We were lucky to catch up with Maurandis Berger recently and have shared our conversation below.
Maurandis , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?
It wasn’t always full time, in fact before I started earning any income I did it for absolutely free. I believe it has to be your passion first, you master it and see what happens. Far as myself, yes I’m full time at this.
Maurandis , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Well I’m a writer, actor and director from Youngstown, OH. Coming from a small town like Youngstown can be hard for anyone trying to pursue their dreams. Our resources are very limited so you’ll have to expand outside of where you live. I’ve dealt with many challenges during my journey, but their is no time limit on success. So in the midst of doing my work I continued to work on myself to become a better me. I stayed dedicated, hungry and disciplined. I believe the only difference from me and others is I work a little harder than everyone else, I study allot as if I’m still a student. Honestly I’ll always be a student, I’ll never be a know it all. There’s always room for improvement. Eliminate as many distractions as you can and you’ll see a difference fast.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect for me being an artist is the freedom to express things the way I want. I’m my own boss so I’m able to open up more creatively then I would if I was signed or with an entertainment company. I love having that freedom.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I always had goals and a mission, I just had no idea of how to make it come true. All I knew was I had to get better, work and get better. Even after graduating from Ohio Media School I realized that there are just some things that can’t be taught. I had it natural, the skill and talent came to me easy. I had the confidence and determination, but the hard work was sold separately. I believe allot of times what breaks people is them seeing the work they have to put in. And not only work, years of work because no true success is overnight it’s not supposed to be.
Image Credits
Photo Credit: Kenny Reyes