We were lucky to catch up with Sylva Kelegian recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Sylva, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I was twenty-four and working in the fashion business running the operations of a clothing designer in New York and making very good money, when I was invited to see the play, “Fool For Love”, written by Sam Shepherd. As I sat in the audience watching the drama unfold, the play resonated with me so deeply and it was at that moment I decided to become an actress. The next day I gave my job two weeks notice and then spent the next ten years waitressing as a struggling actress before I got my first television job.

Sylva, 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 spent years studying acting with some great teachers and at the age of twenty-eight, I became a member of The Actors Studio and have been a working actress in television, film, and theatre ever since. I have guest starred on numerous one-hour drama TV shows, starred in independent films, appeared in studio films like Spiderman and brought characters to life on stage in New York and Los Angeles. There came a day when I found myself needing to give back to the world, as acting is very self focused. It was at that time that I adopted my first dog, who led me into the world of rescue and to this day I have rescued or re-homed close to six-hundred dogs and a handful of cats. After being entrenched in saving animals for years, I decided to write my memoir, GOD SPELLED BACKWARDS: The Journey of an Actress into the World of Dog Rescue, which has won 3 awards, and also penned my children’s book, THE DOLPHIN PRINCESS, a 4 time award winner. I was also moved to co-create and shoot a pilot for a half-hour dramedy about Hollywood and the dog rescue world and we are now shopping it around and hoping to get it on the air in the near future. My goal is to raise awareness for the animals through entertainment as there is an enormous problem in how we treat our four-legged friends in this country and around the world. And lastly, I had spent years wanting to visit Africa so in 2018 my dream finally came true. Just a few weeks ago, my book, RWANDA, RWANDA! A Journey to the Land of a Thousand Hills was released. All of my information is on my website: www.sylvakelegian.com

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

I’ve had non creatives through the years express their awe at the fact that I spent years struggling as a waitress waiting for my first acting job. “Didn’t you wonder if it would ever happen”, I’ve been asked. “Didn’t you want the security of a 9 to 5 job”. And I always answered, yes, I did wonder, but at my core, I always knew it would happen. I have great faith and though I sometimes wondered, I never doubted.

I think there are a lot of people who start out in this life with a dream, but are too afraid to pursue it for fear of failure. And I totally understand the need for job security, but I would say to those that have a real passion for something, don’t be afraid to at least try to follow that path, as only doing something you love will give you purpose.

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

I think the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is that everything comes out of me. I believe we are all given talents and gifts in this life and are meant to use them. When I’m not acting, writing or rescuing, I turn my attention to re-decorating my home as I always need to be doing something creative. I’m the kind of person that likes to see results. So I work on a character and see the person come to life. I write a book and see it to fruition. I rescue a dog and then find that dog a great home. I’m all about the beginning, middle and end. :)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sylvakelegian.com
• Instagram: @sylvakelegian
• Facebook: Sylva Kelegian

Image Credits

Sylva Kelegian