We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jeffrie Favianny. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jeffrie below.
Hi Jeffrie, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?
There have been many times where I’ve been the only one in the room that does look like me; a short, skinny, brown-skin and dark-haired man with strong facial features and weighing angst. In ballet class it was the most evident, I would look out into a sea of whiteness, often yearning to just blend in and not stick out so much. At Oxford during a Summer, I was the only latino in tutorials, or sometimes in my early army days, I was the only Hispanic in leadership. At first, being the only one that looked like me made me uncomfortable – it made me want to hide and be like everyone else. I wish I could tell you someday it all changed, but the reality is, it still is like that sometimes. However, now that I’m older though, I see it differently, I see it as fuel and it revitalizes my spirit. How? Well, I think about the fact that many people who look like me and come from where I come from, would desire such an opportunity. They yearn for dreams of coming to America and being in these rooms. For example, when I first joined the #1 tech company in the world, or the #1 public school in the world, I would see the maintenance staff, and they looked like me, but not the professors. While I wasn’t always noticed by a professor, I was always noticed by a maintenance worker or a janitor. They would SEE me. Their smiles and slight head nods of approval as I walked past the halls and their whispers of “hola” reassured me. It made me feel that I see myself in them and they in me. So I’ve learned that wherever I go, I bring the people of my homeland of Honduras with me, my family with me, the people who immigrated here with me, the people who were never afforded the chances I was — I bring them with me into those rooms. They carry and speak through me.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My name is Jeffrie Favianny, I’m an LA-based actor, writer, dancer, and director. I yearn to tell stories that make people feel something, either an escape from their lives for a brief moment or a reminder of how beautiful their life really is, even admist chaos and tragedy. I come from Honduras, moved to South Central when I was 7 years old and now I’m 29 living in West Los Angeles.
I’m a man who is in touch with his emotions, perhaps to a fault, a man who thoroughly enjoys connecting with his inner being and reminiscing on the old all while pondering the new. I believe in the romanticization of life from the tragic to the comedic and everything in between. I tell stories that take us away and at the same time, take us back. I believe in the idea that we evolve and we shed our skin and grow a new one, and thus; I believe I have still yet to meet Jeffrie in his totality. I only know parts of him so far. I cannot wait to meet 30 year-old Jeffrie and 50 year-old Jeffrie.
It is in these small glimpses that I know of Jeffrie, that I want to tell stories. This moment in time I will never get again. As I grow and experience more of life, there will be different things that need to be said, seen or heard.
So, if interested, follow along, as I will tell countless new stories through dance, music and film that are deposits from my universe, hoping it reaches at least one person. In fact, I will be writing, producing, directing, acting and dancing in my first ever mid-length film set to release in 2024. I hope you’ll join me for this bold journey.
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?
If I could narrow down the three qualities needed to be relentless in your pursuit, it would be the following: have grit, have good people around you, and have a good “why?”
First, any industry, let alone the entertainment industry, is going to be difficult. Any dream that makes your heart palpitate is going to have boundless hurdles. Therefore, you must have grit. The ability to have discipline, devotion and dedication, even when you don’t feel like it. For me, I pursue it even when I’m tired and fatigued. When I come home from 9-5pm, I get ready for my 5-9pm. You must dig deep for whatever it is that your heart yearns for. So whatever it is your journey looks like, have grit and grit will serve you well.
Second, surround yourself with good people. You must have the discernment needed to spot who will support you as opposed to who will merely use/abuse you. Building something solid, a house or an empire, needs a firm foundation and the reality is that you cannot, nor should you, do it alone. It requires others, who are willing to lay bricks with you and in turn, you help them lay their foundation down as well. For me, good art will come from and with good people.
Lastly, and most importantly, you must understand your why. When I was younger, I thought I wanted to be an actor because of the money, power and glory [cue: Lana Del Rey]. The older I’ve gotten, I realized that was superficial and unstable, it was not the right “why?” and flimsy “why”s will crumble. Now, after looking deeper and digging, I realized that this dream has stayed with me because I have something to say. I have stories to write, dances that have been undanced, songs unsung and films not yet written. I have a small pocket of a universe that I hope to someday bring color to.
Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
The idea of getting older – as I leave my 20’s soon, I’m faced with a wave of remembrance for what has occurred in the past decade. So many beautiful and good things, finding my faith, being the first in my family to graduate from college in America, making lifelong friendships in the most unlikely places, releasing my first film, becoming an actual artist, serving my nation and even getting my first feline – a gorgeous tuxedo cat named Chanel No.5 who has been a tremendous alleviation for my mental health. So many great things. But you cannot have the good without the bad. There was loss, mountains of angst and depression, a great sense of being lost with no direction and even hurting good people I care about.
So, the challenge I’m currently facing is reconciling with the past and even the present – did I do enough? Was I enough in my 20’s? Did I miss out on anything? Did I do everything I needed to?
So while I’m dwelling on this, there’s a new doorstep I’m on. The new era of Jeffrie, I cannot wait to meet him in the 30’s. I simmer with nervous energy and eager anticipation. I’m facing this challenge head on, as we will all have done so or will do so. I know this new era will be an entirely new bold journey as I leave adolescence behind. So goodbye and thank you for everything!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jeffriefavianny.
com - Instagram: https://www.
instagram.com/jeffriefavianny/ - Linkedin: https://www.
linkedin.com/in/ jeffriegonzalez/
Image Credits
Photographer: Cory Popp Creative Director & Stylist: Rebecca Sun
