We recently connected with Diane Nierenberg and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Diane, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
I feel that this is an important topic to touch on as an artist because we live in a constant rollercoaster of emotions. Art is not easy, and neither is being an artist. We tend to be hard on ourselves and we are perfectionists, or at least we have an individual standard of perfectionism that we have to meet. So we constantly fight ourselves, thinking that nothing we do is “good enough” and it is challenging to be positive when you are committed to being your worst enemy and never meeting your own expectations. Everybody has their own process to overcome this, but for me personally, what helps me be optimistic is that life has shown me that no matter what happens, it is never the end. Sometimes, things don’t work out as you expected them, and you don’t book the job you wanted the most, or you didn’t give your best performance because it wasn’t a good day for you, but that doesn’t mean the end of your career. Life is full of unexpected opportunities that can change everything and turn your life upside down, and I like to think that when something doesn’t work, it just wasn’t meant to happen because something better is waiting for you. So far, my whole life has worked like this, I haven’t always gotten what I wanted and many things have gone really wrong, but after all, there is something exciting waiting for me around the corner, so that has made me think optimistically about absolutely everything. There is always light after darkness, it’s just a cycle.
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 actor and director and very focused on my career at the moment, always looking for the next exciting challenge. The last challenge actually, has been one of the most beautiful experiences as an artist in I would say, my whole life. I was given the opportunity to direct a feature film called “The Serenade Charade” written and produced by Ryan Willer, and at first, I have to admit that I experienced a little bit of vertigo because of the size of the project. I had directed shorts at that point, but never a feature, and never a feature with the complexity of this one. It’s funny because the day before I got this opportunity, I was telling my friend how we have to hold onto those opportunities that come out of nowhere because it means that we need that challenge and it might take us where we need to go. Well, the universe was ready to test me, because this was one of those. I said yes, but I was absolutely honest and I said that this was my first feature. I want to think that Ryan appreciates that part of me, but also as a good “A student”, I showed him that I could jump on and start working on it right away and give the best of me. The script was something I wasn’t used to seeing in Indie movies, the complexity as I mentioned before was terrifying and exciting at the same time. I read it a few times and started working on my vision. I remember listening to certain songs while creating the mood boards and working on setting the tone and intention, and in doing so, I was sure of what I wanted to see when we started casting.
Diana Garle and Keeley Bright, our leads, are absolutely fantastic actresses. The producers and I looked at a ton of tapes and it was difficult because there were great actors auditioning for this, but these two… they were just our Cerilene and Wendy (the main characters) We set up weekly rehearsals and it was beautiful seeing them grow and morph into their characters, as well as seeing the bond they created after so much time together. When the time came, we only had 5 days to film, which was one of the challenges when I first accepted the project, but that didn’t stop anybody from giving their 200% and I got to see everything unfolding on set. I can’t spoil anybody, because this film and this story need to be seen more than be told, but what I can say is that it won’t leave anybody indifferent.
As a director, I have grown with this project more than I thought I would, and it has shown me things as an actor as well because you learn so much when you see it from the other side of the camera. Also, I have made friendships that hopefully, will last forever.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I can summarize everything in a quote from “Doctor Who” that is imprinted in my mind and that it says “Never cruel or cowardly, never give up, and never give in” which can translate to: Fight for your dreams, don’t be scared to take on challenges, don’t let people bring you down, but don’t step on others to get where you need to. Be brave, but be kind.
I live by this, not just in my career but with everything in life. Giving up should be the last resort because there are a lot of limits that are just self impose and mainly come from fear, fear of failing, or fear to take risks, but it is not worth ditching your dreams before you even try. We will get really far if we just try to learn, and nobody should tell you that you can’t learn something. We are born into this world knowing nothing at all, and we have to learn how to walk, talk, eat… and here we are. So who says that you can’t become the best version of yourself if you put your mind to it? But, and we get to the last one, always with kindness. Nothing comes from selfishness or from being mean, that will only make you unhappy and will create barriers for you. We thrive as a society and collective because we learn from one another because we support and inspire others when they can’t keep going. We need each other, and life shouldn’t be a competition but a team effort.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
I love this question because I would not be who I am if it weren’t because of them. They both passed years ago, cancer took them both and sadly I can’t show them what I have become thanks to them, but I have moments that I just talk to them, whatever they are, and thank them.
They always talked to me. They were the kind of parents who instead of grounding me, would sit down with me and explain why something was wrong and what were the consequences. They also taught me respect, and how to understand people no matter what their circumstances are, instead being quick to judge.
And always, always encouraged me to do what I wanted to do and if I had a passion for something, they would help me explore it in any way they could. We were a middle-class family, so their resources were limited and I didn’t ever ask for much, but if suddenly I showed interest in Egyptian culture, they would buy me as many books as possible. Then I would become obsessed with a film, and I would get an extended edition with BTS and all. My mom knew I love music so she would buy me random CDs so I would discover new artists and so on. They always fed my hunger for knowledge and always encouraged me to learn more, and I think it is so important for parents to do that, because your kid will grow up with the mentality that possibilities are infinite, and there is so much to discover.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dianenierenberg.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/diane.nier
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm13116423/
