Once a month I’m going to answer fan questions that were asked of me via social media in March of 2016. I deeply appreciate the support with all that I do and hope this blog series will be a meaningful conversation with ya’ll!

1. What inspires you? @africanhubnaija

Great question! A lot inspires me. I’m inspired by compassion, beauty, generosity, love, creativity and God. I’ve always been someone who has had strong opinions, which sometimes means I’m very stubborn and often times means I’m passionate about life. Since I was young I always wanted to help those who can not always help themselves. I think what gets me the most excited is creating projects/characters/art that is subtly revealing universal truths. Projects that evoke awareness, dialogue, laughter and compassion. I receive a lot of my inspiration from my meditation practice, prayer, reading books on various subjects, watching documentaries, having deep conversations over a cup of coffee with friends, through performing (acting, dancing, singing), writing and through my nonprofit work (www.thenewhollywood.org). One of the tricks I use when I’m not feeling as inspired is to write stream of conscious for 3 pages. It’s a tool called Morning Pages which I learned from Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way. It has helped me when I get stuck in the midst of a project. And sometimes just going on a long run or writing out my concern the night before a good night’s sleep will open me up to another way of viewing a situation. I also highly recommend the book The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, we’ve used that book within TNH because it’s a great reminder the resistance is often the hurdle before the breakthrough.

2. At what age did you know you wanted to dedicate yourself to becoming an actress? And what is your favorite film genre? @filmtrivia1000

There was never a decision that was made where I dedicated myself to being an actress. When I was in High School I fell in love with the art of performing. I was active in multiple choirs, always involved in the school play or musical and did forensics. I thought I would get into broadcast journalism when I was in college, since I didn’t know anyone who made a living as an artist, but I kept looking for colleges that had strong performing arts programs. When my representation encouraged me to venture to Los Angeles to audition for TV’s pilot season I didn’t really think I would book anything, but I knew I needed to try otherwise I’d always regret it. Throughout my journey as an artist and activist, I just kept following my heart and paid attention to what inspired and excited me. My actions have always spoken louder then my words. Over time I’ve learned to pay attention to that small still voice inside so I am being true to what I really want.

And as far as favorite genre, I honestly don’t have a favorite. I enjoy it all. As my fiancé says, “good is good!”

3. What are your beauty secrets? @mionee

I have a lot of beauty secrets that I’ve learned along the way! What I have learned the most over the years is that beauty comes from the inside out. There is not a magic cream or trick that can make one truly glow (although Jai Lone has fantastic skin products www.jaiofbeverlyhills.com). That being said I tend to use top of the line, natural products whenever possible. I have habitualized consistent exercise, eating a low-inflammation diet, trying to keep my thoughts positive, actions proactive as well as prioritizing taking good care of myself so I’m not too drained or overwhelmed.

I could tell you to make sure your eyebrows are properly groomed or a workout regime that works for being long and lean etc., but I feel like those tips really vary from person to person (I did mention a lot of these specifics in my interview in Los Angeles Times Holistic Health…see previous blogs). Once I prioritized taking care of health versus my exterior, everything fell into place and it wasn’t as frustrating because I was dealing with the root cause vs. the symptom (www.cleanprogram.com has solid 411 on this). I’m big on education about food and health since I had a lot to learn and it frustrates me that there is misinformation out there labeled as miracle diets, plastic surgery solutions, diet pills or healthy natural food…that is really processed junk. I believe that the more I invest in myself the longer and happier I’ll live and the other result is looking and feeling younger.

I recommend watching the following documentaries:

FED UP, Food Inc, Food Matters, Super Size Me, The Gerson Miracle and Cowspiracy.

Reading or listening to:

4. How do you push through the constant rejection that comes within the industry? Any tips on breaking any emotional blocks that prevent you from getting into a character’s space or state of mind? @shaunaraerichardson

Great question! Pushing through rejection is a brutal process at times. It helps that I have other passions and projects that I have more control over and that fill me up. I’m a big believer in creating your own material. If you are new to writing or find yourself with a lot of resistance around creating your own stuff then I recommend working with Maia Danzinger from www.relaxandwrite.com and Angela Matemotja www.selfproducingpartner.com I’ve seen both of them help artists find their voice on the page or on screen.

As far as dealing with rejection as an actor one needs to create a strong arsenal to deal with it, because it never ends. Ugh. Stream of conscious writing (Morning Pages suggested with Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way), consistent meditation practice, prayer, staying physically active, taking long weekends to get out of the rat race, not speaking negatively about the business to friends etc. I really encourage people to instead brew up possibilities and projects vs. focusing on pitfalls. If it was easy, everyone would do it. It is not easy and only 2% of union members make a living wage so it is important to work smart.

I think the biggest tool to help with the constant rejection is having a strong WHY. Asking yourself WHY it is important for you to succeed? What are you willing to give up/what are you not willing to give up? What will you do with that platform once you’ve accomplished your career goals? What are you truly passionate about? How will you help others? Then see what you can do now, verses waiting for everything to align perfectly. Those who want to just be famous oftentimes sacrifice too much of themselves and can be very unhappy long term. I also think that there are great emotional intelligent programs/tools out there. Whether it is Tony Robbins materials, www.mitt.com, The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, Overcoming Underearning by Barbara Stanny or Allison Armstrong materials.

I think the tips I recommend on breaking through emotional blocks when getting into character are similar to dealing with rejection, and it’s an endless exploration of what works for you at different points in your life. Writing can be very therapeutic. Therapy can be very revealing for character exploration as well as healing if you have unresolved trauma from this crazy biz and what drew you to it. Of course having a tribe of like minded artists is always inspiring. I really loved working with Stuart Rogers Studios, Lesly Kahn, Caitlin Adams and Sandy Marshall,

5. Do you miss playing Dr. Lisa on GH? @ericmonroe200

I really enjoyed my time on ABC’s General Hospital. Dr. Lisa Niles was a wacky villain in a twisted Fatal Attraction storyline. I do miss all the crazy plot turns I would receive when I would look at the upcoming scripts. Playing the bad girl was the best! Of course I miss the people I worked with, working daytime TV hours and shooting consistently in the city of angels!