We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Antony Ware. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Antony below.

Alright, Antony thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights 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?

Earning a living off of your creative work is definitely not always easy. Doing this is something that I always wanted to do, but I was extremely afraid to take that risk until this past year. I got to a point where I felt that i was dying inside by not fully exploring my passions. It is one thing to live comfortably but it is another to live LIFE! I was put into a position where I had to choose my full time “big boy” job or shooting a film in New Orleans. After being forced into a corner to make a decision by that job, I chose my film. Since then, I have been living off of my art and I can say that it is absolutely not easy. If you choose this path then you need to be ready to take sacrifices. Your life will not always be financially comfortable but you have to stay focused on the bigger picture of living happily doing what you feel you are meant to do. It will be a hard road but eventually I do honestly feel that it pays off. I personally started with booking a dance show and then added additional dance and production projects on top of that show. In order to live off of your passions, you have to be ready to work multiple jobs associated with those passions in order to survive. I end many days exhausted beyond belief but I close my eyes at least feeling I’m doing what I want to do and not fulfilling someone else’s dream.

Antony, 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?

I am a film producer, dancer, fitness model and actor. Many different hats but I have a passions for all of them. I got my first taste of the industry through dance. I fell in love with watching the preciseness and power of dancers like Janet Jackson and that got me fired up to start doing private concerts in my bedroom haha. I then went to a performing arts high school and started formally training and performing. From there I was seen by an agent in a mall which opened me to modeling and the beauty of that world. Modeling led to acting and then during the pandemic I discovered my love for creating behind the camera in film production. Production was definitely something I never really saw myself doing, but I’ve grown such a love for creating the picture as opposed to just being a part of it. In two years, my best friends and film partners created and shot 4 feature films and one short. I’m very proud of this because after learning about this new side of myself that I love, we were able to jump on it hard and create some award winning content for the world. I’m now currently simultaneously wearing my dance and film production hats. I am dancing in a male boylesque show in Nashville, TN called Ranch Hands which I absolutely love! I am also in pre production to shoot a pilot and also a horror feature film called Knock, Knock.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

What society can do to support artists and creatives is recognizing their importance. We are living in a time where we are divided, fighting threats to democracy, watching the histories of people that look like me be erased and whitewashed. Art is one of the few things left that provides an escapism from the crap in this world. and also allows something non-political for people to still connect on. sometimes more complicated issues can also be explained better through art and I think that is something needed right now more than ever. It’s clear that everyone does not communicate or understand in the same way so in a time where we are talking to each other, we need to be open to other ways to teach one another. Art is one of those tools.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

The goal that keeps me going is being able to live comfortable from nothing but working through my art, my passions.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @antony_ware
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/antonyawar
• Linkedin: Antony Ware

Image Credits
I have rights to all photos