We were lucky to catch up with Devin Reeve recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Devin, 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?
There were two key factors that guided my development of confidence and self-esteem and those things are my parents and martial arts. As a young kid I was rather shy, especially when I was around new people, but the confidence and discipline I learned from martial arts at an early age helped me grow out of that. It’s a complete mind, body and spiritual activity that I continue to study to this day. The other beautiful thing about martial arts is the philosophy behind it crosses over and impacts your daily life outside of the gym, which has helped me with all my endeavors.
In addition, my parents always taught me to have dedication and discipline towards the things that matter to me. That it was okay to fail but to always get back up and keep pushing forward. And to always live my truth regardless of what others may think. In today’s world it’s easy to get caught up in all the nonsense of social media and what others are or aren’t doing. So stay balanced, stay focused and be you.
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?
Currently I’m in post on a very special short film/proof of concept called “Transient” that my good friend Luis Tovar and I wrote. Luis also directed the film, while Daniel O’Reilly and I produced and acted in the lead roles. As a close knit film family, we wanted to make something that had a lot of heart and meaning behind it. There is a lot of content out there that doesn’t make the audience feel any emotion. It’s all surface content with no depth. I’m proud that our film will take the audience on an emotional journey along with our lead characters. The script is loosely based on true events that I experienced 13 years ago, and we feel this story is important to share with the world. In addition, I’m excited to announce that we have submitted “Transient” to the Sundance Film Festival and have several other projects in development. And for all you filmmakers out there, I’m always looking to work with new creative people so find me on IMDB or the socials and let’s chat 😀
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I’d have to say for me it all comes down to the discipline, dedication and integrity I learned from my parents and Sifu Jason Lau (Kung Fu Teacher). As an Actor and overall storyteller, it’s all about consistency. Throughout my journey I’ve constantly studied my craft in efforts to absorb as much knowledge as possible. The drive to be my best has always motivated me to learn all I can, not only about my craft, but about myself as well. So, I say to those who are starting their journeys and to those in the middle of their journeys, never stop learning, never stop training and never let your ego be your roadblock.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
Oh, this is a fun story I enjoy telling. When I was 18 I worked for my dad doing burials and groundskeeping at one of the cemeteries my parents owned. And before you second guess what you just read, yes, I used to bury people for a living. Now I was a fairly good employee, but I definitely didn’t work as hard as I should have. Why? because I had the “my father owns the company” mentality so I didn’t think I had to. Well, one Friday night I went out dancing knowing that I had to be at work at 8am and let’s just say I didn’t show up to work until noon. When I arrived, my father sat me down and with a smile on his face and giggle in his voice said, “Well boy, I gotta let you go.” Obviously, I was surprised by this and when I asked why all he said was “because you’re my son I expect you to work harder than any other of my employees and to take pride in your work.” Years later I was able to look back and laugh about that experience and it’s become one of my favorite memories of my dad.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.innovate-productions.com
- Instagram: @devinreeve
- Twitter: @devinreeve
- Other: IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1229748/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_0_nm_8_q_devin%2520reeve
Image Credits
Photos by: Sean Kara, Brooke Taffet & Wife 🙂
