STUCK AND UNSTUCK — PARISIAN SCENE OPENS UP ABOUT PERSONAL JOURNEY AND CREATION
STUCK AND UNSTUCK — PARISIAN SCENE OPENS UP ABOUT PERSONAL JOURNEY AND CREATION
There’s a lot of subjects every human being, every creative individual secretly has to think about, face, experience, and understand. “TRYing STUFF” is an important way to help one finding itself during a personal journey. And as each of us goes through a different and unique one, we chose three creatives from our community – Broodoo Ramses, César Audebert, and Sarka – to share their intimate thought process about it.
➔ BROODOO RAMSES :
How would you introduce yourself ?
I don’t like to introduce myself by what I’m doing, because what I’m doing at this moment can be very different in two years or more. So I would introduce myself saying “Hey I’m Anthony aka Broodoo Ramses, and I can on only show you who I am, can’t tell you”, that answer also shows that the boy is not simple lol.
What activities (creative, sports,..) drive you ? How and when did you discover your taste for it and did it progressively took space in your life ?
I’m definitely more stimulated by activities that don't imply repetition and that make me have fun. It could be any creative activity or something else. If I have to do the same task over and over, without enjoying myself and doing it kinda robotically, bye. I feel like I understood it during my film production studies and while doing internships and apprenticeships in big companies like Walt Disney Company and Warner Media. It was cool, but it fucked me up because I was bored !
Have you always wanted to do this for a living or thought about keeping it for your own personal free-time ?
My end goal was always to do what I love as a living, whatever that is. I think I’m on the right path but there’s so much more I wanna do, so I continue to use my free time to be sure that in the future, I can occupy all my time doing things that I love (and getting paid for it).
“Fear is literally the mind killer, so find ways to get rid of it and do what you wanna do, fuck it up.”
Does this journey was obvious, fluid, or tortuous ? What obstacles have you encountered all along the way ?
It’s more like when it started to be obvious, it became fluid. It started to be obvious when I could think about the idea of doing something, and getting excited just by the thought, but at a level it gave me adrenaline. You obviously encounter obstacles, but that’s normal. I knew already that the road would be bumpy, it still is, but I’m just focusing on what I can do and how I can enjoy doing it.
What’s a random week for you ?
At home, all week, working on personal projects, getting knowledge, and then partying when something cute is happening or playing in a party, kinda basic.
How do you maintain a refreshing creativity ?
I try to forget about myself and who I think I am or how I perceive myself. I try to find common demeanor or denominator on odd or opposite things. Mostly, I try to remind myself that everything is the same and that nothing comes from a vacuum.
What advice would you give to someone struggling with finding an activity that makes sense to them ?
Go back to your childhood, ask your parents how you were as a kid. It’s not necessarily about what you liked doing but more how you behaved, how you perceived things, if you were drawn to more logical things or creative things, how were you placing yourself in a group of people etc, and try to be radically honest with yourself. I think most of the time we know the answers but fear just shut them down, and then we forget. Fear is literally the mind killer (I think it was the Bene Gesserit in Dune that said that IDK lol), so find ways to get rid of it and do what you wanna do, fuck it up.
BONUS QUESTIONS :
What do you believe in ?
I believe in God, so I believe in everything.
➔ SARKA :
How would you introduce yourself ?
Hey I'm Sarka, a dancer / performer exploring different forms of expression.
What activities drive you ?
Dance, music, cinema, reading and writing.
How and when did you discover your taste for it and did it progressively took space in your life ?
I've been dancing since as long as I can remember - I saw videos of me dancing on the parking lot of a festival with my parents at the age of 2. Music has always been around as well but I started digging the different genres related to the dance styles I was practicing in junior high school. I slowly started reading and writing around that time too but it’s only recently that I got interested in cinema.
Have you always wanted to do this for a living or thought about keeping it for your own personal free-time ?
If I'm being honest,I've always secretly wanted to do this for a living but I convinced myself it should remain a hobby. I’ve been having a cool regular job for years until a few months ago where I was like, “fuck it” and just quit.
Does this journey was obvious, fluid, or tortuous ? What obstacles have you encountered all along the way ?
It still is a bit of everything. It is obvious in the sense that I now try to follow my intuition as much as possible and choose to do things that make sense to me. But it's only been a few months and it comes with reevaluating things quite often, figuring out how my needs are in check within that etc. I had to get rid of many bags to really be in my bag! Like fears, thought patterns, limiting beliefs and things that were implanted by peer pressure but didn't resonate with me. The internal work is turbulent, no shade.
“I had to get rid of many bags to really be in my bag! The INNER work is turbulent, no shade”
What’s a random week for you ?
I check out work opportunities, do some researches on what I am currently interested in, go to dance studios or train at home, go to the gym, the market to get groceries, the movies or theater once a week. I sometimes go clubbing on weekends or check out dance events I would want to go to. I also started taking drawing workshops with at Paris’ Beaux Arts, I have a class once a week. Then I have coffee or grab dinner with my friends a few times a week and I usually have at least one night on my own to recharge.
how do you maintain a refreshing creativity ?
I do research and go to music gigs, watch movies, theatre plays or dance shows. I also write any idea or anything I find interesting down before it vanishes away and I have routines where I force myself to write. That's how I know what I am currently obsessed about and come up with things.
We often think every human being has a favorite thing to put his energy onto. Do you think it’s an advantage to be passionate about something ? What about its disadvantages ?
