We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Gianna Salazar. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Gianna below.
Gianna, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
I’m naturally a very optimistic person and I grew up in an environment where my optimism was encouraged and supported. My mom has always been my biggest supporter and she taught me from a young age that the only thing that could stop me from from doing/being what I want in life was myself. The more I’ve grown up, the more I’ve realized that having an optimistic outlook on life is one of the keys to getting out of your own way. I have my low days just like everyone else, but when I have those days I just try and remind myself to not let those feelings define me or change what I know of myself and my life. Gratitude is another key to my optimism. I always find that when I change my perspective and focus on what I’m grateful for, my optimism is never far behind.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Currently, I’m very focused on my acting and singing career. Even though I am an optimist, the last few years have shown me that I still have a lot to work through when it comes to my craft and what I feel that I deserve. I’ve been working on honing my craft and working as much as I can to strengthen my skills and be the best version of myself that I can be. I’ve also been writing my first feature film for the past year and that has been a wonderful challenge for me that has caused me to stretch and grow as an artist.
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?
For me, I think some of the best qualities to cultivate are passion and persistence. There are going to be hard times, there are going to be times where you feel like giving up and like you’re not going to make it. But if you know in your heart that what you’re doing/pursuing is what you want to do more than anything else, you’ll do what it takes to make it work. Passion and persistence are what will make you get up on the days where you feel like crap. Passion and persistence are what will encourage you to do the best you can and to learn as much as you can so you can be the best version of yourself in what you do. I really believe that if you focus on being persistent and keeping your passion alive, there is nothing you can’t do. I also think that I willingness to fail, learn, get back up and try again is something that every person everyone needs to cultivate if they want to be successful. There will be lean times, and there will be fruitful times. It’s easy to be happy and content during the fruitful times, but who you are and what you do during the lean times says more about your character. If you keep your eyes on the prize, believe in yourself, and let your love for your craft guide you, there is nothing that you can’t accomplish. Focus on your goal and dance through the obstacles.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
I always talk about how much I love the book “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. One of my favorite quotes from the book is “And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it.” To me, the book perfectly outlines what it is to be someone pursuing their dreams. There are many hardships and struggles on the journey, but the adventure and what you learn about yourself on the way are some of the most wonderful and valuable life lessons that you will ever learn. It may have been painful to learn them, but what you get in return makes it all worthwhile. I also fully believe that the struggles you face on the the journey are what make the destination so rewarding. When you look back at all of the high and lows the you’ve experienced and you see that you reached your goal anyway, you see that you were always more incredible than you ever thought possible. But how would you know how amazing you are if you hadn’t felt completely broken and lost? This book taught me that the journey is worth it, and that your hardships are not meant to break you, they are meant to show you a strength within yourself that you didn’t know you had.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.giannasalazar.com
- Instagram: giannaxsalazar
- Other: TikTok: giannaxsalazar
Image Credits
Deidhra Fahey Photography & New York Film Academy
