We recently connected with Seth Thielges and have shared our conversation below.
Seth, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
Honestly? Do you ever really stop developing those? I think practicing trust in myself, making those conscious choices to follow my gut, even if my brain was screaming “DANGER,” really was the thing that boosted my self-worth the most. I also think there’s confidence in knowing when you’re wrong and being able to admit that. I live life as much as I can. Experience as much as I can. Put myself out there as much as I can. Squeeze every last ounce of stuff out of this life so that this trust, this confidence, becomes the default.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
You can see much more on my instagram than I would ever be able to talk about here, but I am an actor/singer/director. I think there is such a power in live theater or streaming that brings us all closer together by giving us something mutual to talk about. I think we need a lot of that right now. People are fighting ruthlessly but saying the same thing, and never really coming to a resolution because they’re not listening to each other. They are leading with hate and bias over love for another human. I love to work on projects with this kind of there, where there’s no real “good / bad guy”. I also love projects surrounding the idea that life isn’t that serious. Almost everything in life is not as stressful or panic inducing as we allow it to be. Of course there are many exceptions, but day-to-day struggles don’t need to be as big as we often make them. I hope that by seeing the absurdity of people stressing over ridiculous things, we are able to return to ourselves and respect our fellow humans. Laughing at relatable characters is its own catharsis.
As for new projects, I will be playing Louis in <i>Angels in America</i> at the Art of Acting Studio, Dec. 10-13th! I also have some film work rolling out, and you can check my instagram for updates and info.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Persistence, patience, and optimism is what I find myself returning to constantly. Going through the rigorous conservatory program at The Art of Acting Studio has been a huge challenge. I’ve left class crying, beaten, wondering why I even choose to come here, but I go back every day. That amount of failing and falling on my face taught me how to pick myself back up, lead with my heart even if I’m getting scrutinized by 25+ people, and to enter the space with my head held high and confident in my own work. My persistence earned me respect. My patience kept me humble and focused. And my optimism granted me many opportunities in and outside of the classroom. These qualities stopped me from settling for “enough,” and they’re going to keep me driving forward.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
There have been a lot of people who have helped me immensely on my journey, I can’t choose just one. All of my friends who have been by my side, listened to my cry and rave on and on in ways that don’t make sense, Rysha, Rachel, Fatima, and Anthony. Having people I knew I could fall back on has given me courage to take bigger risks. My boyfriend Carlo Narváez, who trusted me even when I was incredibly distracted by my studies, and was still there when I needed him. My teachers at the Art of Acting studio who saw in me what I couldn’t. And my family back home in Minnesota who still cheer me on from across the country. I tend to be a very independent person, so having these people by my side, often times when I didn’t even want them there, has been quite the life saver.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @sethielges
- Youtube: @SethThielges
Image Credits
Joey Lozano – @ joeysnap71, Justin White – @justinvwhite
