We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sara Oliva. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sara below.
Hi Sara, thanks for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re very focused on here – improving our ability to make decisions. Everyday, we’re faced with decisions that can impact the future of our careers, businesses, relationships and more and so one of the most impactful areas for personal development, in our view, is decision-making. Can you talk to us about how you developed or improved your decision-making skills?
By making a lot of questionable choices. Only partly joking. Sometimes it’s as simple as asking, “Do I want to do this?” “Does it seem fun?” “Will it challenge me?” “Will it benefit long term?” “Is it manageable right now?” If I can answer yes to any of those, I will likely do it. I am impulsive but methodical. I do what feels right at the moment. Ultimately, I go with my gut. I do think you need to be a bit unruly when you make choices. Toying too long with lists and just logic is a great way to suffocate your inner voice and the magic within. On some level, you know even when you don’t. You can literally feel it in your body.
I don’t believe in right decisions vs wrong ones, necessarily. I believe the universe follows your lead, and ultimately, it wants what you want. You make a choice, then that decision leads to another possibility and so forth and before you know it, you may be riding this almost divine momentum. I’ve also learned that it’s important to back your decision up. When I make a choice, I’m announcing to myself and the universe, “I trust myself”. There is power in that. Once the choice is made, I take ownership of it and allow the energy of it to propel me forward and not pull me back . It’s when I don’t accept the choice or teeter with uncertainty about it that I run into trouble. That’s when regret, guilt, and anger can seep in and sort of dismantle your confidence. So when I make a choice, I accept it and move forward.
As an actor, it’s not always easy to say “No”. Am I saying no to a potential opportunity? But saying “no” is just as crucial, if not more, to your well-being and livelihood as saying “yes”. As an artist and mother and a human being. I have learned to be much more intentional about where I distribute my time, creativity, and self. There’s glory in being discerning. Having both heart and teeth. Life is too grand and short to constantly fret. A “bad decision” won’t end you. And if it does, metaphorically speaking, get back up, learn and keep going. As long as the sun rises, so will you.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am an actress, writer, director, producer and filmmaker. I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I attended the Milwaukee High School of the Arts, and I received my BFA in Acting at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. After graduating I moved to Chicago to begin my professional career, and after maybe five, six years, I got my MFA In Acting at Brandeis University. Then I moved to New York City, which was such a wild, intense, pivotal, glorious time. I tapped into a different bravery there when I became a mother. I eventually moved down to Florida, where my family was.
Most recently, I expanded my focus to include writing and directing. I wrote, produced and acted in the short film “Lioness”, which is streaming on the Omeleto Channel on Youtube. It has been an Official Selection and screened at over 60 festivals, including Academy Award®, BAFTA, BIFA and Canadian Screen Qualifying. I won “Best Actress” at the Georgia Shorts Film Festival, and was nominated for Best Performance by both the SOHO International Film Festival and First Glance Philadelphia Film Festival. It won the Powerful Voice Award at the Blackbird Film Festival, Jury Award for Best Short Topaz Film Festival, and won several other awards at festivals such as Love Your Shorts, Milazzo Film Festival, Fort Lauderdale Film Festival and others. Over the past few years, I have been traveling nationally and internationally with it. Being able to travel doing what I love was a dream come true.
For anyone who tells themselves they can’t or don’t know how, or are too overwhelmed to create, build, or bring their idea to fruition… don’t put it off. Tell that story burrowed within that no one but you can tell more deeply, truer, better. Throw yourself in the thick of it. Learn how. Ask questions. Be okay with not knowing the answers and forging ahead anyway. I made many mistakes. But I knew my capabilities. I knew what needed to be accomplished. I learned so much from the team and by just diving in. I asked a lot of questions and figured things out as we went. Lioness had a crew of five people, and it was filmed in one hotel room over a 48 hour period. It was tiny, but mighty. It was challenging, but the will and desire to tell this story, which was to honor and celebrate survivors, Lionesses, of domestic violence, overthrew any deeply rooted fears and insecurities I had, which were plentiful. If it’s important to you, it will be impactful to someone else. Do the work and trust that it will find a way.
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?
Passion, Guts, and Will.
Knowing when to be relentless and when to be still. Having both thick and soft skin. Thick enough where the toxicity and criticism won’t tear you down, soft enough so you can still connect to the most vulnerable part of yourself. I recently came across this old proverb, “At the end of the game, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.” We have one life, so live like the queen or king you are. Do everything you can to live a life that taps into your scorching brilliance, greatness and bravery.
No matter where you are in your journey – keep leading with curiosity, perseverance, empathy and a bit of mayhem. Learn, travel, connect with others and in communities both within and outside of your art. How much do you grow if you are truly fearless in everything? Delight in those nerves, those fears, and just do it anyway. Do it anyway. You will think of a million reasons not to, so latch on to that one that whispers, “Go for it.” That’s the voice that needs to be nurtured and amplified. It’s sacred. It’s fuel. Practice courage. Remember who you are and honor why you are here. Give yourself grace. Do what fills you just because. No explanation. Revel in joy, be touched by heartbreak, tap into your wildness. Stay open, be bold. We are alive, at this moment. What an extraordinary thing to be.
How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?
Gaining visibility while steering my own vessel in an industry where your work and livelihood is dictated by the opinions of others. Acting is an industry within an industry. Your artistry and looks and essence is a never-ending interview. How does one thrive, sustain, and generate income as an artist when it can feel at times as though your work isn’t valued, isn’t enough or isn’t seen? In the darkest hour, one can feel one is at the mercy of gatekeepers. But that is also an illusion I continually press against and reject. And I don’t, have never concerned myself with being palatable or fitting in. How we see ourselves is how we choose to see ourselves. And no artist should believe they are less than or at the mercy of anyone. Your value as an artist is not dependent nor defined on whether or not you get the job.
For me, it comes back to building my own castle. Creating my own work, continually discovering what I want to do and how to put it out in the world. What fascinates, moves, satiates me, sets me on fire. What can I learn, how can I connect to others and move with integrity. Not just in art, but life. There is so much magic in being a storyteller. And it isn’t enough to just hope. You have to believe in your deepest marrow that your voice has an impact. That it matters. You matter. Keep nurturing your soul and tenderizing your artistry. There are other creatives who want to sit at your table and listen and engage. Support each other. And above all, advocate for yourself. No one is as invested in you as you. The challenge is also the necessity – don’t let your brilliance slowly die under the weight of self doubt and static. Know your worth. You are worthy. And don’t believe otherwise.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.saraoliva.com
- Instagram: @Sara_antoinette
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvHgXBpmvJ8
- Other: www.filmlioness.com
Image Credits
Emily Lambert Eli Dreyfus Ashleigh Ann Gardner
