We recently connected with Natasha Jain and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Natasha, thanks for joining us today. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

In the name of creativity; I have answered this question as a ‘letter to my younger self’.
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Dear Natasha,

Let me start off by saying: I love that you’re a dreamer. Others will tell you it’s naïve and juvenile, and often look down on you for it, but trust me when I say:

With the ability to dream, comes the power to make it happen.

You’re currently living in New York City, working as an Actor in off-Broadway productions, and have met some of the most talented, kind and open people you’ll ever know. If this surprises you, I’m not surprised. But before we get to that;

Let’s start from the beginning
As you look ahead to your future, you’re currently dreaming about how you can make the world a better place; you want to make a valuable contribution to society and positively impact your community. These are your inherited values (thanks mum and dad!); welcome these values with open arms and allow yourself to be influenced and guided by them in all that you do.

Armed with these dreams and values, you’re already considering a life-long career in Law at the ripe old age of 16. You want to seek justice and be the voice for the voiceless. And so, you’ll go on to get your Law degree from a leading university, become President of your Law Society and complete your Legal Practice Course.

But as you embark upon this career, you start to have the distinct feeling that it is no longer right for you. In practice, the work that you’ll do won’t align with your core values. Your type-A personality may relish these achievements and the validation you receive from society – but you will start to feel conflicted. You will feel nervous about your future, guilty for letting others down, and insecure that you have no assurance as to whether your next decision will be the right one. How can you give up something you have always dreamt about and worked so hard for?
It’s okay to change your mind

I want to tell you: these feelings are natural and actually imperative to your growth. So far, you’ve had structure in your life (school, university, first job, second job etc), whereas now things will be more unpredictable. But this is the beauty of your early 20s: to be able to question, experiment, make mistakes and learn from them. It will take some getting used to, but as you get to know yourself better and develop a positive self-narrative, you will see many benefits in taking risks. This is something you won’t see many of your peers do – but, don’t be distracted by others’ journeys! Eventually you will recognise that as we evolve as individuals, so do our interests, choices and opinions. And with this thought in mind, you will realise that you can change career paths, and that a decision you made as a teenager doesn’t need to (and shouldn’t) carry you through to retirement.
An opportunity to make a real difference

You persist in your mission to find a job that is more ‘you’ and are awarded with socially impactful roles within Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability. You will work for renowned law firms, consultancies and global banks. You will find your feet, be good at your job and be promoted; you will feel what it is like to be ‘successful’.

But, along with a padded CV of brand names, you will also experience racism, manipulation and sexual harassment in the workplace. You will feel a whole host of emotions during this time: shame, embarrassment, loneliness. You do not deserve this and it isn’t your fault. Your confidence will be low and your self-esteem lower. You won’t know how to deal with this immediately, and so you will endure it for longer than you should have to.

It will take a long time to bounce back from, but trust yourself – you will get there. You will learn that these events do not determine who you are and more importantly you will go on to provide trusted support to others when they face similar challenges.

Redefining success on your own terms

You will also have the opportunity to reconsider what is truly important to you, not just in the workplace but in life too. You will start to place a higher value on your friendships, relationships and health; achieving a much more balanced lifestyle and thus redefining what success means to you, altogether.

With this carefully curated balance, you feel more connected to yourself, which leads you to question what it is you really want; and with a sense of adventure and a ‘what’s the worst that can happen’ attitude, you move to Hong Kong. You travel the world, immerse yourself in a new culture, and most importantly, go on to pursue your childhood dream of acting. You are an actor, voice-over artist, radio presenter, and even write children’s books in your time there. A future no one saw for you, not even you. That’s the thing about dreams, sometimes when you dream big, bigger dreams come true.

The next chapter

After five incredible years in Asia’s world city, it’s time for a change (which we know is okay), and the next stop: New York City. You have been in 12 incredible productions in two short years, and have worked with some unbelievably creative and talented people.

Can you believe it? Maybe you can, after all. when others zig, you zag. I can’t tell you what the future holds beyond this, and I’m sure there will be some curveballs, but I can tell you the journey to this point is very exciting and knowing you, it will probably continue to be so.

Love,
Your older, ever-dreaming, self.

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.

Originally from the UK, Natasha made her New York debut in ‘Hoyt St’ at Theatre Row. Some credits include; ‘Chickadee’ (Chain Theatre), ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, ‘The Craft’ and the world premiere of ‘The Butcher’ by Andrew Biss. Before moving to NYC, Natasha lived in Hong Kong where she directed four stage plays in prominent Hong Kong theatres, worked as an actor in theatre and commercials, was a radio host, and a voice over artist. She is also an educator whose work has included designing and delivering syllabi for a prestigious Hong Kong University for its ‘Acting for the Global Screen’ degree.

When she is not performing on stage, Natasha works as a corporate role-player and facilitator for theatre-led learning companies. She designs and deliver skills based learning programmes that support executives from a range of industries including Law firms, Banks, Funds, Media, and other Corporates, with how to have conversations around leadership, performance management, business development etc. She is adept at navigating the complexities of the corporate management matrix, and has developed a reputation for clear, impactful, influential communication.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I love connecting with people through storytelling.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Being an artist/creative can mean that work is not always consistent, and whilst the ‘down time’ is important for the creative process, it also leaves space for overthinking, self critique, and questioning your purpose in life. Therefore, we often need to learning to be a self-motivator, your own cheerleader, and find validation beyond a monthly paycheck; this can be extremely challenging; but once mastered, it’s one of the most liberating and joyful experiences.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.natashajain.com
• Instagram: @jaineyjain
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natasha-jain-4a771823/