For many of us, Andrea Lewis is a part of our childhood. With roles in TV favorites like Degrassi and Cadet Kelly, Lewis was able to find success and popularity at a young age. Now, as a woman who makes moves both in-front of and behind the camera, she’s adamant on creating content for Black women and presenting the most authentic version of herself while chasing her goals.

As a pre-teen, Lewis dreamt of having her own production company, but it wasn’t until when she hit her early twenties that content creation became a huge outlet for her. “Being an actress, you feel like a lot of things are out of your control,” Lewis shares, “and doing digital content, I started to not feel like that anymore.”

Photo: Andrea Lewis

With an idea in her hand for a show that told the story about the struggles of Black actresses, Andrea began writing a show called Black Actress. When her boyfriend nudged her to turn it into a web series to avoid facing any "red tape" in the industry, she decided to launch it on YouTube. Almost instantly, Lewis’ brainchild went on to become wildly acclaimed with features from Tatyana Ali, Amber Riley, Jenifer Lewis and Naturi Naughton.

When asked what she wants audiences to know about her, Lewis says, “I genuinely create work for Black women, I truly believe in the stories of women of color, so that’s just where I’m inspired.”

Not letting up on her mission of giving women of color the spotlight they deserve, Lewis recently launched Jungle Wild Productions, a company that tells the stories of women and people of color.

Lewis says that her passion for telling stories about people who look like her is personal, “As a Black woman, I’m always trying to represent myself.”

Photo: Andrea Lewis

It’s also important for Lewis that audiences see her as the most authentic version of herself. Being seen for her true self is something that’s meant a lot to her since transitioning from Degrassi into adulthood. “My biggest challenge in my career has been to find the balance between being happy, creating for myself and not needing validation from others,” she reveals.

This struggle comes with being in an industry that often determines worth based on popularity and how viral your work is. It’s also placed pressure on her for merely getting older. “The word 'old' is thrown around like crazy,” she exclaims, when reflecting on the ageism she experienced at 23.

Photo: Andrea Lewis

Affected by these experiences, Lewis has become an advocate for self-acceptance, challenging norms about living up to other people’s expectations and being put in a box.

Lewis challenges assumptions that she’s struggled after Degrassi and mentions subsequent projects such as the release of her debut album and her role in the Nickelodeon TV-Musical Spectacular. She says that most people assume child actors have a difficult time after their rise to fame and have false concepts of what celebrity lives look like.

When asked questions about what she’s been doing while not "on the radar," she finds herself wondering, “Am I supposed to be proving myself to you? Would it be okay if I was just like, 'I was just being a woman?'”

“I’ve had times when I really didn’t want to work and just took a break, and I’ve had times when I was working like crazy – and it may not have been something everybody saw like ‘Oh it’s all over the internet,’ but I knew I was working,” she explains.

Rising above the pressures and expectations of being in the industry, Lewis finds peace by basing her feelings and self-worth on who she is as a person and nothing else. “I feel whatever I want to feel and I don’t have to worry about others.”

Photo: Andrea Lewis

Lewis is also outspoken about her love for wellness and the importance of taking care of herself. “Wellness is literally life or death for me," she says. “I regularly struggle from depression, and so if I don’t actively try to be healthy then I will just be in a pit.”

She goes on to explain that she also has PCOS and pursues health in every aspect of her life so that she can win the battle. “I see [my illnesses] as a blessing,” Lewis says, grateful that her illnesses have encouraged her to make healthier choices.

On her YouTube channel, you can find Lewis detailing 30-day challenges, "Self-love Saturdays," and self-help book readings that she does on a regular basis to be at her best. She says these practices have helped shape her as a person.

Around the time of launching Black Actress, Lewis remembers coming home from New York and doing a 30-day juice cleanse, sitting at home and just writing, losing weight and grounding herself. Crediting this as being one of the most important times in her life, Lewis says this period of time led her to return to work with a deeper sense of self, a fresh perspective and strong contentment with what she was doing.

“When I did come back to work, I remember being just very happy, very excited and not feeling really any pressure.” This time helped her to realize that the work she was doing was truly for her and not just for her team or an audience. “It made me realize that I genuinely like this work.”

Photo:

Andrea Lewis

After having benefitted from wellness and solitude, Lewis recommends taking a break to anyone who feels like they’re on the path to burnout or are already drained completely. She says that taking a step back will stop you from participating in that perpetual cycle and give you a clear mind to reflect.

When all else fails and you feel like you’re unable to make time to help yourself, Lewis suggests asking yourself the hard questions: “What are you doing otherwise that’s for you?” she questions, “[as in] deadlines and family are not for you.”

Knowing the importance of wellness is focusing on what's best for the individual, Lewis says that the only reason someone may struggle with doing what’s best for them is if they feel they don’t deserve it.

“Why don’t you feel you deserve that, and why are you stopping yourself from being truly happy or finding time for you?” she asks. She says that self-reflection will lead to better progress.

“If you kind of peel back and peel back and peel back and do that work first, then wellness will be easy,” she explains, “Eating a certain way will be easy because you’ll start to understand yourself more.”

Knowing herself and what she wants, Lewis is continuing to move forward in chasing her dreams and doing what she loves. “My goals are always at the forefront,” she says.

Anyone who wants to know what direction Lewis is going in should just look at who she is, because her essence is in everything she does. When asked to describe herself, she does so very simply: “I’m just a regular girl who really likes art.”

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Zarinah