Meet Eva Jurko | Actress + Artist

I think taking risks played a major part in my life and later on career; before moving to the US, I grappled with options of staying at home, Slovenia, or leaving everything behind and moving to New York. Obviously, I ended up moving, but I vividly remember that split feeling – the feeling of excitement overshadowed by fear, constantly going back and forth between the two options, until a distinct moment of absolute awareness arose, knowing that I will just have to take that risk. And I remember the morning after I had bought the ticket, the anxious feeling of “oh God what have I done”. So I’ve learned to rationally assess these feelings and to never choose the one that is latching onto anything familiar. Nevertheless, it was the best decision I have made, and every single time I was in front of a bold, new decision, I followed uncertainty rather than familiarity – and surely enough, always found success in it.

I created a philosophy for my decision-making; Always take the risk: if I get a no, I am in the exact same spot I have been until now, and nothing will change. If they say yes, I have just opened a new door for myself. Taking risks built my character, integrity, and self-image. If I didn’t take risks I wouldn’t have been who I am today.

I think it was one call that drastically changed how my path went – I just did a music video, my first music video, and it was a very euphoric experience for someone like me. The next few days, I began feeling very nervous about where I will go now, and I texted the director, Sebastian, who I didn’t really know, and just said that I would be grateful for any advice. He didn’t reply, but he called me a few hours later, and we ended up talking for over an hour and really getting along with each other. Long story short, we became good friends and he ended up introducing me to everyone in the game – producers, directors, stylists, make up artists, got me jobs in modeling etc. He looked out for me, knowing I didn’t have a lot of guidance at that time. But I was hesitating before texting him, thinking I will sound annoying or childish, and it turned out to be one of the best things I did for myself. Sebastian unfortunately passed away just a few months ago, but he left a hell of a legacy behind him. Sebastian provided mentorship, support and guidance that shaped me into who I am today.

Make that call, reach out, film yourself, post your art, start somewhere. The reward of consistency and stepping out of your comfort zone is what gets you places.

I think many creatives have more than one outlet for their need to express themselves. And it gets hard placing your focus on just one thing when you feel like you can express more with, let’s say, music or writing. For me, it all began with me drawing, which then translated into painting, then painting on clothes, then doing makeup, followed by the SFX makeup and prosthetics, followed by acting and completing an AFA and a BFA in drama, then writing and poetry, then playing a bit of piano and now getting into actually recording music. People would look at my work sometimes and say “that’s just talent”, when in fact talent has very little to do with the actual outcome of my art – it’s the perseverance that creates art. I didn’t know how to paint, draw, do makeup, rap, or write. I actually considered myself not very good at it. But when you really want something – whether it’s a piece of art, completing a poem, writing a story for a loved one, or creating a garment – hard work will indefinitely encompass talent. Art, to me, is about passion or talent, and patience; or work. If you combine the two, you will reap the success of a finished piece. If you give up in the middle, the hope will remain stagnant. And tough days happen; I would get to a stage where it would feel as if I can’t accomplish anything. It happens. But then I would look at one of my earlier pieces and remember that I did that and that we are the only ones putting limits on what we consider humanly possible for ourselves. So I think it’s important to just stay patient and focused when creating. You will be surprised by the thoughts and motivation that arise once you just push through that point of “giving up.” The human brain is more capable than it may seem on a daily basis. Learn how to use it, control it, and you can become anything you want.

I have a ton of projects I wish to accomplish, and I also wish I was better at planning my life, but I also think that I’m just now really starting out. You learn, you grow, you lose yourself, you find yourself. I have just started finding myself.

There’s also an adorable Japanese spot on Wilshire called Yuko Kitchen, and I think they also have a location in Downtown, but it’s an adorable place to go and sit down at – they also have Boba happy hour where you can get $3 amazing Boba tea!
Melrose Avenue and Fairfax are areas that I like to hang out in a lot – when I first came to LA I didn’t have any friends and I met a lot of people on Fairfax and Melrose; my go-to bar would be The Dime and Prime Pizza for food; they got good NY pizza and the best buffalo wings in LA.
I would say Venice Beach and its areas are my favorites, just because of all the beautiful murals you see around – it’s almost as every empty wall has been adopted by an artist, and it’s a beautiful place to gather inspiration from.

I would say my mother is the one person I have to thank the most. I can’t imagine leaving a 19-year-old daughter to roam the streets of New York by herself, and she had put an awful lot of trust in me. She always believed in my potential, led me, and supported me, and she will be the first person I will run to for advice. I admire her more than anyone else and am partially doing all of this for her, as she is my best friend and we are incredibly connected. The amount of support, guidance, intellect, and love this woman had poured into me is overwhelming. I can’t wait to give everything back to her one day.

Another person that I would like to mention is Sebastian Sdaigui, the director I was talking about before. Sebastian was an incredible person; full of tough love, creative, a visionary. He was the only person that stepped out of his way to help me out, continously. I have never had a mentor like Sebastian before, and I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am for every single piece of advice he gave to me. He gave me my first MUA job, connected me with amazing producers, was the first person I showed my songs to, would always give me his brutally honest feedback, I don’t know, we just had a great, productive, supportive frienship. I know I will never find that type of relationship in others, but I hope to be what Sebastian was for me, for someone else one day.

And I have to mention this – a book that has significantly shifted my perception and consequently my entire career would be the You Are The Placebo book by Dr. Joe Dispenza. It altered my belief of what is humanly possible and how to achieve our spiritual and materialistic goals with minimal effort. I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking for the right philosophy in their life – if you are feeling lost or going in circles, let this book be your first thing to check off the to-do list.