Meet Wynter Spears

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Wynter Spears a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Wynter , so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

I was fortunate to have parents who not only encouraged me, but also challenged me to do hard things and rise to difficult endeavors, which I believe gave me confidence and self esteem at an early age. The story I love to tell about my dad is that he never let us win at board games as children. He wanted us to know that someone can be better than you at something, but if you work hard and pay attention, you can learn new skills to excel. My father taught me how to play checkers when I was four years old. We used to play at least once a week and he would beat me every single time, but I learned strategy from each defeat. I played with him for 3 years until I finally beat him when I was 7. That victory, after all that time, was particularly sweet because I knew, without a doubt, that I had defeated him that day because I had finally mastered the game.

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?

It’s starting to feel particularly dangerous at the present moment, but I am enjoying doing stand up right now. Someone once said that a woman standing in front of a microphone speaking her mind is an act or rebellion (for a black woman, even moreso), and that feels very true at this moment in the zeitgeist. Having the opportunity to share my thoughts, my insights, my ideas and laugh about the big things as well as the small things feels not only important, but necessary in a society that seems to increasingly want to silence any dissenting voice, especially that of a woman.

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?

Observation, volunteerism and the ability to act in spite of fear. The ability to observe and draw conclusions is so important. So much of what is going to happen is predictable by what has happened before. History repeats itself is a cliché because it’s true. Pay attention to what the people around you are doing. Put yourself in spaces where people are doing what you’d like to be doing. Choose your friends by observing their behavior. Are these people supportive? Are they kind? Do you like them? Are you the best version of yourself when you’re around them? Also observe and pay attention to your own behaviors and thoughts; get to know yourself thoroughly.

Volunteering for me has been a great way to learn about things that I’m interested in. Since I’ve been in LA, I’ve volunteered at SAG-AFTRA, comedy festivals and film festivals. It has also been a great way to meet people who are also artists. It helps to create community to put yourself in spaces with like-minded people.

I feel like so much of being an artist is to act in spite of the fear. That doesn’t mean put yourself in harm’s way or do something that is dangerous to your health or your spirit. It means reaching out to someone maybe you don’t know to ask a question or seeing if they’re open to collaboration and risking rejection. This a business of rejection oftentimes, so it’s part of the bargain, but so far, it hasn’t gotten any easier for me.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

My parents were really great at encouraging my me in all my talents, both academically and artistically. I wasn’t a very social or friendly child, but I loved music and dance, so my mother made sure I had the opportunity to study dance and took me to see shows all the time. My dad always made sure that I knew that my judgment and my instincts were good and sound and the most important barometer for what was right or wrong for me. Being able to listen to my inner voice and stand my ground on what will or won’t work for me as an artist has been pivotal in my development. I’ve never regretted anything that I’ve turned down. I’ve only ever regretted things I knew I should have turned down, but didn’t.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wynterspears.com
• Instagram: wynterspears

Image Credits

Conner Lee Photography-Conner Lee Coughenour