Meet Olivia Spirz

We were lucky to catch up with Olivia Spirz recently and have shared our conversation below.

Olivia, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.

Community. My creativity is kept alive by the talented people I get to surround myself with. I have been in Los Angeles for ten years now, and am lucky to have cultivated a group a people who inspire me and expand my world everyday. From my first improv team (Shout out to LINDA!) to all the actors and creatives I have met on shows, to my friends that I have made here and all the way back in middle School. Making short films, doing photoshoots, going to concerts, seeing theater, having a craft night, writing sketch, and producing a show are all things that have been motivated by my community. I am constantly inspired and in awe of all the art and projects that my community creates, and it helps me tap in whenever I need to be creative!

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am an actor and performer in Los Angeles, with an emphasis in live performance and theater. After graduating from the University of Redlands, I moved out here and pursued acting. I have been involved with improv, sketch, film, tv, clowning but above all theater remains my primary love. Recently, one of my best friends Tanushree Verma and I decided we wanted to celebrate our 20 years of friendship by producing a show. We picked a play called Absurd Person Singular by Sir Alan Ayckbourn. This was our first time producing a show of this size and because it was self funded, and as a result we had to wear a lot of different hats. Luckily, the cast was made up of friends who also do theater for the love of it. We had so much help with with constructing and building the set, designing light and sound, costume, and backstage management. I learned so much! The show was a success because we had so many wonderful minds behind it. If you have done theater, you know it’s magic. I am currently searching for the next play to produce!

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The three skills that have most impacted my journey are; vulnerability, mindfulness, and adaptability. I think to be a captivating performer you have to be willing to put yourself out there and make mistakes. Vulnerability to me means you are fully present and authentically yourself. My short, but growing, experience in clowning has also taught me that vulnerability. strengthens the connections you make with others, which is one of my favorite things about performing! Being in this industry is anxiety-inducing and it challenges your patience and self confidence. Practicing mindfulness, wether thats quick meditations, or going for long walks, helps me center myself. I also emphasize adaptability. This is an ever changing industry and its been helpful to remind myself to be flexible and to not completely loose steam when things don’t go a certain way.

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

I think the biggest area of growth in the past 12 months has been my confidence. To be completely honest, confidence is something I have to regularly work on. It’s rough when you go through a dry spell and don’t get many auditions or don’t book anything for a while. I really do think creating my own opportunities and producing a show helped bring me back to a healthy mentality. I proved to myself I could do things I thought I couldn’t do! I’ve also made an agreement with myself to never stop growing and to stop comparing my career to others.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @olivetree48

Image Credits

Chris Jon
Vbhakar Verma