Today we’d like to introduce you to Junaid Javed.
Junaid, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Mine started recently unlike many others who might have begun their journeys many years ago. For a good portion of my life, I took the practical path– focusing on my studies, going to college, getting a job at an investment firm right after graduating. Even though there was a big part of me that wanted to express my creative side and wanted to take more of an artistic route in life but then I got preoccupied with climbing the corporate ladder quickly and thinking that it would equate to happiness. However, it didn’t, it just kept me busy and my attention diverted from what I really wanted out of life.
After two and a half years of working corporate and being on the top of my game, I decided to leave. I knew that I didn’t want to do this for the rest of my life. It wasn’t feeding my creative side and I felt trapped. Which by the way was not initially met with good responses, especially with the family. If anyone is familiar with the South Asian culture, then they would understand why. It is expected that you follow the three major routes: doctor, engineer, or MBA.
I decided to travel for a year and a half to help clear my mind and figure out what I wanted to do. On one of my trips, I traveled to Pakistan to experience Hunza (a mountainous valley in Northern Pakistan). While traveling through the country, I got inspired by the renaissance that was going on with their film industry and that is when I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to be an actor and be part of this community of creativity. To be completely honest, there was always a part of me that wanted to while growing up, but I tended to push it down and ignore it for whatever reason. May it be out of fear or the fact, it was such an outlandish idea at the time but, at that moment, it was like I had finally connected with the universe and started listening to that voice in my head. Looking back now, the signs were always there it just took me a while to actually start paying attention.
When I got back to the states, I decided to apply to the New York Film Academy to get a good foundation and see if I really had what it took. It was a shot in the dark as I had no prior experience, but I got in and once I was there, I loved it.
Now, I’m spending all my time, energy, and resources into making this into reality, trying to gain as much experience as I can before I go back in about six months and begin my career overseas.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
My art is my passion, determination, and my goal in life to prove that no matter what background you come from, you can follow your dreams. It doesn’t matter if you have any experience, if you truly want something and work hard towards it, you can make it happen. I come from a completely different world from acting and feared that I couldn’t make it in this new territory but then I was reminded of something which I truly believe in; that the most rewarding and beautiful things in life are on the other side of fear. It’s yours for the taking, you just have found the courage to take that jump and go for it. That is what I want my experience and my art to convey to others.
Do current events, local or global, affect your work and what you are focused on?
I don’t think the role of artists has really changed, art has always been about expressing free speech. Given the current climate and the multiple platforms offered, it has become more transparent and allowed artists to reach more of a global audience and voice their opinions easier. As far as for myself, I think there are some aspects that affect me since I am trying to act on an international level and politics might play a role in the logistics of it but at the same time, I believe art has no boundaries; that it can translate across multiple levels of geographic regions.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
People can follow my work and support me through my Instagram page: @juna1d. I will keep update-to-date projects on there and will be uploading my journey as I head off overseas in about six months. Until then, I will be collaborating with some artists locally and nationally to gain more experience under my belt.
Contact Info:
- Email: jndm.javed@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/juna1d
Image Credit:
Junaid Javed, Madelynne Lacy
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
