Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Vikram Rajan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Vikram, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
To be honest, I feel like it just comes natural to me. As a person I always try and look on the bright side of things first most of the time but of course will give attention to the more serious parts of my life when needed. Being an actor in the industry can be full of jadedness, cruelty, uncertainty and a lot of Tall Poppy Syndrome (especially in New Zealand) so I choose not let those kinds of things interfere with my day to day thoughts and just carry on with my life, always passing the vibe check. Honestly, I rather choose to laugh than to cry any day of the week.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Hey there readers! My name is Vikram Rajan, I am a 21 Year Old Indian-New Zealand professional Voice Actor, On-Screen Actor, Voice Director and Casting Director – my main work ranges from indie made projects to studio projects for animation, games, film and TV.
The most exciting part about what I do is mainly the fact that I’m able to do my dream jobs every day without fail. It definitely did not come easy – this is a culmination of 7 years of hard work. My hometown was basically devoid of anything creative and I didn’t really fit in all that much as the majority of people were mainly conservative and self-expression wasn’t something that was embraced all that much. My friends pushing me to continue what I loved doing even when my family didn’t approve at the time (they are very supportive of me now and in spades) really helped me get out of my head and charge in headfirst to chase my dreams. I moved out of home to the entertainment city for acting school for 3 years for a bachelors to hone my craft, be in an amazing environment with like-minded people and to keep pushing the VO related stuff as well as it was a full time course that I had to balance whilst learning and growing in a new city and that definitely helped transform me into the person that I am now, someone that will always be unapologetically himself no matter what.
In a way, I evolved past my former self and I’m stronger than before but I’m also more content.
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?
Looking back, I’d say the three things that were the most impactful on my journey were these: 1. Embracing who I am and backing myself
2. Openness and Honesty
3. Losing the fear
With these three qualities in particular, it helped me completely shift and warp my perspective on how I approach things. In the past, I was very shy, very afraid and I just did not want to be myself because I thought that if I just did things for the sake of being the same as everyone else so that I would not get picked on, I’d be safe. Since moving away from my hometown, those three qualities that I had to essentially learn by myself shaped me into someone that shouldn’t be afraid anymore and to do things and talk about things because I want to first and foremost. At the end of the day, this is my life and I must lead and take control of myself – otherwise I’ll just be a sheep that’s incapable of expressing or thinking for themselves. At some point in life, you have to stop letting people tell you how to live for yourself.
My advice to folks who are early in their journey down the creative path is to embrace all the changes that come your way but to also embrace yourself. The industry can change on a dime at any second and you can’t anticipate it but don’t let that change scare you – as exciting or terrifying things might seem, with our loud human voices – things will always turn out for the best for us, life always finds a way even in the most weirdest scenarios. As for the second thing, please know that just like you, myself and everyone on this planet – at the end of the day we’re all human. It’s okay to try things out for yourself and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t but don’t let the losses in your life bring you down completely and dictate the way you live. You have ambitions, just like I have mine but don’t let them bog you down if things don’t happen right away. If you really want to do what you do and you keep working hard at it and chasing this more than anything, I can guarantee you that not only will you feel and be better but you’ll also get more chances to to accomplish your dreams and if you get a win or multiple wins, be humble in victory but also don’t be afraid to let the people in your life, whether that be friends or family, know about all the hard work, effort and time you’ve put in for your achievements and they deserve to be acknowledged.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
When I feel overwhelmed, I take a step back outside of the environment I’m currently in and do something else that I enjoy to pass the time or to take a breather. In other words, I distract myself by doing something else fun I like to do and for me that’s video games, runs, a quick nap or even going on night drives while blasting music (especially Green Day and Limp Bizkit).
My advice to people who have those moments of feeling overwhelmed and/or stressed, just know that it’s perfectly fine to take a step back, even if it is for a little bit. No one is going anywhere and you deserve to have time for yourself whenever you can. Burning out from something you enjoy doing is a terrifying thought that I wish on nobody. Think of it as having a lunch break and then coming back to your favourite class after a little while or in this case, favourite job.
Contact Info:
- Website: vikramrajanvo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsmevikkiva/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vikram-rajan-60126a219/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/VikkitheVA
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@vikkitheva/videos
Image Credits
Headshots by Andi Crown Photography
