Today we’d like to introduce you to Olivia Peck.
Olivia, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Although I live in Atlanta now, I am a creative originally from Traverse City, Michigan. Growing up I did band, church musicals, and plays at summer camp. I was your typical choir kid. I was never really the star of the show until my last year of high school when I finally got the lead in the school musical, “Oklahoma!”
When I went to college, I struggled to find my place. It was an incredible experience and I feel I was well trained, but for a variety of reasons, I just didn’t feel like I belonged there a lot of the time. My jazz studies, my lovely roommates, and the chipping away at my music education degree was what kept me going. Two years after I graduated college in 2017 is when I started to seriously pursue acting in film and embraced creating again. Something about having no restrictions or pressures from a school felt good.
After living in Las Vegas and Baton Rouge, I wound up in New Orleans and for a few years, I lived a dreamy, crazy, and fun life. I learned a lot about acting, but I also learned a lot about myself. There I studied acting for camera and landed my agent, who I am still represented by today. I am grateful that I found my tribe in Louisiana. Thanks to many acting mentors and my agency, Action Talent, I have done over a dozen commercials, several short films, and starred in two feature films. No matter what I’m doing on set or getting to experience with my singing students, I am just happy to be doing what I’m doing. I used to think that being creative was just soul-crushing. It felt like a disease and I wanted to be “normal.” (Whatever that means.) But after everything the world has been through lately, I can’t imagine being bitter about something like that. It is a gift to have art inside of us and in our lives. That outweighs the struggle of being an artist every time the going gets tough.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Like many creative people, I have dealt with having ADHD throughout my life. This has affected my learning, of course, but it has caused me a lot of emotional pain as well. Before being diagnosed in college, I felt like I had a totally different brain compared to my peers. I don’t know how else to say it. Until I had the comfort of realizing that I just learn differently, I really just thought I was dumb or there was something seriously wrong with me. I was teased for being spacey and deep down I really didn’t feel as smart as everyone else. Having ADHD is really a superpower in a lot of ways, but being in a traditional classroom made me feel like I wasn’t capable of learning. A lot of what I know now has been because of amazing teachers that worked with me one on one or are things I taught myself.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a voice teacher and actress primarily. I have a restaurant job as well to help pay the bills when there’s a dry spell in film. I do love being on my feet, and having co-workers, though. Part of being an independent contractor in the film industry can be lonely so I like to do a variety of things to keep busy. Currently, I’m writing my first feature-length script. If you know me you know I love the funny stuff. I have a web series called “Todds!” and my film will be based off of the world I have created in that web series.
How do you think about happiness?
My students make me happy. It’s so rewarding to hear them improve over time. Just hearing a song on the radio that one of my students is working on will make me smile. I teach beginners and hobbyists mostly and many of them have been working with me for years. It’s a special thing.
Contact Info:
- Website: oliviapeck.com
- Instagram: oliviapeckshouse
Image Credits:
Picture with Guitar by Vanessa Creighton
