Today we’d like to introduce you to IdaLease Cummings.
Regrettably, I do not speak well of myself. As someone who aspires to be successful in the entertainment industry, I have a habit of telling the most boring version of my story. And where do you start your story when you feel like you’re still starting? My life after graduating high school has felt like years of doing the running in place, doing a whole lot of work, and getting nowhere. I find myself somewhere between “never stop,” “keep grinding,” and “go with the flow… let it manifest”. I do realize that much work is required. But I’ve learned that self-care is important and I need to make time to unlearn bad habits and negative self-talk that have played their part in my failures.
I am where I am today, (giving this interview in spite of feeling unworthy) because I’ve decided it’s time to end “the struggle” chapter of my life. Let this interview be a marker! Future me, remember this and what you said! And I apologize for being ambiguous thus far but the ambiguity is a testament to how unsure of where the next chapter will lead me. So let me be direct. I have no idea what I am doing nor how I will get to my place of success. However, my struggle has taught me (bear with me): life is unjust. The pursuit of justice should be unyielding. And Life is full of paradoxes. But the chaos of life will always find its balance with life’s order. With those philosophies in mind, I have figured I MUST become an entrepreneur. Many of us today have had enough with the unjust wage gap between essential workers and CEOs; thus, we have decided to reclaim ownership over our labor.
Entrepreneurship isn’t the only path to financial liberation but for me, it is also a way for me to allow a little more space for chaos in my life. Let me explain. As an aspiring actress and entertainer, it has been hard for me to find the balance between making enough money to provide for myself and also fulfilling a life-long passion.
At the start of adulthood, I was following the traditional outline on how to be successful. You graduate high school, go to college, and then enter the workforce. Though this model worked well for my parents and many others, times have shifted. That final pillar of getting a well-paying job directly after college has been pushed just out of reach. Or maybe it was bad timing. The job market was -and has been- dreadful for most, if not all of my adult life. Or maybe it was my negative inner voice telling me I was inadequate despite my accomplishments. Probably a combination of all of the above. But up until now, I was still applying this model to my life, which landed me a job (yay) but created such rigid order in my life, preventing the flexibility I need to launch an acting career. I know, I know, Tyler Perry is right down the street. Yes, YouTube is a thing. Trust me I have heard it all but what they didn’t tell me about being a creative type is that getting a nine to five can be spiritually crushing. This means that you have no energy after clocking out to jumpstart your dreams. Then I get on Instagram and see all the self-starters talking about hustling, grinding, and pushing an exhausting narrative that makes me feel the same inadequate feeling, which made me follow someone else’s model/path instead of making my own.
So that is where I am now. I am unplugging, unlearning, reconditioning, self-loving, and allowing myself to just be, but with the intention to be me at my best. Whatever my best may be. I am allowing it to become my reality, learning when to adjust and adapt versus when to be firm and intentional. I am regaining my balance and strengthening my stance/position in this world.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Making your own way through life is never a smooth journey. The major obstacle in my life happens to be myself. I have always been an overachiever and perfectionist. I am critical of everything I do to the point of doing nothing. I can’t think of what song or what movie said it but the worst part of fighting yourself is that you’re going to lose. And I gotta tell ya, overachievers are horrible losers! Though there are so many entertaining movies about defeating yourself, actually doing it is less than great.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I have attempted to start a couple of businesses. Once in 2016, I tried dropshipping designer shades with the goal of one-day designing custom sunglasses. I attempted freelance writing. I even made a writingbunny.com account. I made a business page on Facebook to promote myself as a public speaker and actress. Though I gave up on the website I created in 2016, I have created a new, soon to be, mini Amazon called idafinds.com. It will be a collection of unique and artsy items ranging from sunglasses to furniture.
This time around, I plan to be more adamant about getting the word out on my brand. My failure in the past wasn’t poor marketing but lazy marketing. I would get discouraged when it seemed like no one was interacting with my posts about my business ventures, so then I would stop posting altogether. Entrepreneurship is not for the faint at heart. As a performer, I have learned how to take the hits of auditioning and not landing the part but was not applying that to my other business ideas. I have even made an Instagram page to curate my finds: @eyedefines. Not gonna lie, I’m proud of the social handle because it is a play on the words “Ida finds,” as well as “I define.” It is a self-proclamation and affirmation. I define my work hours, which allow me to balance art and survival. I define my view of success. And quite simply, I define a niche that combines fashion, art, and commerce.
As for acting, I want to do it all. I even have dreams of being the black Lara Croft. I want to see more black women in action movies like the ones we see with Angelina Jolie. Right now, it is very clear that the black woman, to Hollywood, is: comic relief, jilted lover, emotional labor horse, or some misogynistic magical negro trope. I mean we do it well but sometimes I want to see us free of the bindings society places around the black woman. Just let her go on a heist or mission where she fights and blows things up, displaying her ingenious quick-witted problem-solving as well as her mindblowing athletic abilities all the while being sexy, without being objectified. Too complicated?
When it comes to how I am perceived as an actress, I am often cast as the aloof and transient friend. However, my training leans more towards the dramatic. But I would say my facial expressions stretch my range from dramatic to comedic. I want to continue to grow and get more into action and thriller films. I’ve been practicing my terrified and adrenaline flushed face in the mirror, haha.
What were you like growing up?
I was the quiet kid growing up. You had to be friends with me to know that I had a personality me. Theatre is what brought me out of my shell. I can still be reserved and introverted. I tend to keep to the background and observe more than I choose to interact. But those who knew me growing up know I have always been dramatic and a passionate performer. I credit that to my mom. She kept me involved in the arts, from visual to musical and dramatic arts. I think she saw the performer in me and signed me up for dance camp, which opened up the world to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: idafinds.com
- Phone: 404.509.4364
- Email: idalizedrama@gmail.com
- Instagram: @eyedefines <instagram.com/eyedefines?igshid=1js8gkdbn9koa> ; @adventuresofa_gp <instagram.com/adventuresofa_gp?igshid=12ulk1cw9l7iw>
- Facebook: facebook.com/idalease
Image Credit:
Cailan Sandusky (picture 2), Patricia Cummings (pictures 6 and 7), IdaLease Cummings (pictures 1,3,4), Ray Marshall (picture 5), Lewis Finch Studios (picture 8)
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