I think it's amazing to be passionate about something.I find it sexy as fuck as long as we stay grounded; we don't take anything so serious we become people who can only think and talk in concepts and get stuck in a world where we forget to crack jokes. We love art, that's cool and shit, but let's make sure our bills are paid and we know how to interact and have fun with other human beings in the real world too. If you put all your energy into activities that elevate you, you can forget to come back down to Earth, where you experience stuffs in your body, realities, and before you realize it, you disconnect from the people around us.
What advice would you give to someone struggling with finding an activity that makes sense to them ?
Explore, try things out, suck at it but congratulate yourself for being curious and doing it, detach from the results, revisit what you loved as a kid, meet people who do that, enjoy it.
BONUS QUESTIONS
What do you believe in ?
Resilience, love, humour, therapy, God.
What other activity, that already exist or that derived from your infinite imagination, you’d love to do ?
Directing movies, Sky-diving, capoiera, herbalism.
➔ CÉSAR AUDEBERT
How would you introduce yourself ?
My name is César, I am 24 years old and I grew up and live in Pantin. I just finished my studies, I spent 5 years at the Fine Arts school (Les Beaux Arts) of Nice. I do painting and drawing, but I just like to create in a general way. I like to work with wood, or to do silk-screen printing for example. I also do a lot of sports, especially combat sports. Sport impacts my life a lot and what I create.
What activities drive you ?
I paint, I build, but what I do the most is drawing, even if it's not necessarily what I show the most. Everything I create is, in fact, is first a drawing. Since I was a child, I always liked to draw, then as time went by I started painting and later building. Though, I always did combat sports. I really began involving in sports around the age of 16 and after high school.
Have you always wanted to do this for a living or thought about keeping it for your own personal free-time ?
I don't really remember a time when I said to myself that I wanted to make a living out of what I create. But I never saw myself doing anything else, so it was kinda obvious but I never believed I could truly make a living out of it either. I think that the moment when I passed a milestone in my investment was when I was 18, 19 years old, when I was studying in Art school because it was the first time I could invest myself fully in what I love.
But the real questioning that I had these last years is centered around my relationship with sports. I asked myself if sports could be more than just a leisure activity and if I could live from it. I hesitated but on the long term I don't see myself being a fighter. I think I prefer to keep it like that. I think we don't have the same relationship to things once money is involved.
Does this journey was obvious, fluid, or tortuous ? What obstacles have you encountered all along the way ?
It's been easy for me, and things have gone pretty well so far. At the beginning, the most complicated thing was my father who was not at ease with the path I chose. Then I had a hard time finding my place during my studies. I really didn't feel like I was where I should have been. My first 3 years of study were a bit complicated. And there's also the stress of not being able to live from it, thinking that potentially I would be limited in my future life choices, but at the same time I reassure myself that I prefer that doing something I like less.
What’s a random week for you ?
My family and my trainings rhythms my days and schedule, then my creative projects. I train 4, 5 times a week : wrestling on Monday and Friday, MMA on Tuesday and Saturday, and a little prep on Sunday.
I often work at the beginning of the week on different projects and I dedicate a slot for each task throughout the week. For example, I recently made a shelf for KOLAM restaurant, I bought the wood on Monday, spent Tuesday and Wednesday cut the wood and assembled it, Thursday I sanded, coated and finished the object. Every Friday we meet with friends to discuss and advance on a common project. On Saturday, I rest, I work a little on my computer, send or adjust things.
“I believe in good intentions and sincerity. I think that combining the two, things can only go well.”
How do you maintain a refreshing creativity ?
To stay fresh in my work, I try to work per periods. I focus on one project for a while, then I move on to something else. Then I stop working for 2 or 3 days and I take the time to think about what I want to do, how to evolve. I'm lucky enough to be able to manage my schedule, it's a luxury that I have to make the most of. Besides that, I read a lot of manga and comics, do exhibitions and go to the cinema. I try to stimulate myself emotionally and when I get tired, I write. Writing helps me a lot not to block and to take stock of myself, my relationship with others, my relationship with what I create.
We often think every human being has a favorite thing to put his energy onto. Do you think it’s an advantage to be passionate about something ? What about its disadvantages ?
To me, having a passion is an advantage. But as everything, it is all about balance. Being too passionate can also make you lose yourself. More than having a passion I think the real luck is to be able to live from your passion, or at least to try, to know where to invest your energy and your time. The risk with passion is that it can turn into an obsession. I have that sometimes, and it's frustrating, it makes me feel out of step.
What advice would you give to someone struggling with finding an activity that makes sense to them ?
Before trying to find a passion, I think it is necessary to understand yourself well. To me, finding a passion starts with being benevolent with yourself. How can we try to spend time doing something we like if we don't really know ourselves ? So rather than looking for passions, I would advise to first try to feel good with yourself.
BONUS QUESTIONS :
What do you believe in ?
I believe in good intentions and sincerity. I think that combining the two, things can only go well. At least that's how I want to be.
What other activity, that already exist or that derived from your infinite imagination, you’d love to do ?
I would love to be an astronaut, it seems so far away. So far away from everything. I guess I’d be able to have a clearer view and realize life as a whole. Or a spaceship pilot like Han Solo. Probably something close to the stars, far away from everything, and free to go wherever I want.
Shot by @Kiroubel
Written by @Redkoffee_