Today we’d like to introduce you to Angel Yvonne.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am an actress and a proud member of SAG-AFTRA. I’m also an artist and a realtor. I knew I wanted to be an actress the minute after I saw Sister Act 2 in 1993. My mom took my sister and I to see it at the dollar theater because she knew I was an avid fan of Whoopi Goldberg from an early age. That movie became the catalyst in helping me identify my own strengths and talents. I started acting at home and making my own comedy skits with my sister and our neighbor in a small suburb outside of Kansas City, Missouri. My mom knew I loved being in front of the camera telling stories so she was always finding auditions in the newspaper for me to attend. I started auditioning for anything I could around town and taking acting classes. I got signed with a commercial agent and continued auditioning for local short films and tv commercials. I also started volunteering to host film festivals in my hometown, so I could network with producers and directors all over the world. A wiseman once said if you hang around the barbershop long enough, you’re going to get a haircut. So I made sure I was volunteering for anything that would help propel my future as an actress. I eventually relocated to the Southeast and got signed by a top agency and the rest is history. I am blessed to have had the opportunity to work along side of some amazingly talented people in the industry such as director David Talbert in his feature film Almost Christmas, producers Simon Fuller & Ryan Tedder in their Nickelodeon TV musical California Dreaming and Morgan Cooper in his award-winning short film U Shoot Videos, not to mention, a number of other films and Webseries. God is good.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
There was nothing smooth about my acting journey. It’s a feast or famine business and it definitely can be devastating. I remember auditioning in the room for a casting director when I just started out and the casting director literally told me to stop in the middle of my monologue and start again. The business is not set up for you to make it, but it is set up for you to learn from your failures. Each failure I have had on my journey has provided me the impetus to work much harder to get the next role God has prepared for me. The majority of the struggle for me is mindset. You really have to have a high level of confidence in yourself, a thick skin and a tolerance for rejection. I am a very spiritual person, so I often lean on my faith in God to keep my head right. I also believe you have to have a strong support system to help you keep going and pull you up when you fall because it’s going to hurt.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
God has allowed me to bless others with visual art that I paint on canvas. Through this gift I have been able to give back to my community and help others. I have always been a very creative person and I’m most proud of sharing my gift with people, whether that’s through acting in a film, painting a portrait or helping someone find a home. At the end of the day, if I have served you well then I have found fulfillment in myself. I’m very thankful to God for providing me the ability and longing to create art for the world on screen and on canvas.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
It takes a village to succeed in this field. There are so many great platforms online to help actors now. Follow as many acting coaches as you must on social media and networking is a must. Read books, and listen to podcast of people who will add value to your life. Never stop exploring and learning from people who have gone before you and succeeded in doing exactly what you want to do.
Contact Info:
- Email: theangelartistry.ay@gmail.com
- Website: www.angelyvonne.com
- Instagram: iamangelyvonne
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/anjelyvonne
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLu_ruQqeyBGy2FoLnnt7wQ
Image Credits
PHOTOGRAPHERS: Jamaal Murray, Torique KenYae, Jarrett Criddle, Libby Zander
