Reality…

Hello World,

Today I have a bit of a different kind of post I want to deal with… a not so positive rant. A darker look into the entertainment world. So if you don’t like the “oh no I’m chasing my dreams and it’s not good enough” rants then I suggest closing this page down.

You see… I’ve only ever posted the good stuff on here. The positives and the wins of my career all in an attempt to look professional and like I’m on top of it all. For the most part it has worked. Most of you who see all the illusion keep congratulating me on every new-found success.

The truth is… you only see the tip of the iceberg. The few days in my year that are truly great and what I live for. But today was not one of those days.

Today was a difficult day for me. A day when I stepped out of my dream world and faced reality head-on. I’m 25, single, living with my parents, have an almost non-existing acting career and have failed at most attempts to run a side business. All I wanted to do today was run away from my problems, leave my life behind and start over somewhere else.

See no one tells you how difficult it’s going to be to chase your dreams and try and do what most people think is impossible. The days where you are unsure of yourself. The days where you have no idea where your next bit of income will come from… or the days where you have to do demeaning jobs just so you can stay afloat and chase your dreams.

Days like these I can’t help to wonder if I haven’t wasted my entire existence on this “dream” that actually feels more like a nightmare most of the times.

The only things in life I’ve ever wanted was to act and to be independent and those are the things that seem most out of reach at this moment. I can’t help but to battle with depression at times like these. Is it really all worth it?

When I look back at the things I’ve achieved I truly am astonished at how far I’ve actually come. But right now in this moment, reality is overshadowing my vision.

Anyway I thought I should just share something straightforward from the heart. True. No sugar coating. It’s not easy swimming against the stream. Especially not when you look around you and everyone else seem to be heading forward when you’re still stuck in a rut.

Just thought you should know that the highs are very high but at the same time the lows are very low…

Joy comes in the morning.

SmkClaven

 

 

 

The South African Entertainment Industry

It has come to my attention that South Africa has very limited resources when it comes to the entertainment industry especially when it comes to building a career out of it.

In 2013 I started my career as a professional actor / entertainer and as a fresh faced university graduate, I had a lot of questions… Where do I go? Who do I talk to? What’s the next step? How will I become a professional and build a rewarding career out of our entertainment industry?

One thing we all know how to do these days, and is our number one “go to” source, is Google. I tirelessly searched the internet for any information I could find regarding acting and the local entertainment world, to no avail…

 

There is a wealth of information available on the American and international film industries, but nothing that could help me in South Africa with regards to who to talk to to get ahead.

It seems though that the South African entertainment industry is kind of like a best kept national secret. Unless you know someone or at least know someone who knows someone, you simply won’t get any information, statistics or contact information. Not online at least. This was very strange to me… South Africa’s entertainment industry is booming now more than ever and you would think that the industry would make certain information available to help grow the industry even more. Surely the more people understand the trade, the more people can buy into it and expand it, but no…

I especially thought that, after studying acting at AFDA and receiving a Degree in acting I would at least have some sort of privilege to certain information to get me ahead. Maybe that was a bit naive of me, but that’s how I felt at the time. I had put a lot of money, energy and hard work into building a solid foundation. I thought that set me apart from a few people. But I was as lost as any person who had never set foot in the entertainment world.

It  is because of this lack of information that I thought I would share my experiences openly with anyone who wish to know a thing or two. I might only have booked a few acting gigs and seen a few important people, but I can at least share this information with someone who needs it. When you are faced with the big bad world, any information will do! Heck I wish I had the opportunity to read a blog of someone in the South African entertainment industry who could guide me. Even the celebrities we do have, are very quiet…

So in the next few posts I will be discussing everything I have learnt thus far, especially from an acting point of view. I hope my experiences will not only provide information to those who need it, but also start a culture of sharing… So that the generation after us won’t have to fight so hard for a bit of information.

SmkClaven