We were lucky to catch up with Justina Biosah recently and have shared our conversation below.

Justina, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

This started really early on in life, i was 6 when i saw a Bollywood movie playing on my TV. I was so amazed by the singing acting and dancing and instantly started to imitate what i was seeing. This developed a talent in me i never knew i had. Since that young age i would dance at family parties, i loved performing and i knew it was what i was going to do.

Justina, 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?

So i grew up in London and like the big city i had big dreams. Once i fell in love with performing i made it my mission to do it as many places as i could, school was definitely my first performance playground, i started taking part in talent shows and school plays and musicals, this is where i was told by my teachers that i was very talented and that i should pursue a career in entertainment. One of my teachers even asked to speak to my mother to tell her that she should send me to a private theatre school, when i heard this i was very excited and harassed my mum everyday about it until she told me we couldn’t afford it. This was obviously hard to hear, but it wasn’t going to stop me, if i couldn’t get into a prestigious acting school i would just have to work twice as hard, that’s where i learned about gratitude and finding comfort in being satisfied with what you have. I just worked twice as hard every time there was an audition for the school play, i practiced twice as hard, i worked harder at this than my actual school work. It was my number one priority. Once i was done with secondary school, there was an options to stay at six form or go to a college, i chose a college that had a 2 year musical theatre course as my parents still couldn’t afford to send me to a private acting school i wanted a course that was just about performing, i didn’t want anymore maths, science or geography, i just wanted to perform and learn the craft. Those were the best two years i had back then, going to school everyday and learning about music, acting and dancing. I graduated with the highest distinction and was even told by my teacher that i had huge potential to become an entertainer. I took this with me and ventured out into the real world and tried to make it as an actress. Of course the world was different, at school and college i would land most of the roles i auditioned for, but the real world was much harder. I wasn’t just competing against classmates i was competing against everyone who had a dream of working in the entertainment industry. I heard so many no’s and at first it was really hard, why wasn’t i booking anything, every teacher who met me said i was a star and yet in the real world i wasn’t getting booked. I had a choice, either i was going to feel defeated and let these no’s have control or i was going to get used to the word and not let it break me. I chose not to be broken, i became friends with the word no and i told myself that no was not the end, it was just a not yet and i was okay with not yet. Eventually i landed my first play in the west end and i was very excited, waking up and going to rehearsals and making friends with my cast mates was a dream, it was so different than school, i was actually an actress with a script and a schedule and i didn’t take it for granted, i showed up on time and learned my lines quickly and i made it my mission to work super hard at my craft. After a few small plays i wanted to move into film and TV and i was told i needed to join a casting platform called spotlight, unfortunately i received an answer i didn’t want to hear. Because i didn’t attend one of the prestigious acting schools that my teacher had recommended and i didn’t have any experience working in film or TV, i did not qualify to have a spotlight account, this was a blow as you needed spotlight to get better jobs in the entertainment industry, so i had another challenge to get as much acting experience to qualify for spotlight. Again, i was faced with giving up or working twice as hard, i chose to work harder than i did, even if this meant filming unpaid, short films, student film and webisodes. I needed on camera work for my showreel and i needed to get my IMDB credit started. I worked on so many short films and started gathering experience. About a year and half later i had enough credentials to have a spotlight profile. I was proud of myself for not giving up, sometimes obstacles seem so big but tomorrow is another day and everything works out if you’re willing to put in the work.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I actually really love the performance and entertaining part. I love to tell a story with my character and draw people in. As a creative, drawing the audience in is so rewarding, whether thats when i’m sharing new music or starring in a movie or TV show, i want the audience to be able to feel what emotion i am trying to convey. I like to entertain, i always have and always will. Its one of the things that drive me about being a performing artist.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I think giving whats happening with the writers guild and sag, this is a great question. The film, music and fashion industry are billion dollar businesses but it seems that only 3% in these businesses are making great money off their craft while the rest are struggling. The term struggling artist wasn’t invented for no reason, this industry is hard, but i think there should be more resources and even funding going to more actors and writers, because lets face it, we are doing most of the work. I’m a big believer in equal pay for everyone regardless of race, sex and gender. I also think that society could definitely take creative industries and creatives more seriously. I remember when i first told my family i wanted to work in the entertainment industry, for the longest time they thought it was just a hobby i would outgrow. But creativity is not a hobby, it is a career and if you’re very lucky, its a great career.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://officialjustina.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialjustina/
• Other: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DJMuwDwMXyw7mD8Jvxz6npDfshFb7Y0k/view My media kit