We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nora Isabel Cross a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Nora Isabel , so happy you were able to devote some time to sharing your thoughts and wisdom with our community. So, we’ve always admired how you have seemingly never let nay-sayers or haters keep you down. Can you talk to us about how to persist despite the negative energy that so often is thrown at folks trying to do something special with their lives?
As a creator and full-time spiritual seeker, I’ve encountered people who’ve tried to deter me from my objectives. Sometimes actions or opinions of this sort of person come from a place of love; they’re providing what they see as the best beneficial advice. Other times these deterrers may be acting from a fearful place, projecting their insecurities and limitations onto others. And still, in other cases, naysayers simply have little else to do with their time, and that’s okay. In the end, it’s been important for me to recognize that none of those negative ways has anything to do with me, or with my objectives or work. Of course, one should always be open to feedback, but as soon as I detect those bad intentions, my best move has been to smile and thank that person for their concern, and simply carry on.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m an actor, theater, and film producer, and spiritual coach. I focus on personal development and cultivating kindness every time I get a chance to work. I aspire to be someone people enjoy working with, not because I want to placate my ego, but because bringing that presence can help to create a good, relaxed, and safe environment. Long ago I came across the phrase, “We’re all a little broken.” That’s something I sincerely believe. We go through life, every one of us, bound to face many difficult obstacles, and without a proper space for healing and care for ourselves. As a result, we lose healthy relationships to our bodies, to physical nourishment, and even to our spirituality and human connections. We don’t show up in life’s arena as our best selves.
What is most exciting to me about the work I’m developing is that I can create that necessary space, to create trust so that everyone present feels supported on their journey and creative development, no matter if it’s something like the creation of a short film or a theatre play, or within a personal coaching session.
Next year I’m launching my holistic business– a commitment to creativity, spirituality, sustainability, and veganism are the core principles, and as such will share space and united aims. Our main goal is to develop and support diverse cultural initiatives to improve the city in which I live (initially), focusing at least on our holistic Arts community. This project is an expansion of the work I’ve been doing as an independent creator at SheFilmsLA, and with my private coaching practice (Learn more at https://stan.store/noracross)
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
If I could give one bit of advice to those just starting their creative or spiritual journey, it would be to trust your feelings when you notice that something isn’t quite right. There are many good teachers and gurus but often, unethical people with impressive titles swoop in and try to break down young and vulnerable seekers. If something feels wrong, trust that gut instinct. Listen to your heart, even if those around you say you’re overreacting, or the unethical behavior isn’t all *that* bad. No one knows your boundaries better than you. You’ll come out better losing a seat in class or a seeming opportunity, than if you lose years of your well-being. That’s a risk that comes with overlooking your intuition. My second recommendation would be to diversify your knowledge and be open to different kinds of work. Many times those uncommon skills can lead to great jobs on set or on stage!
My final recommendation for everyone is to practice kindness, even if it doesn’t come naturally to you. I’ve done humbling jobs and I’ve felt the disdain pouring out of the decision-makers up top, who don’t or can’t recognize that in some other project, I could very well be their peer! The good news is that to being kind doesn’t cost a cent, and it can go a long way toward brightening your future.
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?
One book that I go back to often is Le Training de l’Acteur, (The Actor’s Training), edited by Carol Muller. It’s a collection of interviews done in the late 90s but still highly relevant. I first found this book in 2009 and since then I’ve never been without it. It’s helped me understand that actors can achieve awareness and freedom through their performance work. I feel strongly that anyone who wants to understand the essence of acting would benefit from reading it. As part of the closing statements, David Le Breton reflects on the words of Eugenio Barba about the actor’s process (which in my opinion is also a key for human/social transformation)
“Eugenio Barba is right in saying that it is not the exercises themselves that form the actor, but -the temperature of the process-, that is to say, the relational climate, the quality of the presence of the person in charge, the degree of adhesion to the group, the actor’s commitment, his desire to change and to know himself, his restlessness to access another version of himself”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://noracross.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noraisabelcross/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noraisabelcross/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noracross/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@noraisabelcross
- Other: Online coaching: https://stan.store/noracross
Image Credits
Headshot by TheActor’sCollective
