We recently connected with Adarsh Satish and have shared our conversation below.
Adarsh, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?
I am happier being an artist. It really sets my soul on fire. It makes me want to continue another day and I always have something to look forward to. The sky is the limit with how far I can take my creative endeavors. I’m excited by every new opportunity I get and the chance of meeting some incredible people. Being an artist was the greatest decision I’ve ever made. I can be myself when I’m creating and I feel fearless going into the world being my authentic self.
The only thing that doesn’t make me happy about being an artist are the expectations that come along with it. The expectation to have to achieve a certain goal, make a certain income, or work on certain projects in order to be seen as valuable to society. It’s so easy to be side tracked by what’s going on in the outside world. I see my friends getting married, people buying houses, and others retiring their parents, but I know my time will come when I can achieve those things too. It gets sad sometimes seeing life pass you by, but I know my goals are too big to settle for anything less. I know that comparing my journey to others is only going to hinder and stunt my growth. I’m happy for everyone achieving their dreams and I know mine will come true as well. I believe in my goal so much that nothing can stop me from achieving it. I am a big believer in manifestation and prayer so I manifest, pray, and work towards my goals knowing that they will come true. I will never let the distractions win or anyone’s expectations stop me from reaching my goals.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I started dancing when I was 14 yeas old. I started because I got super inspired by Michael Jackson. 2009 was the year he passed away, and it caused a lot of his music to start to resurface which sparked my interest in dance. I loved his music videos, style, compassion, and his overall legendary status. He was the supreme artist to me, and someone who I truly felt really embodied art to its fullest capacity. I wanted to be just like him, so I started copying his dance moves on YouTube and tried imitating him everywhere I went. I knew every detail about him; I was kind of obsessed. From there, I started dabbling in other dance art forms because of some friends I met in high school. They did a style of dance from the Bay Area called Turf Dancing which I picked up. As I progressed in dance I started to get into choreography and started doing different Indian dance styles like Bhangra, Kathak, and Garba. I joined hip hop teams and danced at battles and started meeting so many cool dancers.
When I was in college I knew I didn’t want to leave school trying to find a normal job. I wanted to make an impact, and do something bigger than just me. I knew there weren’t that many South Asians in the Dance Industry, so I wanted to change that. So I made the decision to become a full time dancer after school. I wanted to be big like MJ and make a legacy that would impact the world. I was ready to work really hard to do something not many people have the guts to do. I wanted to pave the way and show people that even though the path is scary, it is possible to do. I am happy for how far I’ve come in my career and how much I’ve learned in my journey.
I am a director, choreographer, and dancer. I just graduated from film school and my big goal is to direct music videos and movies that I also want to help choreograph. I want to be an artist for the long run creating works that are meaningful and impactful. I can help brainstorm, facilitate, manage and produce a movie from start to finish. I can create dance numbers for any event from private events to big concerts and movies. I am also a professional dancer full time so I’m ready to be plugged into any dance project and be able to pick up the choreography and execute it. My background in these things that are both in front and behind the camera help me become an all around useful person for all clients as I understand what it takes to produce art on both ends.
I’m most proud of my perseverance to keep pushing through hurdles in my life and dance journey. Through all the self doubt and people telling you what you should be doing, I’m glad that I didn’t let that bother me or bring me down. I’ve been blessed with many opportunities and I’m glad that I’m seeing the fruits of my labor finally coming through.
The type of work I do involves a lot of dance and dance stories. I like portraying stories that represent people of color and stories that are under represented. I like to use dance and visual storytelling to portray a message that helps inspire people to do better for themselves and for others. I like to make people think and laugh at the same time. I am super inspired by Steven Spielberg films so I want to create works of arts that are iconic and create stories that help bring families and friends together.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
Society can help support artists by giving them a higher pay and giving them benefits to make a full time income. Most artists have to work multiple jobs in order to survive. If there were more opportunities for artists to gain a full time salary then there wouldn’t be a stress on artists to live under their means to pursue their passions. Dancers are usually the lowest paid of all industry jobs and requires the most strenuous work , so they definitely need the benefits from jobs, such as insurance and protections. Society can show more appreciation for the arts by supporting local events and supporting more people to pursue their dreams. A share on instagram or a verbal mention to a friend can help boost an artist’s career so much.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A lesson I had to unlearn was to not be tunnel visioned on your goal. You need to also take care of your relationships with people especially your family and friends. Make sure you do things for yourself to live a healthy and happy life. Don’t let your passion consume you and make it your only personality trait. There are so many amazing characteristics about yourself that you need to learn and try to understand. Life is all about living and we create art so that we can be happier and bring happiness to others. We should never loose sight of that. Don’t let the industry or anybody make you hate what you love in order to achieve your goal. Your goal will come but don’t put excess pressure to make it happen. It will happen with consistency and compassion. I believe good people will win and I know the world will reward those who are good even if it doesn’t seem like it’s always the case.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @adarshable
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adarsh.satish
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adarsh-satish/
- Twitter: https://x.com/Adarshable
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@adarshable
Image Credits
Green Deli Boys, Hollywood Reporter picture credit Mark Clennon IG: @mark.c