Today we’d like to introduce you to Nazanin.
Nazanin, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My story is very much still in progress. If my story were a play, we might be barely starting the second act. If my story were a basketball game, we’d be in the first quarter. You get the idea.
I am creative at heart and always have been since childhood. Especially when I was a child. Certain art forms nourish my soul, like acting, writing, taking pictures.
Where I am today is simply on the path to where I want to be. Where I am today is the before picture of my story. Today, I have a full-time job completely irrelevant to my artistic endeavors. Today, I must learn better time management to make sure my job-to-pay-the-bills doesn’t drain all of my energy and that some of it continue to go towards my “someday”. Some day, I want to make my income (and an abundance of it) purely from my creative pursuits as well as investments and residual businesses. Today, I will plan another practice photoshoot session to work on my craft and figure out how to get really good at taking pictures of people. Today, I will dwell on whether or not I end up writing. Today, I might feel pangs of guilt if I think about the blog I’ve been wanting to start for months or the short film I have yet to produce. Today, I’m wondering when I’m going to get better at this networking thing.
But today, I am so much wiser than yesterday. Today, I reflect on how much I’ve changed since I was fresh out of high school and dreaming of being an actor accepting an award. Just a few years ago, I could see myself as the actor; today, I see myself as writer, producer, director, and yes, sometimes actor–not just in a script I wrote, but my entire life.
Coming to view my life as a tapestry, I have lots of control over versus something to react to (often subconsciously) was not an easy or simple process, but it’s been completely awakening and worthwhile so far. On the outside, some might look and say I haven’t made progress in life. The truth is, and I can’t emphasize this enough–I’ve always only wanted to follow what’s truly in my heart and soul and will continue to do so while figuring out things along the way. No matter how long it might take me to get to where I want, I will keep pushing, and be at peace knowing I’m guided by a Universe bigger than myself.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road, and the road I’m on is still quite bumpy! One of the main obstacles I think any artist or entrepreneur runs into is financial. We are often at the mercy of short term, low paying gigs, or full time “regular” jobs. In my case, I’ve always held down “regular” jobs, which means most of my time is taken up by a job I have no long term interest in. This gets particularly frustrating when there is little energy left for creative pursuits outside of our jobs.
Another struggle I’ve faced is the lack of clear-cut instructions or a roadmap on how to get to where I’m going. With other professions, you know that you need to go to school for a certain number of years, and then apply for a job in your field and work your way up. With something like film, there are many, many different paths to get there, and what might have worked for someone else likely won’t work for you, because art and entrepreneurship are so subjective.
My best advice is to completely embrace the mentality that you own your own future and career, and get to work on it right away, and don’t overthink it! Don’t do what I did for years, which was to rely on other people to help me get there. We are lucky to live in a time where social media and the internet allows us to promote our work in a very different way than they used to have to do ten years ago. So, just go for it and start your own projects, even if you have no idea what you’re doing. Less thinking, more doing.
And my second piece of advice, which is something I truly live my entire life by and believe is so important–always follow your instinct and your heart. It’s hard to follow your dreams, the path isn’t smooth or clear. However, I believe it’s even harder to ignore something that’s clearly in your heart and live with that for the rest of your life.
What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
My first real love is film. Acting led me into it, and I will probably always have a special place in my heart for the art of acting. Recently in the past couple of years, I’ve grown increasingly interested in the other sides of it, including writing, producing, and directing. My long term plan is to run my own production team, with the goal of putting out films and projects that influence the world for the better. I’ve always enjoyed creative writing, so I’m working on uniting that with my passion for acting and film.
Just the past year, I’ve rediscovered photography. Influenced by all the headshot photoshoots from the years I spent being an auditioning actor in Los Angeles, I’m curious to find my own style of photographing people.
I want my brand to be most known for its authenticity and good influence. I want to create art that is genuine and self-aware, and by the same token, I want to conduct business on a very authentic and honest level. I want us all to win, and I want us all to be better to ourselves and each other.
Do you have a lesson or advice you’d like to share with young women just starting out?
Figure out what YOU think of yourself and your choices, your likes and dislikes, what makes you truly happy and what makes you feel bad, and then live your life accordingly. Not by anyone else’s opinions or standards–only yours. Trust yourself more!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @sassypacifist
- Twitter: @sassypacifist
Image Credit:
Nazanin, RB Scott
Suggest a story: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
