Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsea Belle.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Chelsea. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
As an only child to a single mother in New Zealand, I was always bubbly and chirpy to strangers and at the age of three, I was given 52 lines to learn in my kindergarten Nativity play. From there, my mother enrolled me in community theatre classes to help me socialize with kids my own age. Performing was my way of therapy and it was the only career path I wanted to dedicate my life to. It was a safe space to process the emotion that I had suppressed for so long and somewhere where I could truly let loose and be whoever I wanted!
After 13 years in community theatre I left to pursue my true love – the love of screen acting. I started taking serious acting with industry professionals and auditioned for a prestigious drama school at the age of 17. They were resistant at first because the minimum age was 20 years old and we would be tackling heavy material that needed a lot of life experience to be able to deal with, but after much deliberation I was accepted into the 2015 class and spent that intensive year learning many different techniques and developing relationships with casting agents and directors in New Zealand.
I signed with a top talent agent, booked a handful of guest roles on NZ TV and in June 2018 found out I had won the Green Card lottery! After a painful year of waiting through the Green Card process, I moved to LA in August of 2019. Secured an apartment, two jobs to fund my way through and a US manager all on my own and here I am today – June 2020 – proving that sheer determination and manifestation can get you anywhere.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has never been easy. I have had more bumps in the road than I can count. Family issues, mental health illnesses, lack of belief in myself and consistently being let down by people I trusted. Growing pains to the max! But the hardest struggle was having to learn that I’m going to have to do this myself. I can’t rely on anyone else to get the job done, I have to push myself and keep pushing in order to get where I want.
I don’t have family in the industry – in fact apart from my mother, they were extremely against me being in the creative field. New Zealand culture does not recognize creative industries as job opportunities and I faced a lot of backlash from my friends as well as family members. The NZ industry is growing now, so I think it’s getting better. I wasted a lot of time worrying about what people would think of me if I said something like this, or did something like that or pushed too hard etc.
Chelsea Belle – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My business is me! It’s been a long road trying to get to a point in my journey where I was happy with the product that I was selling – myself. It is still a struggle at times – as is being human – but I go out of my way to consistently put out work that I am proud of, while still keeping humility in my back pocket and always making sure the people around me feel seen and taken care of as well.
A positive attitude goes so far in this industry and I am a firm believer in what you put out into the universe; you will get back. Having empathy for your fellow man and actively trying to better yourself as a human will never go out of style. Everyone carries their own baggage and has bad days or weeks or years, but learning to put that behind you and carry on with a deep breath is a lesson I will always be grateful to have learnt.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Determination. Complete and utter faith that the actual journey to that top of the hill where you want to be is the best, most rewarding part of life itself. Taking each setback on the chin and turning it into a life lesson.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://johnsonlaird.com/our-actors/Chelsea-Belle
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @chelchelbelle
Image Credit:
1. Distraction
2. Ahikaroa
3. Isaac Newcombe
4. Fro Girls
5. A Matter of Time
6. Josh Winger Photography
7. Dean O’Gorman Photography
Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
