Meet Dhiraj Adhikari

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dhiraj Adhikari a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Dhiraj , 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?

My faith in God and the trust of my family are where I get my resilience from. Resilience isn’t something I learned alone but it’s built upon years of hardwork, learning through failures and believing in my calling. It helps me stay grounded during challenges and motivated to keep going.

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?

Ever since I was young, I’ve been passionate about photography and videography. But before I dive into my story, I must mention my grandmother. She was one of the early Christians in Nepal, so I was brought up in a strong Christian environment. When I was in eighth grade, my father got a scholarship to attend a seminary school in India, and we all moved with him while he studied there. We lived in family housing within the seminary grounds, which allowed me to spend considerable time with older, well-educated individuals from an early age. It was during this period that I discovered the compelling nature of storytelling through visuals and decided to pursue a career in filmmaking.

After returning to Nepal, I faced financial barriers to joining a film school and buying equipment to start my journey in film-making. Despite all the challenges, I never lost hope in myself and worked hard for a few years, and with the help of my family and relatives, I was able to save just enough money to apply to study here in the States. In 2015, I arrived in the United States as an international student from Nepal, shortly after a devastating earthquake that struck my homeland, claiming around 7,000 lives. I doubted my ability to make it to the U.S., but by God’s grace and His faithfulness, I eventually made it.

When I arrived in the United States, I had only $200 with me. That was everything I had. During my first week, I was kicked out of my apartment and had nowhere to stay. Life in the U.S. was extremely difficult; I faced financial challenges and struggled to pay my tuition fees. Fortunately, I found host families who welcomed me to stay with them as a family. I can never thank them enough for making such a difference in my life. Over two years at CU, I formed many connections, took part in film competitions, and won several awards. As time passed, I managed to gather enough funds for my education. I also had the opportunity to travel to Nepal a few times to film a documentary. Gradually, things began to improve. During my internship, I worked at both a church and a production company. Eventually, I graduated from CU in 2019, got married, and have since been living in GR with my wonderful wife and son, working as a Visual Media Director at Unison Christian Church. I am also working on a few documentaries that will be released soon.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

First and foremost, I would say that I have a creative vision and storytelling ability. Anyone can learn to operate a camera or use editing software, but the ability to tell a compelling story that is real, visually, is what sets great filmmakers apart. Secondly, being consistent and authentic is what makes people give you jobs. No matter how competitive the industry is, if you are honest and consistent with your work, then people will always come back to you because they believe in you and your work. Lastly, to be able to create something spectacular with whatever resources you have is very important. Technology will always advance, and scarcity will always be there, but what I believe is that creativity thrives under constraints. Learn from your mistakes, don’t skip them.

Finally, I would like to let any folks who are early in this journey not to wait for the perfect gear, crew, that “awesome idea,” and don’t skip the process. Those tiny fails and wins will sharpen you. Go out with whatever you have, make something that matters to you, because the only way to get good is to start making.

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?

As an immigrant, the biggest challenge I face isn’t just building skills and thriving in this community, but it’s building trust and belonging in this community. I’m constantly learning, observing, and doing my best to be known and get accepted here. I’ve received so much from this community, and now my goal is to contribute meaningfully through my work, my voice, and contributions. I can’t control every situation while living here, but what I can do is I can keep working hard and pray and keep my faith in God and move forward, and see what He has set for me and my family.

Contact Info:

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Productivity
Where do you get your work ethic from?

We’ve all heard the phrase “work hard, play hard,” but where does our work ethic

Productivity
Tactics & Strategies for Keeping Your Creativity Strong

With the rapid improvements in AI, it’s more important than ever to keep your creativity

Productivity
From Burnout to Balance: The Role of Self-Care

Burning out is one of the primary risks you face as you work towards your