We recently connected with Drew Harwood and have shared our conversation below.
Drew, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I think it’s all about perspective. To me, I like doing things I fear, so I’m always drawn to taking risks. I’ve had a pretty colorful life, so I don’t really feel like I have much to lose, therefore I don’t feel like I’m putting anything at risk. Anything I do, I always want to feel like I can’t do it, that way I have to fight to make it out alive. I believe if you just choose to do things that are easy, you never change, which means you never grow. A teacher of mine used to always say in class, “Every day, you’re either getting a little better or a little worse.” This is just the truth, like it or not.
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’m a native of Atlanta, GA. I started competitive swimming at the age of four. Throughout high school, I was one of the country’s top swimmers, with eyes on the Olympics. By the age of eighteen, I had lost it all. After this, my life spiraled and got pretty colorful. At the age of twenty one, I decided to pursue acting. I moved to LA where I befriended a group of young, independent filmmakers. I became obsessed with it. In 2017, after having acted in dozens of short films and a few features, I took a step aside from acting to write and direct my first short film, Ghosts. I also produced it and did the production design. It premiered at the Cannes Short Film Corner in 2018. The One You Feed (2020) is my feature film debut as a director. I also wrote it, co-produced it, acted in the film and did the production design. The movie received world wide distribution through Gravitas Ventures and is available to rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes. I just came off working on my second feature film, Rebel Rebel. I wrote it, directed it, produced it and acted in it. We’ve just received distribution through Safier Entertainment. It’ll be available to the public by the end of the year.
Nothing I have ever done has been easy. I’ve learned that nothing happens unless you make it happen.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Stay true to yourself, challenge yourself and outlast/outwork everyone. Learn to enjoy the journey!
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
When I feel overwhelmed, I try and get outside and do something physical, whether that be running, swimming, hiking, or just any kind of workout where I can practice controlling my breathing. Because breathing is instinctual, it comes naturally to all of us without conscious thought, so little emphasis is placed on studying it. So for me, when I have control over my breath, I have better control over my life, which helps me not get so overwhelmed and takes away my anxiety.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/harwoodrew?utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drew.harwood.9?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Other: IMDB: imdb.me/drewharwood
