Meet Jane Purnell

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jane Purnell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jane below.

Jane, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

By giving myself permission to make mistakes– and then learning from those mistakes.

It’s brave to fail and then decide to keep going. And bravery is something to always feel confident about. Whether I make a mistake doing something I’m new to or experienced at, I use it as an opportunity to learn and do better next time.

For example, I used to pick apart my acting so severely that it crushed my confidence and self-esteem (and sometimes I still do). However, I eventually realized that something needed to change if I wanted to continue this career because being unhappy with myself and my art is not sustainable in the long term. So, I’ve become pretty ruthless in processing my weaknesses, learning from them, and just moving forward without a second thought.

I’ve also developed my confidence and self-esteem by learning to be okay with just feeling okay. In other words, I don’t need ‘high’ confidence to be confident. I don’t need ‘high’ self-esteem to feel good about myself. Moving from low confidence/self-esteem to simply neutral can be incredibly freeing, and shouldn’t go overlooked. Growth is a journey, so celebrate those small wins when you can.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’m a film and theater actor based in NYC. Acting allows me to live authentically, be vulnerable, and play. I love to play and connect with my inner child.

I gravitate towards resilient characters with gentle natures and fiery spirits. Oh, and I love a role that’s a bit haunting, too. My recent roles include June from Speed Queen 51 (directed by Sarah Nocquet), who shares a secret with a stranger (played by Rory Culkin), and a young woman in Pest (directed by Nikki Page), whose relationship is disrupted by a pest infestation. Spooky!

I’m also a self-taught ASMRtist. I record satisfying sounds and edit them together to create cozy ambiences that help listeners focus, relax, and unleash creativity. You can find my channel, ASMR Study Hall, on YouTube.

What is ASMR? Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) is a tingling sensation that some people experience in response to a satisfying sensory stimulus.

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?

What an excellent question. The earliest years of an artistic career are delicate. I’m still in the early stages of my career, but here are three things I wish I had done/known sooner!

— Build a strong mental and emotional foundation: Pursuing a career in the arts is emotionally and mentally taxing. Go the extra mile and ensure you’re taking care of yourself. Do your laundry, make your bed. Find a therapist if you can afford one. Get your annual physical. Learn about your treatment options if you live with a mental illness.

— Find a mentor: Actors are often focused on securing an agent or manager, but it’s just as valuable to find a mentor. Take classes and build relationships with your teachers. I highly encourage spending one-on-one time with teachers you admire, such as through private lessons (which many teachers offer) or over coffee.

— Find a community: My first years in NYC were isolating. I didn’t notice the loneliness, but now that I’ve found my circle of friends, I see what I was missing. If you’re an actor who has been focusing on film and is craving communal connection, I highly recommend auditioning for theater projects, too. Community is such a big part of theater.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

When I’m feeling overwhelmed, I limit reminders that I’m overwhelmed. For instance, a messy environment, tense muscles, and a buzzing phone are often cues that I’m overloaded. Here’s what I do:

— Clean: I’m such a clutterbug. When I’m overwhelmed, I’ll do a deep clean so that visual chaos doesn’t further increase my stress. (I need to learn how to prevent visual chaos from happening in the first place, haha!)

— Workout: When I exercise regularly, it tells me that whatever I’m overwhelmed by can wait. And if it can wait, it’s not that serious.

— Silence the phone: I’ve started a new habit where I silence my phone at certain times of the day. When my phone is on, it opens the door to more chaos. By putting it on silent, I can prioritize whatever needs my attention and then address those incoming notifications later.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/janepurnell
• Other: Management: Ann Kelly | [email protected]

Image Credits

Tristan Alex Oliveira
Cecilia Shin
Yiyuan Li