Meet Spencer Paez | Actor, Writer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Spencer Paez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Spencer, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I no longer separate work from life. The idea that part of our time is for living life, while another part is for working, creates an illusion that we have more than this one life to live. That illusion compartmentalized my behaviors, my values, my time, the very person I am. But I do have just one life to live, so now I make my choices about everything with that in mind. If I’m spending most of my time doing things I don’t like, with people I don’t like, being someone I don’t like…then I don’t like my life. I refuse to live the way. True balance has come since I took responsibility for my life as a unified experience, rather than a compartmentalized one. Now, I have flow between my work, solitude, relationships — everything. It’s easier to make choices like how to practice artistic discipline, whether to attend a friend’s party or take a job, or if I’m comfortable working with certain individuals because it’s always a choice about how I want to use my time and what ensures my freedom. It takes some effort to re-frame this way, but it’s worth it to avoid the anxiety and compromise of the work/life illusion.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Acting and writing are how I explore life. I get the personal pleasure of freedom and learning, and I also enjoy a responsibility to others: empathy. Opening my heart and mind can connect people, depending on how committed I am to truth. I’m proud to say that I am deeply committed to it. It’s allowed me to make work that compels people to love, which I believe to be among the noblest pursuits a person can take in their life. Now, commitment to truth can make for a slow career path; they say “What’s right is not always popular and what’s popular is not always right.” I have knowingly made the choice to practice a discipline of ethics and integrity. It may not be a perfect practice or a snazzy one, but it has kept me grounded in an industry that shakes people up and knocks them down in serious ways. I’ve found purpose as an artist so that I can now contribute to my collaborations with authority and abandon. I see now that I can elevate the work I’m participating in, where I could not do that before without this self-possession. Giving everything I can is my favorite way to work, and I want to work with others who are ready to do the same.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them to my favorite coffee shops each morning, like Alana’s or Strings of Life. Then we’d hike the trail to Griffith Observatory and continue on above it. Grab food at one of the many farmer’s markets to carry lunches on drives through the hills, another hike in the Palisades, or a day at Ginger Rogers Beach. We’d see a show at the Hollywood Bowl or the Wiltern or Atwater Village Theater. For more comedy we could go to the Groundlings, Dynasty Typewriter, or the Largo. I’d show them LACMA, the Getty Museum, or the Broad. Ecstatic Dance LA on Venice Beach, West Hollywood, or Gorgeous Gorgeous for dancing. Center for Yoga in Larchmont and Shefa Yoga in Venice. Then Kiss Kiss Tattoo on Pacific Ave for commemorative tats 😉

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are countless people and resources that helped me along my journey! The incredible artists Ashley Tsai, Cameron Thompkins, Mike Polvani, Dave Woodman, Caitlin Zambito, and Lina Patel. My teachers like Saxon Trainor, Jeff Storer, John Clum, Lee Tempest, the folks at Michael Howard Studios and the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. Groundlings legends like Phyllis Katz, Guy Stevenson, Drew Talbert, and Lyric Lewis. Books like BIG MAGIC by Elizabeth Gilbert, THE BOOKS OF EARTHSEA by Ursula Le Guin, THE ACTOR’S ART & CRAFT by William Esper & Damon DiMarco, the work of Yuval Noah Harari, REASON FOR HOPE by Jane Goodall, CIRCE and SONG OF ACHILLES by Madeline Miller, and A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME by Stephen Hawking. I also often refer to the speeches of Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, Brene Brown, Thandiwe Newton, Viola Davis, Meryl Streep, and Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor for inspiration and perspective. These and so many more are the spring I come back to for sustenance. They fill me with wonder and life, and they show me the way to still more.

Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4528323/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Image Credits
Amanda Edwards, Ashley Tsai, Bobby Prokenpek, Joseph Adivari, Maxwell Poth, Brandin Shaeffer