We were lucky to catch up with Anniwaa Buachie recently and have shared our conversation below.
Anniwaa, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
I am a very inquisitive individual. My creativity is constantly refuelled by attending art galleries, reading books, listening to podcasts, listening to music, looking at Pinterest, watching YouTube and Netflix and travelling. I like to immerse myself in lots of different art forms. This inspires me to develop ways to share my perspective, my experiences and my understanding of how I, a woman, a Black woman, an African, a child of immigrants is viewed in many different settings, and like a chameleon, sometimes I adapt myself to the environment or disrupt it like a Lion hunting for its prey.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am an award-winning Ghanaian-British creative performer, shifting the landscape in the entertainment industry, globally. Currently a recurring character in BBC, new Teen Drama series; Phoenix Rise
Creativity is intrinsic to my being. I love working within the creative industries, especially as a creator-performer, as I have the opportunity to explore stories, embody interesting characters as well as create projects that platform marginalised voices – all with the goal to raise awareness of experiences that are often belittled, disregarded or ignored by the mainstream. This is the impetus as to why I expanded my passion for acting and storytelling to writing and producing.
My work often explores the complicated relationship between the West and Africa and how this affects the daily lives of the African Diaspora.
I recently produced, co-directed and starred in a film very close to my heart. An African Film Noir called “Moon Over Aburi” was written by renowned Ghanaian-Jamaican Emmy Award-Winning Dr Kwame Dawes. It is a stunning short film which raises awareness of gender-based violence. Currently on the festival circuit, so far it has been nominated for Best International Short at Joburg Film Festival, Pan African Film Festival, and Toronto Black Film Festival, to name a few. This project was shot on location in Ghana with a full Ghanaian cast and crew, which was exhilarating. And it was particularly meaningful to produce a film that highlights the generational repercussions of Gender Based Violence and the need to create a society which values and respects women, in particular Black women.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
On my journey so far the three skills qualities and skills that I believe are key to maintaining sanity as a creative are:
Preparation • Tenacity • Honesty
Preparation: I think it is important for anyone early on in their career to be well-informed of trends, risks and opportunities within their industry. This knowledge provides you with the leverage to have a foot in the door. Observing and understanding trends within the industry helps you to create a strategy that will enable your voice to be heard when the time is right. At times this requires patience, as sometimes the market may not be ready for what you have to offer, but it is important to not be despondent, to be engaged and take note of what is working and what is not working and why. This will ignite your creativity, readying you for ways for your voice to be heard.
Tenacity: It is not an easy ride being creative, quite often to the outsider it is seen as all glitz and glam, red carpets, flying from one place to another. But it is a lonely road at times, filled with peaks and troughs. When work is slow you have to be determined to continue to self-generate, to keep your creative power up and running. It is important for you not to lose sight of your goals. There is no knowing when your moment of glory will come, so it’s important that whatever you do, is self-fulfilling; that it is rewarding to you.
Honesty: You have to be honest with yourself first and foremost. It is imperative that you work on projects that you are passionate about, and work with people that inspire you and have a similar work ethic to you. This contributes to you achieving your goals and creating work that speaks to your soul. Money comes and goes, and projects will come and go, but you want to be able to sleep at night knowing that your soul is at ease, and that you truly love what you do. In order for this to happen, you need to be honest with yourself.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
In the first instance:
Take a big deep breath
Switch my phone and all devices to aeroplane mode
Meditate
Dance
listen to music or a podcast
Once I have gone through the above process, I look at what is overwhelming me, and put tasks in the following categories;
Not Urgent
Important
This means I need to decide what to do within 2-3 days
Urgent
Important
Which Means I need to do something ASAP
Not Urgent
Not Important
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.anniwaabuachie.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anniwaabuachie/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anniwaabuachieactor?ref=hl
- Linkedin: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/anniwaabuachie
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnniwaaBuachie
- Other: https://vimeo.com/anniwaabuachie
Image Credits
Photographer: @halettphotography
