Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Olguin.
Melissa, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m a photographer and actress based in Los Angeles, CA. I started acting when I was 15 and it easily became the thing that made me the happiest. I began taking classes in Los Angeles, CA and doing plays at my high school. At this time in high school, I also had really bad acne that just kept getting worse. I had tried everything dermatologists and doctors have given me, but still didn’t work. Having this bad acne really messed with my self confidence at the time. I started to think I was far too ugly with the acne I had. At times I would make excuses not to go to a class or even not wanting to do the plays I was in. I tried to not let it get to me and my senior year I applied to colleges to continue acting. I got accepted to Whittier College in hopes to pursue acting there. Unfortunately that didn’t end up happening. I went into this headspace of thinking I was so ugly. I had extremely bad acne and because I thought I was ugly with acne, I began to think of all the other things I hated about myself. I then started to compare myself to others on screen and what society considered was “pretty” at the time.. I eventually convinced myself that I wasn’t pretty enough for anyone to choose me to be in their projects so I decided to stop pursuing acting.
I also started doing photography in high school as well as a hobby. I would bring my camera everywhere with me in high school and in college. I had never considered photography as a career choice until chatting with this homeless gentlemen that would come into the cafe I worked at all the time. He had told me “When trying to figure out what to do in life, pay attention to your hobbies.” This is when I started to think of photography as a career choice. The only problem at this time was because I was in this headspace of not believing in myself, I also believed photography wasn’t possible. I went into a huge funk of just working and sleeping. The cafe I was working at this time was a 24 hour cafe where I was working graveyard. That took a toll on me mentally and physically. I believed I was too ugly to pursue acting and not capable of photography for a few years. Then one day, I woke up and told myself I was tired of feeling this way. I was tired of feeling I wasn’t capable of doing the things that made me happy. Every time I thought about what I wished to do in life, acting and photography came to mind. So I decided to work on my mental health and learn to love myself again. I knew I had to do that before I pursued acting and photography again. It took almost two years to feel happier with myself to pursue acting and photography again. I began to take classes and got headshots done. At this tim also I was working for an interior designer who took a chance on me to take photos for her even though I have never done it before.
Since then which was around 2017, I have continued to act in plays, take classes, done interior photography, been featured in a magazine, done prop styling for KTLA 5, done prop/interior styling for my own business and other photographers, and have worked the Oscars. It is an amazing feeling to work through your emotions and release them to let in all the good. I recently got out of a seven years relationship and have lost my aunt and grandpa (who was my biggest supporter and best friend) early this year as well. It’s been really hard. I also sprained my ankle which required me to not work for about a month and half. Which was the best thing to happen to me. It was like the universe showing me I needed to be alone with my feelings and work through them. I had to do that and release those feelings in order to let in all the good things the universe had for me. I learned so much about myself in my 20’s. I have learned to listen to my hear/my intuition and pursue the things that make me happy. It has been a tough journey to self-love, but I’m happy with everything I have been through.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. There have been many times where I’m driving to and from work crying my eyes out. There are times where I would make excuses to go somewhere or work because I just can’t get out of bed or didn’t believe I can do something. Many of the struggles are the obstacles I put in my own way. I’m thankful to be able to find what helps me get out these funks and what makes me happy.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m mainly known for my creative work. I am a photographer, prop stylist, interior stylist, creative director, and interior designer. I’m most proud of being able to do all these things. I feel I can help make any creative project come alive. I love the process of styling and putting together a project. I’m not good at explaining what I do in the process, but I can go in and look at something and quickly put something together. I feel my attention to detail is what sets me out from the rest. Also in my photography work, I feel it is a natural and simple feeling when you look at the photos.
I also am an actress. This is also something I feel comes natural to me. I feel the goofy side of me comes out naturally. I’m so proud of myself to be able to continue to pursue this. Especially auditing for Spanish-related projects in honor of my grandpa. He use to teach me lines from his favorite Spanish comedies to act out with him.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I’m not sure if luck is the correct word to describe what has happened in my life. I feel like when you are spiritually connected to yourself and the universe, what is meant to happen in your life is meant for you. I believe we all have different paths and I believe there are things in our life that happen to teach us something. I also believe that bad things can continue to show up in your life because you haven’t fully learned the lesson you were supposed to learn. I don’t know why all these great things happen to me. We can call it luck maybe because I do feel lucky. I believe in the past when opportunities presented themselves I wasn’t in the right mindset to pursue them, but after working on myself and understanding myself I am. Maybe because I trust my intuition more, I listen to what my heart says, I’m more connected to myself and the earth and I’m a kind person. I also know I was put on this earth to help people. Before, I thought I needed to have money, but now I know my story, my acting, and who I am can help people just as much.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.melissacassandra.com
Image Credits:
Melissa Cassandra Olguin Phillip Garcia
