Night out, thoughts on the price of creativity

The Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre at WILD RICE Funan

I don't recall the number of times in 2022 where I had to power through 16-hour days of rushing through the flurry of activities that has me flying from landmark to landmark across the island. I'm currently in MapleTree Business City typing up a new post on my blog while waiting for my coding workshop to begin... and I came from East Coast Park where my tent for the night is still soggy from the noon thunderstorm. Tomorrow afternoon I have voice lessons at the Esplanade, and this weekend I am shooting a 48-hour short film competition.

Did I mention that I would probably have to spend whatever remaining time I have working on the technical database for my tech mentorship project? What, I didn't? Sweet Oz.

It's the unintended consequences of being a passionate multihyphenate - whatever the going slang of the day is these days. I mean, I know, I should have expected it when I chose the acting life. But who could have foreseen just how busy I would be? Nevertheless, I enjoy it to some extent. I love the thrill of coursing through the whirlwind, even at the risk of getting whiplash from this much action. 

Over the last few days, I submitted my application for the APB Foundation Scholarship. Opening up about my hearing condition has always been difficult as an extremely rugged and stubborn individual, but I finally got it done. There is a price point at which anything goes. Meanwhile,  I also managed to submit for a paid casting call and I am hoping to get something. It really is about time I got paid for my acting.

That epiphany was born from a catalyst of sorts, caused in part because I joined the Kino Red Dot Executive Committee this week. I had a pretty inspiring conversation with one of the exco members and it helped me to realize that we need to create value and encourage value, and the only way to propel that action is to start from ourselves. I feel a new wave of energy coming up, which explains my latest 5-day intense marathon. And of course, creating value means that I have to find a way to make my time worthwhile.

I'm now working on making the switch to paid projects. It will be a slow and agonizing process. I genuinely wish someone told me exactly how long it'd take before I even begin to get compensated for my work in this field. Welp. It comes at much too high a cost, they said.

For now, I'll go catch some crabs before dawn.