I’m not on a TV set – I spend most of my time working on my photography business. I believe we all should have photos of ourselves and our families that we love. I enjoy helping actors put together amazing headshots to promote themselves, and helping corporate professionals get comfortable in front of the camera.
When I’m not working – I hang with my beautiful family and my dog.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Persistence – never giving up. Just like Diane Nyad. She kept going no matter how many “failures” she had. I started pursuing acting professionally when I was 23. I’m now 50, and still get acting jobs. If you knew how many NOs I received. How many rejections, etc. You would think I was mad. They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome – but in my case, I didn’t do the same thing over and over again. Each time I audition for something, or try something new in my photography business – I pause and analyze what I can do better, and how I can improve, and I go and figure that out.
So…. you should NEVER EVER EVER stop Learning! Either you are evolving, or are regressing. Nothing ever stays the same. Especially now with how quickly AI technology is changing industries at a rapid speed. You need to constantly learn and pay attention to the world around you. Pay attention to trends in your field. Several years ago I was making great money doing TV commercials, yet I could see the industry was changing fast, more and more spots were being produced solely for internet use, and the money to be made was diminishing. I realized at that moment that I needed another way to support myself if I wanted to continue to be an actor. My husband bought me a DSLR camera that year, and I took a class. Started to practice with the camera, and realized I loved it and was good at it. It took many years to teach myself everything I needed to – but now I have my own studio space and a thriving photography business, that I can work on around my acting auditions and bookings. They complement each other. If I wasn’t paying attention, if I refused to adapt – who knows what would have happened? I don’t think I would still be able to actively audition and work as an actor. And don’t think for a second I’m not paying attention to the changes in AI in the photography field. I have embraced them and now offer services that AI cannot do.
And finally…STAY POSITIVE AND SHOW UP! Showing up is half the battle. Don’t wait to be perfect at something to try it. If it scares you, do it. There are times when you won’t want to attend something or give something a try. Go anyway. Do it anyway. Trust me. Some of the best things in my career have happened when I wasn’t feeling it, but I showed up anyway. And there are always 2 ways to look at something. Choose to see the positive in whatever adversity you come across. Look for the lesson, look for the little win in something. Even showing up to an opportunity you failed at is a win. You could have stayed home and didn’t even try! ALWAYS SHOW UP FOR YOURSELF!
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
My family – especially my mom and grandfather taught me to work hard. That having a strong work ethic is extremely important. They taught me unconditional love. They taught me to fight when all else fails. They taught me to look after my loved ones and to be kind and giving. They showed me it’s okay to lean on your loved ones for support. I miss them. My mom and my grandparents. They have been gone for some time. But they haven’t left me, their spirit is always with me. People die, but their love never does. That love stays with you always. And when I need some encouragement, a pep talk, I think of them, and what they would say to me – and they keep me going.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dinadrewduvaphotography.com/; https://www.dinadrew.com/
- Instagram: @dinadrewduva
- Facebook: @dinadrewduvaphtotography
- Linkedin: @dinadrew
Image Credits
Myself
