We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alicia Azahar a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alicia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
Being an artist and creative has brought me so much happiness because that’s where I’m my most authentic self. It has given me room to operate within my own God-given abilities and not be concerned about what others think. No one can come in and tell me that what I created isn’t correct because it came from within me. It has helped me appreciate my individuality and uniqueness. Coming from a 9-5 job, to now being an artist and creative, makes me appreciate even more so the opportunities my creativity and gifts have given me. I have more freedom and time to enjoy with my family and friends. I’m also not as stressed like I use to be working a regular job.
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.
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Alicia Azahar, but you can call me Double A. I was actually given that nickname by my former manager, Damien Hunter, because it was easier for him to remember everyone on the team with nicknames. The name kind of just stuck with me! I was in theater in high school so acting wasn’t foreign to me, but I never was the type to audition for major roles, I always liked being in the background. Travia Stewart, my former softball, speech and theater teacher was very instrumental into getting me into acting. She always pushed me to try out because I loved doing silly impersonations and acting things out. She saw me as an actress long before I realized I would become one. Church was another place I would perform and act from time to time. I was in the church choir up until the age of about 15 or 16, I believe, and I also praise danced with my cousins and siblings at New Zion Missionary Baptist Church. My dad and mom always made sure that we were actively involved in church so there really wasn’t an issue for me to be out in front of people. Fast forward to years later, I was working a 9 to 5 job from home at the time for Humana, but I wasn’t happy. I was always frustrated about work and it bled into my life. My husband’s friend, AB Perez, created a business during Covid as a Covid Compliance Officer for commercial productions and needed some extra hands to test the crew. After talking to my husband, he gave me the opportunity to get into the business with him. I was exposed to a whole new world of not just acting, but seeing the behind the scenes of what it really takes to make a production successful. I fell in love and the old actress I locked away wanted out. His friend even was on Queen of the South as an extra and told me about this app called Backstage.com where you can find acting jobs and more. I created an account, but didn’t really have a nice professional headshot so I kind of put it off until one day a lady by the name of Jennifer Bonder, approached me at this photography gig I was modeling for through SDI productions and asked me have I thought about acting. It seemed like everything was lining up to what I would eventually be doing. She offered to take a few pictures of me using my IPhone and edited them to look nice. I used those pictures on my Backstage profile and within a week I was offered a role for a Main Event video I had applied for! After that opportunity, things seemed to just naturally start falling into place and I haven’t stopped since!
Since I am a creative, there is an advantage of what I can do and where I can go. My first love is writing, but having the ability to act and speak allows me to blend into almost any atmosphere I’m put in. I can use my writing, poetry, speaking and acting skills on multiple platforms that makes me more accessible to anyone who is in need of my services! I won’t say I’m most proud, but I am most grateful for the opportunities that God has blessed me with through the gifts He’s given me. At one point in my life, I thought about being a nurse, but ended up not doing it. During my acting career, I have acted as a nurse twice for a Texan Eye commercial and a Senior Memory Living photoshoot. It’s funny how life turns out! Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine being in commercials, television or on a company’s website. Some days I sit back and think about how far I’ve come and can’t do anything, but tell God thank you!
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect is being able to show women like me, who may not be your typical runway model, beauty pageant contestant, or most popular woman in the room, that there is still room for us to thrive in this industry! We are just as important and needed more than we realize. Another rewarding aspect is knowing that my artistry and creativity has touched or inspired at least one person’s life through the power of my voice, writing or performance.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
I believe the best way society can show support for us is by showing up for our events, sharing our work either online or in person, and educating themselves more on certain parts of the artistic and creative world they may not be as familiar with. It’s always fun to expose yourself to new things, you never know what you will learn and the new friendships you may gain from it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://uninterruptedthoughts.business.blog/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/uninterrupted_thoughts?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.comb/alicia.johnson.543908?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Linkedin: Alicia Azahar
Image Credits
Gilbert Azahar