Check Out Jamie Zayac’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamie Zayac

Hi Jamie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I like to think that all my failures and setbacks have gotten me to where I am today. Life is not linear and people are not perfect. I can say for myself, I learn by doing. And a lot of the time I have to learn from my own mistakes. I have learned so much over the course of my life so far; whether that be a divorce, abuse, a near-death experience, or moving across the country, I think changes are the root to breakthroughs. Without lows, one cannot experiences the greatest of what life has to offer.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The only way I’ve gotten through the struggles is by maintaining a positive outlook and personality. I think it is a gift to experience the vast emotions that humans are capable of. I feel deeply, and then I continue on. Notably, when I was in middle school I was severely bullied and that left a lasting impression on me that I have had to work through. My confidence suffered for years and years, which is ironic because now I’m an actor and being myself and giving my all in front of the camera feels like exactly where I’m meant to be. But it never started that way. I used to be embarrassed to speak and never spoke up in conversations unless directly spoken to, but now I understand that my presence and what I have to say is valuable, and quite frankly I don’t care if someone has a bad opinion of me. I know who I am as a person and not everyone is meant to like you. So I am just unapologetically me all the time and it makes it much easier to see who your real people are. Or if you’re like me and found yourself in a longterm relationship with someone who continually brought you down with derogatory remarks. The closest person you have in your life never had anything nice to say about you or to you; what would you do? Eventually I realized that this is not what it is supposed to be like. The person you’re with should want you to chase your dreams and find your happiness. You realize that they’re holding you back, but also making you feel worse when you know what you’re worth (eventually). People seek familiarity, especially in relationships.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Most recently I have found myself in the artistic field of being an actor. Every actor could probably agree that the thing that sets us apart from the others is just being ourself. The casting directors know who they’re looking for already, so you’re in a room or zoom with 20 other people that look like you with the same skill level and the only thing that sets you apart is who you are deep down. And that’s who you have to be. The personality of you and the vision you have of creating a character could be exactly what they’re looking for, or it could not be. There’s rejections in acting, but every time you get booked is a win, no matter how small the role. That’s the advice I would give to anyone who wants to get in acting. Give your best performance even in the smaller roles. They may ask you to be in a returning role, in another role, in another project, so you have to be on your A-game all of the time.

What matters most to you?
Love. I think love should be the foundation of everything we do as humans. If there’s something that you don’t outright love in your life, that should be your sign that you need to make changes. It can be hard making those realizations but simpler than it sounds; in what areas are you not happy? Who makes you feel low and who lifts you up? What feels in your gut like you’re doing the right thing? Love who you are, love what you do, and love the people around you. And if you don’t, make the changes you need in order to bring that into alignment. Let go of people to allow for room in your life for ones meant to be there. I have let a lot of people go over the years because I felt like I couldn’t talk about accomplishments or victories in my life. The people who truly want you to succeed will never make you feel like they’re jealous of you. They will excite in your accomplishments with you. And most importantly, they will not try to “one-up” you in a conversation about something you’ve done. And lastly, I would say to surround yourself with people better than you. Do whatever it takes to get in rooms with people more successful. Whether that is a seminar, a convention, find people in your field that do what you want to do and just talk to them. They’re just a person, just like you.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @jamie.zayac

Image Credits
Tim Wilson