We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tarik Holmes. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tarik below.
Tarik, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
I’ve always been a big dreamer, and my dreams aren’t just dreams to me – they’re goals. The possibility of achieving those goals is always exciting and keeps me going when things get hard. I’ve felt to give up quite a few times, especially this year because things haven’t gone the way I planned. However, a peace I can’t explain always comes over me, and the support from my family and people in my circle has held me up in low moments. I’m also very grateful for persons I respect in several industries who are transparent with their journey, which reminds me that no one becomes a success without challenges and as I face my own, I’m learning to take the lessons from them and adapt to become the person I know I can be.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’m an actor, writer and singer based in Kingston, Jamaica. The creative/entertainment industry is a unique and exciting one, especially since it’s been my passion since I was a kid. I took a huge leap of faith in 2017 to study Acting at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles and it changed my life forever as I learned performance and technical skills to nurture and refine my gifts not only as an actor, but a storyteller. The process of filmmaking has always mesmerized me, and that period also taught me skills to take on other roles on a set.
Upon returning to Jamaica, those skills have served me well as I’ve worked on different sets and acquired more skills along the way. I’m also always writing stories and networking with other creatives to shoot. I think many actors know auditions don’t guarantee you’ll get the role, so you have to work with who and what you have to create those opportunities. It’s a small industry here and it takes a lot for a film to be made in Jamaica, but I’ve been blessed to meet creatives who are serious about making quality projects, and I’m excited to contribute in any way I can to make the industry lucrative and sustainable here.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Unwavering passion, the willingness to learn, and believing in myself have been some of the most impactful qualities in my life. I’m still learning the last one to be honest, and I think we’re all learning it every day. Since I was a kid, I knew I loved music and film. It connected to my heart and soul in a way nothing else did and as I grew up watching TV shows and movies, I could see myself doing that and I’m still just as passionate today.
Being willing to learn taught me how to adapt new lessons to become better. I grew up in the church and that was the training ground to sharpen my singing, and my teachers were skilled singers/musicians so I learned a lot from them. I also joined my high school’s music and drama club for even more training, and pursuing my Masters degree at NYFA gave a huge boost in training because at that time, I was fully invested in this career path.
Believing in myself gave me the boldness to decide that this is what I wanted to do with my life. There were no connections, no person I personally knew in my space who was pursuing this field. The creative industry is still seen by many as a hobby in Jamaica unfortunately, and I had to fight to finally say, “I want to do this. I need to do this. I’m going to do this.”
To anyone who wants to pursue this industry or passionate about something, try your best not to compare yourself to others. You don’t know their story and they don’t know yours. Your unique experience is what makes you special. Own that and step out boldly.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
I struggle with confidence and asserting myself. I’m not the most extroverted person, and one would expect as an actor I can easily turn on a “confidence switch”. Imposter Syndrome can kick in when you say you’re an actor/filmmaker and people ask you for recent projects, and your last role was not that recent. There are times when I compare myself to others who I think are more successful, attractive, or well-known and think that they deserve it more than me based on those factors.
However, I’m learning to be confident in all the things that make me my own person and believe in myself even if no one else does. Thankfully, my tribe of family and friends are very supportive and encouraging and that keeps me going. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Another challenge is actually getting projects made. As I said before, it’s a small industry in Jamaica and it takes a lot to make a quality project. I always have ideas, but materializing them is its own thing and many ideas haven’t been shot for different reasons. My mindset has had to change though and I look to people like Issa Rae who started very small and is now regarded with much respect in Hollywood. Her journey is teaching me to work with who and what I have, and it onl goes up from there.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tarikalexander/?hl=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@tarikholmes
Image Credits
Jamar Cleary, Stefan Ramdial, Nickii Kane, Glendon Caballero, Jamar Cleary, Jamar Cleary
