We were lucky to catch up with Justin F Hollins recently and have shared our conversation below.

Justin F, 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 began acting classes in a guys living room with a few other actors wanting to learn, I also took any workshops that came to town, my first year and a half. I paid for my acting lessons by donating plasma, because I didn’t have money to pay for it I wouldn’t have speed up the process , somethings take time and when you have time and you put in full dedication like I did, you can only do nothing but grow, so no. I wouldn’t speed things up. It happened at the right pace for me and I’m thankful to God for that. I started at 35 years old. I am 44 and I have no regrets. My most essential skills that have helped me as a photographer is the availability to have a eye and notice things other people won’t notice and I think that I take a lot of risk when a lot of people play it safe, I am a rule Breaker but thanks to New York film Academy I was properly trained as a filmmaker so I know when to break the rules and went to stick to the rules and I only break the rules for creative purposes. The obstacles that stood in my way? I have a past, I had low self-esteem, insecurities, with who I was, hell I didn’t even know who I was until I became an actor, then I started to discover the strength that I had because I come from a culture where I was told all my life I wouldn’t be anything, I wouldn’t do anything and I wouldn’t amount to anything and I heard that on a day in and day out from key people, and it was all because of my mental illness and learning disability that I struggled from. So I had to overcome all those insecurities, all those issues I had buried inside of me, and it took some time and also navigating as a single parent and you gotta wake up every day and look in the mirror and say to yourself, you’re a superstar! you have to be your own cheerleader, your own superhero And there’s no days off, so yeah, our obstacles are made to make a stronger , I always made a way if I couldn’t go to a class, I’d I watch tutorials and lectures on YouTube, read books. In 2023. There’s a way, I especially if your goals are within reach.

Justin F, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

As a actor I always had a love for the camera. When I started as a background actor, I was fortunate enough to not be told to go to holding. I was able to hang around a lot of sets, as the director and cinematographers spoke about the shots or whatever they had going on and I would sit there and listen and look at the monitors and I think to a degree I earned some respect by just sitting there and setting up and listening and I remember a lot of that stuff, so a few years later I decided to pick up a camera and I never look back, I also went as far as relocating back to New York City for a couple of months to train as a filmmaker. I make short films, demo scenes for actors. I just want to get better at what I do rather it be cinematography editing or sound design. I love the whole entire process and I love the fact that being behind the camera makes me a better actor in front of the camera.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Yes, there is a mission when I turned 35 years old, I decided that I was an actor,I just needed to figure out how to become one. I was in a unhappy situation and I felt like I was letting everyone down who is around me, especially my kids, so I did something about it. I got a divorce and I had to move back home with my mother and my disabled sister and my daughter, my sister had always been my support throughout my whole entire life, the one person that’s never called me dumb, stupid or ever put me down. She has only seen the best in me, when I’ve seen nothing but the worse in myself. so my mission is, I’m never giving up, I have to prove to myself that I can do this, rather it’s acting or filmmaking and I want to prove my sister right, that I am somebody. I have a lot of bridges I got a repair. I did a lot of wrong in my past, so in my future, i want to do a lot of right, because I watched my sisters life and love for everything she worked hard for since high school snatched away from her in a 20 something year war of fighting multiple sclerosis and through it all, She has been nothing but my number one supporter. I’m ashamed to say that she’s carried me on her back for a long time when I should’ve been carrying her on my back, so one thing I would love to do in my future is help someone as much as she helped me because outside of teachers, parents & family, she was the only one telling me, I was somebody and I could do anything and I forever owe her for that.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Hard work, dedication and to always grow. I think I have a reputation in my local acting community which is the south east because I am always busy always on the grind. I’m always filming shorts. I’m always trying to get better at some thing and when people see someone who’s always doing something they want to be a part of that.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Justin F Hollins
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/justinfhollins
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@Justinseyetv

Image Credits
Justin’s eye photography and Hollywood Headshots of Atlanta