Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Olivia Scott. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Olivia, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Any questions or discussions regarding imposter syndrome are always very fascinating to me. I do not fully grasp imposter syndrome. In my opinion every room you are in- you should be in. If I am at an audition and there are bigger actors there I immediately think, bring it on! Odds are that the bigger actor will probably book (or there’s multiple offers out), so in my head I am just excited to be there and ‘do my thing’ in the audition room. Throughout childhood I went to Catholic school, I can’t imagine God would ever put us in a room we shouldn’t be in. Truly when I think about being in rooms where one could potentially feel imposter syndrome, I think “bring it on”!
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?
The majority of Angelenos have multiple jobs, well Angelenos in the entertainment industry. Currently I model, act, and write. Most of my modeling gigs are fit modeling jobs, aka I fit clothing before it goes into production. SAG is on strike, but we can still audition and act in commercials and for some independent films with the SAG voucher. Of course there are not as many auditions as when it is not strike season, but it is nice to still audition. Writing is new to me. My brother and I are almost done co-writing a comedy fairy pilot, and I am in the beginning stages of writing a female action feature!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Top 3 things to work on as you go into a creative field: know yourself, have a growth mindset, always be learning. Why do we do the things that we do? As you grow as a person your artistic work will grow. I was listening to a Tim Ferriss podcast where he was interviewing Peter Thiel, Tim asked Peter if there was one thing he could change about himself what would it be? Peter responded along the lines, “nothing, because that begs the question why I haven’t addressed it yet”. Whenever I do something I do not like/I realize that there is room for improvement in my life I try my hardest to address it. Our best artwork comes when we are working through all of our insecurities/fears in my opinion. On and off I tutor children, and one thing I try to drill into their brains is growth mindset. Getting stuck on a problem in life will never get you to the next level. I am almost always in a class, last week I finished a writing class, I am about to start another, and am getting private training for “clowning” right now. It may sound cliche, but we will not know how these classes/learning/experiences will help us until the end, the universe has a way of working itself out.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
In the past I would wake up in the middle of the night overwhelmed with anxiety. Breathing exercises and meditation have changed my life. 5-7 days of the week I do Wim Hof breathing exercises. Now, in the middle of the night IF I wake up (which is very rare now) I do box breathing. Box breathing is breathing in 4 counts, holding 4 counts, breathing out 4 counts, hold 4 counts, and continuing for a few minutes, it completely calms the nervous system. In the mornings I do Vedic meditation, which is a mantra based meditation. Breathing exercises and meditation have helped me be more present, in my body, and able to face challenges much easier.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.oliviaescott.com
- Instagram: @oliviaescott
Image Credits
Marcel Indik
