If you’ve read my previous blogs then you know that I am a work horse and a very big advocate of everyone chasing your dreams! I am also the first to tell you that it will require a tremendous amount of hard work, sacrifice and dedication! Because it brings me the most personal fulfillment, finding a profession where I could express myself artistically has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember! My journey led me to find that my true love, passion and calling was acting and I haven’t looked back since! Chasing my dream of becoming an important actress has required more work than I could have ever imagined – and I am loving every single second of it! If you are curious to see what kind of hard work goes into chasing this dream, then read on!
There is so much more to acting than what many of you probably imagine! It is not just showing up to a shooting location, getting your hair and makeup done and reciting memorized lines. It is a full-time, all consuming job that requires work on so many different things whether you’re shooting or not! Even when I am traveling, whether it be to somewhere local or around the world, I always make sure to absorb as much knowledge and experience as possible so that no matter which roles I play, I can bring as much world-wide authenticity and truth to them! I also enjoy meeting people from all around the world and all walks of life to soak up as much of this beautiful and incredible world as possible. There is so much to learn everywhere you journey to! Because I am so committed to my career, I go to the end of the earth to make sure that I am the best version of myself I can be for any opportunity that presents itself.
Every day, three to five times per day, something that I work on is my diction. No matter where in the world you grow up you have some kind of accent and know a certain kind of “common slang” that is not the same throughout the world! For me, since I grew up in Ireland, I work incredibly hard on my diction and accent reduction so that I can just as easily play American roles as European roles! I see my diction coach as often as I can, sometimes four times per week, to learn how to properly pronounce words. Between these lessons I spend hours each day practicing what I learned!
To be a confident actress, you need to be healthy! I workout every day – whether it’s a run by the beach, a nice long gym session, going to a yoga or dance class or doing water sports such as kayaking or my personal favorite, stand-up paddle boarding! I also make it a point to eat a well-balanced, healthy and natural diet! Your body is truly your temple, so I like to treat mine with as much care as possible! This regiment also includes making sure my skin stays healthy and hydrated! No matter what your profession, feeling confident with yourself can make your life and career so much more productive. I have learned that feeling confident in your appearance also helps your mind and helps you to believe in yourself so much more!
Keeping my mind, soul and spirit in good health is equally important to me as keeping my body healthy! Every single day when I wake up and before I go to sleep I pray. I thank God for the health of the incredible people in my life and for the amazing journey he has given me the gift of experiencing. At the advice found in “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron which was recommended to me by my acting coach, I spend at least an hour each morning when I wake up doing a writing exercise. If you’ve read my other blogs then you’ll know all about this exercise already! But for those of you who haven’t, in this exercise I write about all of the things I like about myself, my journey and my life! It sounds simple – and it is! But I am left feeling so good about myself and it is such a great confidence booster starting off each day on a positive note like this! This exercise will not be easy for everyone at first, so if you need to then start with one thing you like about yourself, whether it’s your eyes or the way you can make others around you laugh! As you continue to do this exercise daily you will start seeing more of the amazing qualities you have become more apparent to you! I also try to meditate every day, whether it’s for five minutes or an hour! This allows me to feel peace, even in the most chaotic of times! Many people don’t realize that they have access to their own personal oasis right inside their own mind!
Another part of being an actress is research! Every day I read industry articles to keep up with what is going on and any new trends or opportunities that may be on the horizon. One of my favorite parts of the day is working in the JLA office with my incredible JLA team! Together we plan, strategize and work very closely to ensure that we are well prepared for any opportunity that comes our way! Each week we read through potential scripts and work on presenting my fans with a blog that comes right from my heart! I love getting to share this journey with my fans over my social media accounts and my website in hopes that I can inspire others to chase their dreams, too! Life is a gift and it is way too short and precious to waste not being as happy and fulfilled as you can be!
Research for an actress also includes watching films and plays and taking notes on the decisions made by both the actors and the directors! So much goes into each line and each movement and when you start to think about this, it’s truly amazing! I also like to take acting classes with my amazing acting coach, Susan Batson, as often as I can. Every time I work with her I learn so much and feel my universe expand with this new knowledge! Like all professions, continual learning is one of the keys to success!
Having a career that requires so much work, dedication and passion can be so exhilarating but can also be a lot to handle. I pride myself on being a workhorse and ensuring that everything that I do is done to the highest of standards and to the best of my ability. For me, there are no such things as “weekends.” I work seven days a week and around the clock. Multiple times per week (or per day!) my Husband tries to pull me out of my office at 11PM because I haven’t stopped working. I know that Hollywood is filled with so many incredibly talented actors and actresses that I am working to hopefully one day compare to and I also know that this is something that will not come easy. I am so dedicated to turning this dream into my reality that I am happy to do whatever it takes to get there!
No matter what your dream, your journey starts with your decision to chase it. If you want something badly enough you have to be willing to put in the time and effort required. While there are tons of books out there about how to obtain success, your journey will be specific to you and will require you to work as hard as you can. You need to believe in yourself enough to take the first step and then you will see that your hard work pays off! Let me be your inspiration! I have taken chances and failed just like the rest of us. I have learned from each mistake and have grown stronger and more determined in spite of each of these failures! Trust me when I say that you will have more regret for NOT trying than if you happen to try and fail. Trust your gut and dedicate yourself to whatever you believe will make you the happiest in your life! As long as you’ve got the dream, the determination, the willingness to work your butt off and the confidence to take the first step – you’re in for the ride of your life.
While this isn’t even HALF of what I do each week, I hope that this has given you some insight as to what a week in the life of work horse, JamieLee Ackerman, is like! While I can’t speak for any other actors and actresses, I can tell you that no two days in the life of JamieLee Ackerman are ever the same… and I love it! Believing in myself, trusting my gut instincts and being proactive about chasing my dreams have allowed me to conquer some incredible things and I hope that this wisdom that I have acquired through my trials and tribulations can inspire you to do the same! God gave you this life to do with it what you want – the rest is up to you!