Today we’d like to introduce you to Charity Cervantes.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Charity. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’m an Arizona girl living in a peachy world! (Did that have a nice ring to it? I’ve been waiting for the right place to use it! Haha!)
I’ve always wanted to make others happy. Whether it was producing “shows” with my cousins making the whole family watch at six years old or creating silly YouTube videos that maybe someone would watch and it would bring a smile to them!
I did not like being on stage. Most of us know that feeling of having to be in your local Christmas pageant (or Grandparent’s day play where little Susie got to be the squirrel and you were tree number 2…) Sweating. Wanting to run away. Why is everyone looking at me?
I remember wanting to be a lawyer when “I grew up.” You get paid to argue with people? That’s pretty cool. (Side note, when is the time we actually get to “grow up” because I definitely have not reached it yet! Lol) or Carmen SanDiego. That would be a cool job too. But there was never really a definitive THIS IS WHAT I’M DOING FOREVER.
Growing up in a private school has its own world. And then, I was homeschooled for a short bit then WHAM public school. I mean yellow busses and everything. I ended up joining the morning announcement class. (Yeah, I was prettyyyyy cool. I know.) Where a few of my new friends introduced me to “Wicked” the Broadway musical. WHAT IS THIS THING?! I love it! Can I be in it?! I would spend hours dancing and singing popular in front of my mirror. Later that year, my class went on a field trip to the high school to see a play. There and then, I knew this was it. The actors on stage took me on a journey and had me live in my own thoughts of life while simultaneously empathizing with theirs. What was this magic? I wanted to make others feel that way! I wanted to help people escape their day to day lives and live in a world of imagination for two hours. I wanted to help someone broaden their horizons. I wanted to be a character that shows someone in the audience that they are not alone.
So, that’s what I did, I joined my high school theatre department and learned that there was an art to acting. There is an entire team that creates the feeling an audience experiences and trusting in your team creates the best project possible! All through high school, I would audition for each play. I would be cast and when I wasn’t cast I would be helping in any way I could. Learning all I could.
College time rolls around and New York, here I come! Just kidding. 🙂 I went to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Land of the… well, there wasn’t much. But I had amazing professors that believed in me and pushed me! I met amazing people and all along the way realizing acting was IT.
Next stop LA, I went to an acting conservatory where for a year it was non stop 24/7 training. I learned so much about the “real world” of art there. That you can be brilliant but there is always going to be someone better, and there is always going to be someone better than them. After conservatory, I spent my next couple of years enjoying all LA had to offer! What an amazing and exciting time. All the while being told “no no no no no.” Actors are some of the bravest strongest people I know!
A friend invited me to Atlanta to stay with their family and take an acting course with her. Atlanta? “Where is that?” I thought. A couple weeks went by, I found a $75 one way plane ticket and have been here ever since.
I’ve learned a lot while being here in Atlanta and it has been an amazing and quickly growing market that I am so honored to be a part of. I’ve grown my resume and network and have an awesome agent that has placed so many amazing opportunities in front of me!
A HUGE part of the opportunities and careers I’ve had have come from my drive to persevere and create. I would take any oddball job I could get my hands on that had the flexibility for me to keep acting.
I’ve worked retail, I’ve worked as a server and bartender, I’ve been a barista, I was a nanny, I walked dogs, I would house sit, I worked in costumes and the list goes on and on.
Through needing headshots, I found a love of Photography. Everything is expensive and I wasn’t going to let money stand in my way! I learned how to photograph and capture an essence. I learned lighting and technical elements in creating a beautiful image. Through this new found skill, I created a small business and freelanced. Earning and creating along the way.
I started building websites because I needed my own acting website. And again… it was expensive… through this new skill, I was able to build and help friends with their websites. Again earning and creating along the way.
Creating is in my blood and nothing is going to get in the way of that. I love living in the world that we do today because it is so full of possibilities and opportunities. We can be and do anything we want to do.
I’ve learned that nothing is ever going to go how you expect it to. But to embrace that and be open to learning and trying new things. You never know what will click.
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?
In my opinion, no form of art is going to have a smooth road and there is no final destination. That is what makes creating so beautiful. We take from the lows, the valleys, the canyons and use those moments and landing places to learn and empathize with others.
It has not been an easy road but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. But maybe for an Oscar. LOL! 😉 Just kidding. Maybe.
I am constantly being told no. Being told I’m not “the right look”, I’m not Latina enough, I’m not white enough, I stand out too much, I don’t stand out enough, my voice is too high, I’m too young, I’m too old, my eyes don’t tell enough story, I’m too nice…. and the conflicting list of ridiculous opposites goes on and on and on.
When people tell you no, throw your drink at them! NO DON’T ACTUALLY DO THAT! But take it with a grain of salt. It’s not personal, it’s business. Take that negativity, roll it in a little ball, and create a diamond. You are NOT defined by what other’s think about you, you ARE defined by the goodness in your heart and your passion for life.
Stop waiting around for someone to start your dreams for you. Perfect is never going to happen. Just go for it and learn along the way! So many artists make excuses in pursuing their goals. They can’t start a project because they need a perfect name or website or whatever. Trust me, I’ve been there and I still visit that place occasionally! But if you have a dream & you are knowledgeable and trained in that area, hit the ground running. You’ll learn along the way and be grateful you spent your life DOING rather than JUST dreaming. Doing both is the perfect recipe in my opinion.
Always continue learning. Find a mentor, someone you admire. Listen to their stories and learn from their journey. One day, you’ll be able to help someone too. Get in class and create a community of like minds.
Let go of those who bring around negative energy and are dragging you down!
Art takes courage, perseverance, humility and oh yeah, a little bit of talent!
You are a work in progress, no one else expects you to be perfect, so don’t put that pressure on yourself!
Last but not least, take some YOU time. A huge thing I have learned this year is you cannot create without energy. Art comes from the truth in life. It’s a necessity to take a break and be in the moment.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I am an actor, I am a voice-over artist, I am a photographer, I am a developer.
I love a beautiful aesthetic and will always strive to make the client happy in any field. I won’t stop until you are truly happy with the final product!
Do you recommend any apps, books or podcasts that have been helpful to you?
I love reading actors and artists memoirs. It’s so incredibly inspiring to me that the people we idolize, more often than not, came from nothing and made a career from their passion. Like what?!? I wanna do that!!
A couple of my favorite are from Mindy Kaling, “Is Everyone Hangout out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)” & “Why Not Me?” I’m sure a majority of us have read them, but if not, stop what you’re doing and go buy one or both now! (Mindy will send me my commission check later.) They are a hilarious and inspiring read that will entertain you while kicking you in the butt to go do what you love.
“People get scared when you try to do something, especially when it looks like you’re succeeding. People do not get scared when you’re failing. It calms them. But when you’re winning, it makes them feel like they’re losing or, worse yet, that maybe they should’ve tried to do something too, but now, it’s too late. And since they didn’t, they want to stop you. You can’t let them.”
– Mindy Kaling, “Why Not Me?”
Contact Info:
- Website: www.charity.actor
- Email: charityfcervantes@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charityfaith
Image Credit:
Chase Anderson, Corryn Lytle, Stephen Oakey
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