Meet Tracey Love Graves | Actress, Podcast Host, and Certified Yoga Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tracey Love Graves and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Risk-taking: How do you think about risk? What role has taking risks played in your life/career?
Risk-taking is paramount for a rich life and career. We may not be aware of it, but our favorite actors are taking risks constantly on stage and screen. It takes great courage to couple preparation with curiosity in order to deliver a noteworthy performance. I’ll be honest—I’m still growing in that department. These days, I would consider myself a moderate risk-taker, but I’m seeking to grow! Risk-taking was much easier when I was younger and less connected to fear. Ignorance truly is bliss. As I’ve grown older and taken on more responsibilities in life, I find myself longing for the fire that carried young Tracey from Virginia to Los Angeles during the 2009 recession with no job, no home, and less than $2,000 in the bank. To be a true risk-taker, we have to be more connected to the dream than to reality. In performance, we have to be more connected to our goals than to saying the lines correctly. In our culture, risk-taking is uncomfortable and breeds mistakes, but mistakes give way to learning and growth. Every successful person will tell us that victory lies on the other side of our comfort zone.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love, and encouragement of others. So, is there a person, group, organization, book, etc. that you want to dedicate your shoutout to? Who else deserves a little credit and recognition in your story?
First, God—but on Earth, I have to dedicate my growth and development to my husband, Chris Silber. I know that I would have crumbled under the pressure had he not been by my side as my career traversed through the levels. His guidance, patience, and care have been the balm that my soul needed to continue as I’ve bumped and bruised myself professionally and spiritually these last few years. We can not grow without hurting ourselves, and I could not have faced my demons and come out swinging had I not had his loving, encouraging words in my ear. As far as reading, I will always be indebted to The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. During my service in the Peace Corps, I was elected to serve on our peer volunteer support committee and was charged with the task of creating a presentation promoting mental health and well-being for all 200+ volunteers stationed throughout Zambia. I am a self-help junkie and could have suggested tons of books to adapt, but there is no book as straightforward and easy to effectuate as The Four Agreements. I highly recommend it for those of us who want to let go of the expectations that cause us strife.

Please tell us more about your art. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others. What you are most proud of or excited about? How did you get to where you are today professionally? Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way? What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
Thank you for asking. I want the world to know that my art, my brand, and the art of living are all about service. I own a production company with my husband called SilberLove Productions, but the company I have on my own is called Endless Service, LLC because that is truly what I believe we all will be doing for the entirety of our lives. Whether we’re serving our God, ourselves, our families, our community, our earth, or our audience through art, one thing is for certain: Life does not exist without give and take. I’m proud of this agenda because it challenges me to devise new ways to serve everyone I encounter, as every human being is unique in their needs. The jokes and levity that work with one group may not work with another, and I don’t mind learning how to communicate with others on their level instead of trying to make everyone fit their ways of being to my own. I’m learning this lesson in real time. Sometimes, serving a scene partner means showing up, being completely professional, and not blurring any lines as we artists tend to do when we are in creative mode. That lesson was not easy for me to learn; I used to need everyone to like me, so it was easy for me to keep things light and on the surface. Until very recently, I believed that the only way to behave on set was open and fun, and this is not true. We, as artists, have a duty to show up just as professionally as we would if we worked in a bank or a university. When I found myself in conflict with a cast member who was not happy with my behavior, I had to work against negative, dismissive thoughts. The old me would have scoffed and found ways that the aforementioned cast member could have been projecting their own trauma onto me, which happens to me all too often, causing me to potentially walk away from the project. But the new me evaluated the feedback. This was difficult, but it caused me to dig deeper into my own psyche, asking myself where this immature behavior stemmed from. Alas, the trauma of my childhood reared its little head.  As a child that grew up around abuse, feeling like I was “in trouble” reminded me that a beating was near. The best way to protect myself and mitigate anyone not liking me was to find ways to be “likable.” The only way to truly serve my scene partner, thus serving our project and everyone who needed the message to come from us, was through an honest evaluation and the realization that I have grown out of those childish ways. I, by no means, plan on changing who I am at my core whenever I receive feedback, but in the name of compassion and empathy for others, I will at least consider the input. Through breathwork and yoga, I endeavor to guide others to lead lives full of compassion, empathy, and grace for themselves and others because those are the traits that help us serve our world at large. I have to practice what I preach in order to live and move through this world authentically.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area, and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary—say it was a week-long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.? In your view, what are some of the most fun, interesting, exciting people, places, or things to check out?
Let’s make this trip in the spring or summer so that I can lead us in yoga and finish with a picnic lunch in Piedmont Park. We have to go hiking up Stone Mountain, and on another day, we’ll head up to Sandy Springs and hike to the Vickery Creek Waterfall. Since we’re in the area, we’ll keep heading north and spend the evening enjoying wine and live music at the Painted Horse Winery and Vineyard. I love museums, and as a proud member of the High Museum of Art, we’re definitely checking out their latest exhibit and then staying for jazz night on a Friday evening. While we’re in the area, we’ll hop on scooters and make our way over to LowCountry Steak on Peachtree. The ambiance and staff are so warm and inviting, but more importantly, the Brussels sprouts will change your life! If she’s new to Atlanta, we have to go on the Martin Luther King, Jr. history walking tour, then head across the street from the memorial to catch a wonderful exhibit at the aKAZI ATL art gallery. Dinner that evening will be at Mary Mac’s Tea Room or Papi’s Grill for Cuban. If she’s got the kids with her, we have to visit the aquarium and the Illuminarium. Sadly, the Illuminarium is closed until 2025 for renovations, but we’ll still visit the area and eat at Two Urban Licks. We also have to walk, bike, or ride scooters on the Beltline, ending in the West End, and if the studio isn’t booked for a shoot, I’ll call my homies at Mann Robinson Studios so she can tour a top Atlanta film studio. Afterward, we’ll walk over to Lee + White and have drinks at Boxcar or pizza at Monday Night Garage. I can’t let her leave without seeing a show at either Shakespeare’s Tavern or Dad’s Garage, but if we’re going to the Fox Theatre, then we’re definitely eating vegan Asian at Herban Fix before the show. If we’re catching a show at the Academy Theater in Hapeville, then we’re grabbing dinner and cocktails at Convo Restaurant and Lounge just around the corner. To close out her trip, we’ll soak and get head-to-toe massages at Spa Land & Sauna or the 24-hour Jeju Sauna . . . depending on how long we want to soak.

Website: https://www.traceylove.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traceylovegraves/?hl=en