Meet Mia Alexandra

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

Mia, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?

I think something that’s not talked about enough among creatives is the importance of having a life outside of creating. I see a lot of talk about hustling, living and breathing your art, working yourself to the ground etc, and that can be hard as a young starting out artist to cut through that noise. Because for me, what actually keeps me creative is all the things I do outside of my acting. It’s laughing with my friends, spending time with family, cuddling my dog, going to the beach, reading my favorite books. When I’m actually living my life in the present moment, doing things that bring me joy, that’s when I also find myself most inspired. I can’t pour from an empty cup.

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?

So I’m Mia Alexandra. I’m an actor, writer, producer and most recently a clown. I’ve been in love with theater basically my whole life, and I’ve recently gotten back into comedy, which is very exciting to me because it’s what made me fall in love with acting in the first place. I had stepped away from it for awhile, because some acting teacher once told me I’m not funny when I was a teenager, and I had accepted that as truth. But now I’ve been part of award-winning comedy shows, and have been doing clown and skits and comedy very successfully for two years. You can check out more of what I’m up to on my website:
www.MiaAlexandra.com

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

I’d say one of the most helpful skills I learned at a young age is accepting cringe and embarrassment as part of life, especially as an artist. Fear of embarrassing yourself is such a creativity killer, and there’s always going to be someone who doesn’t like what you do. So find your way of digging inside yourself and silencing those voices, and then do it anyway.
Another skill that’s been extremely influential in my career so far, and this one is particularly hard as a woman, because it goes against everything we’re taught, is figuring out exactly what it is I want, and then asking for it. Seriously. Be straightforward and honest (With others, but more importantly, with yourself) and tell people what you want. I’ve found this to be helpful in every area of my life. I’m not waiting for people to guess or offer it to me, I’m walking up to them and asking for it.
This third one has been helpful for me in figuring out what it is that I want – reconnecting with what I loved doing/seeing/listening to as a child. What made me fall in love with my art and my hobbies, and shamelessly enjoying it. It’s brought so much joy into my life, and reminded me that I love what I do.

What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?

The area of my life where I’ve seen the most growth is my relationship with myself and my self-care. I’ve started really doing things for myself and listening to what my body needs. Putting effort into things that I love (that aren’t career-related) and investing in myself. Starting therapy has been huge, making food that I love, dancing alone in my house. It’s all small things that have built my confidence ,and I can honestly say I feel so comfortable with myself in a way I never have before.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.miaalexandra.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/its.miaalexandra/?igshid=MmIzYWVlNDQ5Yg%253D%253D#
• Other: https://www.thehumanistproject.org/

Image Credits

Michael F. Toomey
Bianca Victoria