We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kiana Nicole Washington. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kiana Nicole below.
Kiana Nicole, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
No matter when the work comes, I like to create opportunities for myself! When I am in between jobs, I am often working on my own material, whether it be a short form musical adaptation or developing. a whole tv series. Having these personal projects help me stay in my creative world and focus less on the worry that may accompany the hundreds of no’s I face as an actress. Recently, I have also started doing some themed photoshoots as a way to boost my confidence, stay busy during the strike, and fuel my creativity! It’s been a lot of fun playing around in this new outlet of expression and I always strive to discover new ways to stay creative.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am an actress, singer, and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. I have been performing my whole life as a singer, dancer, and actress. While acting has always been my passion, I actually got my introduction to the arts through music. Growing up, I sang in church choir and wrote and performed music with my two sisters and dad. In high school, I was able to mix my love for music with my dream of acting as I started training in musical theatre and competing in performance competitions.
I loved musical theatre, but I knew that I wanted to become a film professional and act on-camera. I attended the University of Georgia and obtained a BA in Theatre and an additional BA in Entertainment and Media Studies, where I was able to produce, write and act in my own short films, while acting in film projects outside of school. After graduating, I moved across the country from Georgia to LA to further pursue my acting career full-time.
I am most proud of my role as Tracy Morris in Linked by Love, an edutainment series following a Black family’s successful experience with kidney disease. (linkedbylovetv.org) I was thrilled to book my first SAG Series Regular role in my first year living in California and am thrilled that it was a project with such a great purpose! Some other favorite roles I’ve had the honor to play are JoAnn Gregory, daughter of Ann Gregory, the first Black woman to play in the national golf championships in the biopic film, Playing Through (playingthroughthemovie.com) and Danielle in Lifetime’s Look Who’s Stalking.
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?
My first piece of advice is something I also have to remind myself of–avoid comparing yourself to other actors! All of our journeys are completely different and what works for someone else may not work for you, so why not just be true to yourself and embrace your journey and where you are in your career! I would also advise new actors to always do their research. The internet is an amazing tool and so many new actor questions can be answered with a quick google search. It’s always okay to ask for help, but just be sure to try and educate yourself and become knowledgeable in the industry you are pursuing. My last piece of advice is to never give up!!! You may hear a thousand no’s before you finally get that yes! While it’s scary to think about, I personally feel like you must love what you do to pursue acting because for many of us it doesn’t happen overnight. You are in it for the long haul so you gotta keep pushing and you’ll get better and stronger over time.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Absolutely! As an actress, I am always open to partnering and collaborating with talented individuals who share a passion for storytelling and creating compelling art. Wether it be photographers or designers for creative photoshoots or any filmmaker, producer, writer, director, or fellow actors, I love meeting new people and developing projects together. Two brains are always better than one, so I have been working on building a community of likeminded creatives who are also looking to make film projects. I am also currently developing a tv series, so I would love to meet new individuals to one day help me bring my series to life! Feel free to reach out to me through Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kiananicolewashington/ or through my website www.kiananicolewashington.com. Let’s create magic on screen!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kiananicolewashington.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kiananicolewashington/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kiana.washington.908/about_overview
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiana-washington-01441619b/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/kiananicolew
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/RSpTnmOA35k
- Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kiananicole30?_t=8XdvxqcXpsp&_r=1
Image Credits
David Muller, Elise Jonke, Ruben Ortiz, Laura Palacio, Daniel Button, Q Burdette
