Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Maxim Pronin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Maxim, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
As I had previously mentioned on BoldJourney, I’ve been playing piano and I’ve been into acting&filmmaking for quite some time now, around 7 years. However, I’ve never really showcased any of my interests (and, uh, skills?) to the world or even my extended friends and acquaintances. I believed that, as I pursued the arts by myself without any professional education, my skill level would not be high enough and therefore not interesting enough for anyone to see or hear. This changed about a year ago, after I started in Nancy Rumagit’s play “Love Letter To My Beloved, in 6 seconds” and an adaptation of “The Physicists” in Groningen, The Netherlands. I also started playing instruments at open jam sessions and in random bars, getting some sort of recognition, but my goal was to see if what I do can actually have an influence on the audience. And the feedback proved the point! Since then I closed my mind within what some would call “pink goggles” — I try not to think about the harsh reality of the arts industries, or the pessimistic potentialities of my future career. I only think about what I do and how I can do it better, acting confident even if in reality I am not confident enough. Acting(!) confidently tricks the brain into thinking that the only obstacles are in your head and that you can actually do anything you want, you just need to be brave enough, try it, and then see what happens!
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m a beginner filmmaker with a few short films in my portfolio, which is going to be expanded pretty soon, as the new year starts and my friends and I are about to put production of short films and theatre plays on the rails. Currently we are in pre-production of three short films which belong to completely different genres, from an illustration of an original poem to a horror-story for a horror film festival. We have also started preparing for a rerun of “Love Letter…”, that we will perform in Groningen, the Netherlands this year! We are about to start an artistic club in the city, and our aim is to gather all the talented people in one group and help each other with production, be it films, plays, music, painting, literature etc.
I believe that such an approach of shared experience will be useful for everyone’s portfolios, and it will give voice to those who are yet to speak.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Persistence — the number one thing for me to remember was that anyone who ever achieved anything never backed down. I know, sounds like a cliché, but it is the truth. 2. Bubble — acting confidently in my own bubble without letting my thoughts go into any pessimistic direction feels like a superpower — you just continue your progress no matter what people might say or what you hear about similiar experiences, we are all unique in our paths anyway.
3. Friends — finding like-minded people with interest in the same industries is always positive and useful, be it networking or co-production. You are never alone, remember that.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I’m a freelance music composer of all sorts of genres, from prog to ambient (except metal). I do everything from the cozy confines of my room, where I have an organ, a piano, a pocket saxophone, a MIDI-keyboard, an Audio-techica microphone, a laptop with DAWs and a couple surprises up my sleeve. I would love to collaborate on writing and composing music for films, video games or any other types of entertainment, hit me up! I will soon start a page with all the experience/portfolio that I have, so it will be easier to see what I do. For now, you can reach me at [email protected]
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/proninonline?igsh=bHV4bzFsczdxZHN6&utm_source=qr
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@prongel?_t=8jY3RjYkAEb&_r=1
