Meet Jane Kim

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

Jane, we are so appreciative of you taking the time to open up about the extremely important, albeit personal, topic of mental health. Can you talk to us about your journey and how you were able to overcome the challenges related to mental issues? For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.

Therapy. To be honest, therapy has changed my life in many ways. I started meeting with a therapist, I think back in 2021, so four years now. I was not going to high school and at one point was told I might not graduate solely based on my attendance. My parents were concerned and so they called the hospital to get me a therapist. I was with her for about 3 years until I switched over to the one I have now. I think I got too comfortable with my first one and she was great, I just wasn’t open and she would always say that it didn’t feel much like a conversation, she would mainly be the one talking. Once I switched over last year, it’s changed my life. I cried recently and that was the first time in any of my sessions that I felt vulnerable and comfortable enough to do that. She told me that she’s seen immense improvement from just last year alone. I’m so grateful for it because it’s taught me many things and how to handle these difficult challenges outside of our sessions. I talk as openly as I can about my mental health in hopes to help others or even just one person, so that they feel heard and seen. I take as many breaks as I need especially when I experience burnout from work. Making sure I’m taking care of myself both physically and mentally. Taking myself on solo dates at least once a month has made me more confident as well and just going out to meet people within the film industry, I see a bit of a difference in my social anxiety, which is something I struggled with all my life.

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 am an actress, screenwriter, film student, and content creator. I have experience working as a production assistant and most recently worked as a 1st AD for a feature film. I always say that my best quality is that I am curious and ambitious. When I’m on set and I’m watching an entire crew work, I try to see what they’re doing and learn from them. I want to learn how to do it all. I am currently casting for my own project called Love Letters! It’s a story that is written so personally and based off some of my life experiences. It’s a romantic comedy/drama, following Mabel, she’s 21 and in college (just like me). She’s figuring out how to deal with her own mental health and how to heal from her past trauma. It’s a coming of age story, she like any 20 something year old, figuring out how to love herself and also trying to figure out what she wants out of life and how to be in a relationship. I’m excited to be directing a project for the first time and taking a script that I wrote and turning it into something that hopefully other people will love and more importantly can relate to.

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

Being ambitious, willing to learn something new everyday, and taking myself out of my comfort zone – those are the three qualities that were impactful and the same advice I would give to anyone, not just actors. You need to have the drive and motivation to do what you set out to do. You need to have goals to begin with. I usually journal and make boards on Pinterest for every month. There’s just pins of quotes, aesthetics, styles/outfits similar to how I’d want to dress, skills I want to learn, hobbies I want to pick back up, etc. Having weekly, monthly, and yearly goals are important to me. So I can visualize and decide what I want to do and the steps I need to take to get there. This year I have gone out so much, more than any time in my life. I have made so many friends this year within the industry and that’s thanks to me getting out of my own head and overanalyzing/overthinking every little thing. You just got to face your fears and do it because it’s better than not doing it at all.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

The biggest obstacle I actually faced this past week or so… Sometimes things don’t work out and you just need to re-evaluate the situation and become a problem solver. I am working on Love Letters and with pre-production, challenges always arise. I had to make a hard decision and I honestly feel better about it now, I think it all worked out and will be fine in the end, as it always is. But I have to take some time and take a step back to see how I want to move on from here. I felt rushed for a moment to make this project happen so quickly and in turn was dealing with burnout constantly. Now I am taking it slowly and making sure I am happy, doing well mentally, and doing everything as best as I can.

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Image Credits

Deidhra Fahey
Chris Gamez

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