Meet Mia Alexandra

We were lucky to catch up with Mia Alexandra recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Mia, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?

Oh boy. Before I start I think it’s important for me to say – it comes in waves. I don’t spend every day feeling super confident, I don’t know that is even possible, and for me, accepting that is the first big step towards being content with myself. There will always be ebbs and flows, but I think for me, it always comes down to building a relationship with myself. I’m very passionate about my alone time. It’s very important to me to make space for myself to sit with my thoughts and feelings. I feel my best when I’m doing things I’m passionate about. It can be anything from art to dancing to going to my favorite coffee shop to read a book. But I had to spend a lot of time with myself to figure out what those things are, and I’m still figuring it out! If I can recommend one thing, it would be to spend some time alone in a new place where you don’t know anyone. It’s been 3 years since I upped and moved to New York by myself, and in that time I’ve made so many mistakes which I have now learned to call opportunities. I have become so in tune with everything in my life, what sparks me, what makes me sad, what makes me the good kind of uncomfortable versus the bad kind. We spend so much time talking to ourselves without even noticing what we’re saying or how we’re saying it, learning to listen to that voice is life-changing. Your most important relationship is always gonna be to yourself, so invest in it the way you would with anyone else you love.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

My name is Mia Alexandra, I’m an Israeli Actor, Writer, and Voice Actor. I’m especially passionate about stories from and about women. I love comedies and making people laugh and I love being on the production side of things as well (huge fan of spreadsheets). Most recently, much to my surprise, I’ve also discovered I’m a Clown. If you asked anyone that knows me they would tell you it was obvious all along, but if you asked me about it a year ago I probably would have laughed in your face. And now I’m delighted to say I just finished performing in MAD MAD MAD, a play I devised and produced with an incredible ensemble of clowns!

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

Number one is patience! I was just talking about this topic this morning with a fellow actor. In these early stages of our career, we’re planting as many seeds as possible. Every audition, every introduction to industry professionals, every class, they’re all seeds and you have no idea what they’re gonna grow into. Sometimes it’s really hard to see any results, but have patience and trust that if you keep knocking on that door, someone will answer. Because eventually someone always does. I had an acting teacher who once told me that it’s really important to have hobbies. And I can’t express how necessary this is. A lot of being an actor is applying for things and waiting to hear back etc. So having a life separate from acting, having other things I love doing and am excited about, is a big one for me.
Another very important thing is being bold. Walking up to people and introducing myself, sending that email/DM, and making myself known. Understanding that every person in my field is a potential collaborator, as opposed to a competition. If there’s someone whose work I admire, I think “Great, how can I work with this person? How can I learn from them?”. Everyone appreciates hearing that someone is a fan of what they do, and most people are happy to give advice and share what they know.
This brings me to my last important skill, which I’m always working on, trusting myself. Everyone has advice, everyone has a secret to success. I listen to them because I never know what I might learn, but I take everything with a grain of salt. I remind myself everyone is just working on trial and error. What works for someone else may not work for me and vice versa. So learn to take what works for you, and let go of what doesn’t. Everyone’s route to the table looks different, but the important part is that there is room for you there.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

The first thing I do when I realize I’m overwhelmed is to ask myself – what do I need right now? Sometimes I need a normal meal or a jog, to journal, cry, work, or distract myself from work. I try to pause and check in with my body and mind. Because if I’m so stressed that I forget to eat all day, things always seem worse than they are.
Then I try to take it one thing at a time, and if I feel my imposter syndrome creep in I remind myself that I wouldn’t be in the room if I didn’t deserve to be there. That means the people in the room believe I can do it and so should I.
And sometimes it’s hard to convince myself to take a moment to breathe, especially when it feels like the to-do list is miles long. But that breath is just as important as anything else on that list, if not more so.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.miaalexandra.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/its.miaalexandra?igshid=MmIzYWVlNDQ5Yg%253D%253D
• Other: Backstage profile:
  https://www.backstage.com/u/mia-alexandra-1/

  Actors Access profile:
  https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/2090296-5840297

Image Credits

Bronwen Sharp
Bianca Victoria