We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Yuliana Sleme a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Yuliana, appreciate you sitting with us today. Maybe we can start with a topic that we care deeply about because it’s something we’ve found really sets folks apart and can make all the difference in whether someone reaches their goals. Self discipline seems to have an outsized impact on how someone’s life plays out and so we’d love to hear about how you developed yours?
I think it really comes from how my dad raised me, and a certain need to prove myself to him and to the other kids. My dad has always been very disciplined and yet creative. A resilient man! He always used to tell me that the only person who can give you success or help you to be better every day, is yourself. It’s in how you talk to yourself and set yourself up for success. So I carry that with me in my acting career. I remind myself that I have to take the steps needed to keep moving forward. Of course! Having a community and people who help you propel forward along the way is vital. But if I hadn’t taken the very very first step, the one only I can make, I would have even met said community.
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?
I am a latin Actress living in New York. I’ve been pursuing this career for 4 years in this city and I have truly learned much about the industry and life. I am focused on telling the stories of my fellow latin artists and non-artists. I feel a huge need to share what we are capable of and our stories. We are a diverse community, with countless ethnic backgrounds and complex history. The product of diverse ethnicities coming together and cultural amalgamation. I love being able to share our world through film and theatre to the world. It’s exciting and it matters.
A short film I star will soon be released to the Film festival Circuit, “Oh Sweet New York”. As well as a few other projects that are in post-production as I write this. I invite you to check out some of the released films I’ve been a part of: “La Santera”, “Gleam”, “Don’t Feed the Intern” and “Death on The Border”.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Organization, respect and knowing yourself.
I could talk for hours about every single one of these, since I feel they are vague and broad subjects. But I’ll try to summarize my idea of each of them applied to me:
Having a clear and organized plan of action is very important for me. From how my planner describes my day to day, my clothes and desk items are sort out and the countless files on my computer are grouped. Organization helps me be time efficient. As an artist I could easily fall into the “carefree” lifestyle, but when I focus and plan/arrange my time and space, it makes my routine much more easy to follow through. And so, I set myself up for success!
Respect is simply key fro any social interaction. By respecting others, wether it is the director, or my fellow actors, we create a community. People will always want to work with good people. I respect other’s time and greatly appreciate their work, however related it is to mine on set or in the theater. It’s valued. This in my life includes communication and awareness of others.
My favorite: knowing myself. If I learned organization through my dad and respect through my mentors, producers and fellow artists, then this is the one I learned on my own. And it took years to even realize it was a skill. By knowing what I can and won’t do, what feeds my soul and what hurts it, I also set myself up for success. Knowing that those can also change with time. I try to never be afraid to check in with myself and how I’m doing: what I have to stop and what I can improve. Or if I simply need a hug! I know it is vague to simply say “know yourself”. But anyone can start simply by asking yourself compassionately and judgment-free: “How does my mind/body/emotional body feel right now? And, is there anything I can do to help it?” I recommend reading self help books or listening to podcasts that resonate with yourself. I listen to Jay Shetty and Don Miguel Ruiz.
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
I think that when one is staring in the acting world, it is much easier to play to your advantages. That’s the thing that will get you booked! Even if it’s not what you want to be known for. If you are the funny best friend, the troubled person, the angry a**hole or the “bad” guy. We don’t have to be the stereotypical lead. So play to your strengths. Once you are in, and people are starting to know your work, they will start believing you and even giving you different roles! But first you have to be able to show what you are already great at! And as your career moves forward, and you hone and add different skills in your “acting repertoire”, then you can show that variety. But having work that backs you up is the first step.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://yulianasleme.wixsite.com/website
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yulianazsz/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yulianazahia/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuliana-sleme-0523551b2/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@yulianaslemezetina1128
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10882598/
Image Credits
Headshot: Rosie Dean
