We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Paula Pizzi. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Paula below.
Paula, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
Great question. I’m a middle child who was born 3 years after my little 2 year old brother died. I wasn’t a boy which was for my parents simultaneously a relief and a disappointment. When my younger brother was born 3 years later, the pressure for me to fill what was no doubt a bottomless hole was gone, and I was kind of left to my own devices which was really great and not so great, but it definitely built resilience. More often than not I would find myself falling in the cracks in my very loud, totally nuts, yet always loving Argentinian family, leaving me with no option other than to scream to be heard, usually from the top of a tree. And they still didn’t hear me, or maybe they did but they didn’t listen. So I started writing, Nobody would read what I wrote, so I turned to acting. And that one stuck. And I’m here, despite being warned: “You have an accent, you will never work in the US.” Despite being constantly told (you gotta love this one) ” You don’t look latina”. I’m still here. You know, life has a way of looping back, I’m not falling in the cracks again. If that was the learning, I’m grateful.
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?
Growing up in Buenos Aires I felt right at home in Manhattan. I trained as an actress with the great Bill Esper among others, eventually joining Circle Rep Lab (now New Circle) and LAByrinth Theater Company, both crucial creative nests for my soul. I went back to writing and started directing and collaborating in the development of new plays. I’m also a NYS certified Spanish Court Interpreter/Translator, a job that definitely keeps it real. Speaking of new plays, I will be playing Claudia Bernardi, a visual artist, an activist, a real force who, like me, grew up in Argentina during the military junta. My childhood was obviously informed by those turbulent years but I was young and naive and didn’t get what was really happening. Too many of us didn’t. I am beyond honored to be given the opportunity to tell her powerful story. Written by Catherine Filloux and directed by Elena Araoz, the play will run at La Mama 5/30 – 6/16.
For more info: How to Eat an Orange
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?
-Perseverance, which for me is resilience put into action. I’m convinced that if you stick at something you really want long enough it will eventually happen, even if it is by mere default. Having said that, I make it my business to constantly re assess my wants.
-Training, so when the opportunity arrives I am ready to meet it to the best of my potential. We have all heard that education is power. Being underprepared serves no one really.
-Community building, developing meaningful relationships, engaging in collaborative projects and activities in the service of others have been key for my mental health. I can’t do this life thing alone, I believe in the interconnectedness of all beings.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
When I feel overwhelmed, which happens more than I would like to admit, I try to focus on gratitude. There is so much I can take for granted if I’m not paying attention, like the ability to take a hot shower every day for instance. Even on the worst day, I always manage to find something to be grateful for. And something lifts.
Contact Info:
- Website: Paula Pizzi
- Instagram: Paula Pizzi-Black (@pizziblack)
- Linkedin: Paula Pizzi
- Twitter: @PaulaPizzi
