'Hamilton' 's Jasmine Cephas Jones on Feeling 'Free': 'Letting Go Has Been a Huge Lesson for Me'

Jasmine Cephas Jones is looking toward the future through a pair of rose-colored glasses.

The actress, who originated the role of Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds in the Broadway hit Hamilton, tells PEOPLE that — after months of wearing sweatpants amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic — she is ready to "make an effort" this summer to feel that much more fabulous when out and about.

"One of my favorite, favorite things is to listen to live music because it really inspires me as an artist, and in the summertime, that's when all of the music festivals happen," says Cephas Jones, 32, who has partnered with Foster Grant to sport the eyewear brand's SUN LUV collection as the world springs forward into sunnier days.

"So I'm really going to try to see as much music and theater as I can," the Blindspotting star adds.

The artistic community, in particular, was put on pause when the coronavirus pandemic swept the country in early 2020 — and Cephas Jones says her best advice to those struggling with the new normal is to "take everything day by day."

"We're all going through it right now in some sort of way because it's all affecting us," she says. "Some days you're not gonna feel 100 percent; you're gonna feel 50 or half of that, and I think [we should] learn to embrace that and understand that that's okay, that we're not supposed to feel 100 percent ourselves right now all the time. That's asking way too much."

Cephas Jones, who reportedly split from fiancé Anthony Ramos late last year, says that "letting go has been a huge lesson for me."

"There's a lot of stuff that we can't control right now. And I think learning how to let go and ride that wave is probably one of the biggest keys at the moment," she says, adding that you should not "suppress your feelings, but actually feel them and go through them — and you'll come out on the other side if you allow yourself to do that."

RELATED VIDEO: Daveed Diggs and Okieriete Onaodowan Joke Emmy Win Is the Final Time They'll Be Celebrated for 'Hamilton'

Foster Grant's new unisex (and environmentally-friendly) SUN LUV line promotes individuality and embracing one's authentic self — core values that are important to Cephas Jones. The heart-shaped glasses from the colorful collection, called Only Love Here, are one of her favorite pairs.

"Sometimes… it's really, really hard to be yourself or to find yourself, and I think [in] the journey of your life [from being] a kid is [figuring out]: 'Who am I?' I think once you're able to tap into that and have the courage to [be yourself], it's just easier to be free. And when you're free like that, you can kind of do anything," she says.

"It's just so important because the more that we understand ourselves, the more we can understand other people, and the more we can be free with ourselves, the more we can be free with other people and understand one another."