The Power of Imagination with Amy Gumenick

In this installment of The Real Brian Show, we’re pleased to present an interview with actress Amy Gumenick! To learn more about Amy's roles, please check out her IMDb page!

In This Episode

Sweet tooth triggers
Attending conventions
What does Amy nerd out about?
Amy shares how living in a world of imagination encourages her to give back
It’s hard to stay grounded, how does Amy do it?

Amy Gumenick

This week’s interview with the lovely and talented Amy Gumenick will have your mouth watering from beginning to end. While the conversation starts off about sugar, and what really makes Brian's and Amy's sweet tooth ache, it develops from there and we uncover another truly remarkable gem in the sea of Hollywood actors.

trbs-003-cupid I love conversations around how people approach their craft. Whether it’s discussing approaches to development with a fellow programmer, or the writing process with a fellow writer, or listening to my grandpa tell stories about how he dealt with projects while he was in the lathing trade, hearing someone talk about their passion bridges a lot of gaps between what we don’t know and what we assume we know. Few of us know, truly, what the life of an actor is like, but we can assume much. Listening to Amy describe her approach and how she uses the resources around her in order to inform the roles she lands is very illuminating.

One of the points she makes is something I think is applicable in many walks of life, at least one that I am going to consider utilizing. Amy says that when she lands a role, she spends time journaling about the character, filling in that character’s backstory and thinking through personality traits or mannerisms. Then, when she goes to work, she sets that journal aside with this background information established, but opens herself to the direction and input of the directors and writers.

I’m not an actor, as many of you may know. I’m an application developer and a writer. It might not seem immediately obvious as to how I can implement Amy’s approach, since it’s very relevant to how to embody another personality and take direction after developing that backstory, but I think it is very similar to how many companies approach goal-setting. trbs-003-mary-winchester When your manager or boss has you sit down and forecast goals, there’s an intentionality around that practice that draws awareness to the position you hold, how you are able to make meaningful contributions to the company, all while simultaneously pursuing the tasks that will bring you the most satisfaction.

Based on the conversation Amy has with Brian in this episode, the threefold outcome of goal setting truly seems to be how she approaches all walks of life. From surrounding herself with people who will remind her of who she is and why she’s doing what she’s doing (instead of drawing her deeper into the culture that corrupts good intentions) to working with kids in order to draw out the vivid imagination in others which she never let go of herself as a kid, Amy is a nicely well-rounded and well-adjusted actress.

Wild Imagination

In addition to being well-rounded, though, Amy fits very nicely into the nerd world. She describes growing up with a wild imagination that would create elaborate worlds with all sorts of characters, becoming so corporeal in her mind that she even now reflects on those stories and characters and wonders about them. Most “creators” (i.e. artists, writers, the like) know exactly where she’s coming from. I get to know the characters in my stories so well that sometimes I think about them like they are real. It’s a great problem to have! (As long as we can draw the line, right?)

A huge thank you to Amy for coming to chat on the show! Please, please check out her work and send your own thank-you on Twitter or Facebook (all links are below). Remember, getting a chance to chat with folks like Amy is increased every time you share the show and spread The Real Brian Show love!