We were lucky to catch up with Rebecca Collins recently and have shared our conversation below.
Rebecca, sincerely appreciate your selflessness in agreeing to discuss your mental health journey and how you overcame and persisted despite the challenges. Please share with our readers how you overcame. For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
When I was in my teens, I suffered immensely from depression and anxiety. It took over my life for quite a while! The way I managed to overcome these challenges was through art, acting, and musical theatre. I was part of a choir and a musical theatre company. These were the places where I could absolutely be myself. Being able to fully express myself and detach from what was going on in my head was a blessing and definitely helped me persist through all the hard times. I am also very lucky to have a fantastic family who support me and love me. They were my rock through all the ups and downs, and I could never thank them enough.nk them enough.
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?
I’m an Australian/New Zealander who moved to NYC to pursue acting. I know.. It’s a very common path, but I am so glad I took that step.
Back in Australia, I always knew that I wanted to be in the performing arts industry, it’s where I felt at home. So after I graduated high school I did a short musical theatre course at a place called ShowFit, being completely in my element was fantastic, and getting to hone my craft daily was a blessing.
Then, of course, Covid. Right before COVID struck I had gotten my acceptance letter to The Stella Adler Studio of Acting Conservatory in NYC, So for a year I had to wait, I wrote music, did countless paint-by-numbers, and was an online party princess.
Moving to New York, alone, during covid, was terrifying. But it all was worth it when I started my 3-year course, I learned more about myself than I ever could have imagined, met the most fantastic people, was taught by some of the greatest teachers I’ve ever known, and became a better actor!
After graduating I’ve been doing the usual actor grind, audition, work, be creative, repeat. I work at a dog cafe which has been a wonderful distraction from the stressors of this career. But the hard work has paid off, because in September I will be part of the Dundee Fringe Festival in Scotland performing a play called The Worth Of Women by Moderata Fonte.
And I look forward to what’s coming next!
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?
1. Resilience – In school, we were given half a ping pong ball, a stick, and a small rubber ball. After some crafting, it became a resilience buddy. No matter how much you pushed it over, it bounced back. Whenever I’m going through a hard time, that’s what I picture, and it’s been extremely helpful. I think what helps resilience is remembering that you have bounced back before, countless times, and you can do it again.
2. Loyalty – Being loyal has helped me in so many aspects of my life. Being loyal to my friends and family, but also to myself and my career. I’ve learned it’s quite easy to be loyal to other people, but the loyalty to myself and my views has been a little harder.
3. Curiosity – I had a teacher at Stella who told us that creativity is like a fire: it can smother you or keep you warm, but you have to feed it. The way I’ve been able to feed my fire is by being curious, trying to learn something every day, noticing things in myself and the people around me that I’ve never noticed before. Another teacher used to ask us at the start of every class, “What have you learned this week?” In continuing to ask myself that question, I have grown and learned so much.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I love making new connections!! I feel that’s the best way to grow in this city.
I’d love to collaborate with people who are singers, musicians, directors, actors, dancers, basically any creative!
I can be reached through my website https://beccollins1.wixsite.com/my-site-1
Contact Info:
Image Credits
Richelle Szypulski
Mutlu Ozturk
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
