We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Chima Chikazunga a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Chima, appreciate you joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I learned from observing in the field. It taught me to listen and respond accordingly. This helped me not only as an actor but also as a writer and director of stage and film.

One of my most essential skills is understanding time. I don’t mind showing up an hour early to prepare but I’m upset if even 5min late.

Obstacles that stood in my way early on are unfortunately still there. Finding my type… so I decided to create my own and that’s taught me so much along the way. At first, I was hesitant but now I’m embracing being a multi hyphenated artist.

Chima, 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?

What sets me apart from other artists is the work I create. It’s very rare you have an actor who can direct a play they’ve written, especially when they’re acting in it. Nonetheless- I’ve been able to do this on several occasions and even caught the interest of certain directors, I’ve longed to collaborate with.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding is being able to work with my peers. Earlier I mentioned a challenge I had of not being able to find my type so I was forced to create one… well several of my peers are in the same boat. This at least helps me use my gifts to help them share their gifts in ways they otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to.

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

Support new work and new voices.
This support doesn’t have to be financially, though that always helps. However the support I speak of is nurturing them. Helping these newer voices find a home and place to develop so they can share their stories.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @Chima_Clarke