Are you comfortable in expressing your authentic self? Not all of us are. Maybe it has to do with the way we were raised, or perhaps we are inherently reserved and shy. Not having channels for healthy self-expression can be repressive and can hinder us from fully knowing and bettering ourselves.
In this episode, Deborah Cristobal showcases her authentic self and personality through self-made clothes and acting performances. Through her experiences, we’ll see how acting and fashion aren’t at the opposite ends of the spectrum. Both are creative outlets that enable you to share your identity with the world.
Listen to the full episode if you want to be inspired to work on your self-expression and show the world your authentic self.
Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode:
- Discover Deborah’s various voice acting gigs.
- Learn how fashion and acting can unleash your personality.
- Find out how Deborah manages to do all her crafts at the same time.
Resources
- Chronosphere Fiction podcast
- Fashion Review podcast
- Speaking of Stories by Center Stage Theater
- Check out the items that have been crucial for my self-development here!
Episode Highlights
Deborah’s Voice Acting Experience
- Deborah is part of various podcasts as a voice actress.
- She plays both Samantha, a 17-year-old teenager, and Charlotte, the president’s wife, in “Generation Z,” a modern sci-fi story about zombies set in the future.
- Deborah also plays a no-nonsense warrior woman in “Gafgarn, the Eternally Unfurnished,” an action-fantasy story like Lord of the Rings.
- She runs her podcast called Fashion Review, which is a take on the TV show Fashion Police. She does all the voices, and three panelists critique celebrity fashion on red carpets.
- Deborah has a potential voice-over role for a show to be pitched to Hulu.
Self-Expression Through Fashion
- Deborah goes to thrift stores more often than she’s acting.
- She doesn’t want to look like anyone else. Her style is eclectic, feminine, whimsical, fun, and attention-grabbing.
- She is currently obsessed with a technique called ruching. It is a way to make something fit you and bring up the length of a garment without having to hem it.
- Deborah is a fabric-hoarder. Sometimes it takes her years to use the fabric she buys in a thrift store.
- She loves that her creations are always going to be different. Nobody else will have the same outfit, and it also has a stamp of what she loves.
The Magic of Acting
- In whatever medium, acting is fun. You get to express other parts of yourself that you wouldn’t usually show in real life.
- You also get to meet a lot of cool people. It’s like playing games when you were a child.
Time Management
- If Deborah goes to her producer’s studio to record Generation Z or Gafgarn, she also records her shows.
- It gives her the push to always write something new.
Boosting Exposure
- Deborah advertises her fashion simply by wearing her creations.
- She always goes to the Ventura Fair and Santa Barbara Fair to take pictures of herself, which she’ll eventually post on Instagram.
- Deborah had been auditioning for commercials in LA. She received training from a coach in Santa Barbara, where she learned how to break down her script and learn her character.
- Currently, she is auditioning for voice-over roles by sending audio files. The most exposure she’s getting right now is from podcasts, which are good online resumes.
- She’s also part of Speaking of Stories, a stage performance where storytellers or actors write about a true story about themselves.
5 Powerful Quotes from This Episode
[12:37] “One of the things I love about creating is that it’s always going to be different. Nobody else is going to have your same outfit, and it also has your stamp of what you love.”
[13:57] “It (acting) is really fun because you do get to express maybe other parts of yourself that you wouldn’t express maybe in your real life, or maybe you’re forbidden to act certain ways in your real life.”
[34:05] “There’s a lot of unspoken things that are passed down to us girls. We are taught to always be nice, always be smiling, be polite, almost like a little Stepford child. And that’s all well and good, but it’s not very human when it comes to really expressing yourself.”
[34:52] “People may not want to admit it, but the things that some of us are taught really are repressive. But they can’t help it because that has been what’s been passed down through their parents.”
[36:10] “My fashion sense is sometimes to break out of that conservative shell of looking like everybody else and being really safe.”
About Deborah
Deborah Cristobal is an actress and fashion designer. She uses fabrics in thrift stores and takes apart clothes given by other people to create clothes that reflect her feminine and eclectic style.
Currently, she does voice acting for Generation Z and Gafgarn on Chronosphere Fiction. She also runs the Fashion Review podcast, where she and three panelists critique celebrities’ red-carpet fashion. She occasionally does movie reviews on her podcast as well.
Connect with her through Facebook or Instagram if you want to know more about her and her work.
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