Let’s be honest. I’ve hit a dry spell.
It’s hard not to feel defeated when day in day out, you get an email or a reply that reads, “I’m sorry, we’re not going to need your service this time around. We’ve chosen someone else.” Or something along those lines. To fully understand what I’m trying to get at, I need to do a little flashback to 7 years ago.
I made a decision to put aside my psychology career path and pursue a career in hosting instead. Looking back, I have no regrets. If I were to do it over, I’d still choose the same. It was as though the stars were aligned and everything fell perfectly into place. I was in my final year of an American Degree Program, which gave me the flexibility to schedule my classes accordingly. That also meant, I had the extra time to brush up on my hosting skills when I first landed the job as an 8TV Quickie host. I would take up as many hosting assignments/gigs as I possibly could to better myself. Hosting didn’t come as second nature to me and like most newcomers; I struggled finding my style and identity.
Most of you may already know this; I spent 5 years with the 8TV Quickie. I was comfortable. Completely unshaken by the fact that hosts come and go. Not that I was the best fit for the show compared to everyone else but I guess, at that time, Quickie has become so much a part of me that the idea of leaving it never crossed my mind. I was so happy being on the show for it has opened up a lot of doors for me and I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to host other shows as well on the channel. Many have mentioned to me in passing, what I was going to do beyond the 8TV Quickie and I’d ponder upon it for a moment but never really had an answer. It didn’t quite bother me then because I had the best job in the world.
Fast forward to 2015, I felt the need to shake things up a bit for I was growing complacent. I made a decision to leave the show, not knowing what my next step would be. Silly but much needed. I finally began to understand what everyone was on about all those years. As great as it was being attached to a strong brand like the 8TV Quickie, I had to find my own brand. And I realised that it was difficult to do so hiding behind the shadows of the show.
It’s 2017 now. Have I found it? Not entirely but I’ve certainly discovered more about myself. I mean; do we ever truly know who we are? It’s an ongoing process because we learn and we grow as we go through life.
Coming back to my first statement. I have hit a dry spell. I face rejections left, right and centre almost on a daily basis. And I’m not afraid to admit it. If you happen to be on the same boat as me, know this: nothing lasts forever. The gigs don’t and good news is, the rejections don’t either. So pick yourself up from that downward spiral and keep hustling!
Let’s face it; being a freelancer in the entertainment industry is highly competitive. Truth be told, it can get depressing especially when you get remarks being thrown at you or questions about what you’re doing right now or if you’re still relevant, because at the end of the day, you’re only as good as your last gig and sometimes, just being one role isn’t good enough!
But what I’ve come to learn is this: who cares? You gotta learn to shut down the noises and just do you. We carry different titles along the way. Today, I am a TV host, tomorrow, I may still be a TV Host, an emcee, maybe an actor or entrepreneur but stripped off all those titles, who am I? Especially when you take away the social media façade. The things that truly matter are your values and beliefs. Those are the things that represent who you are and will continue to propel you forward no matter what your passion or title may be.