We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shivani Desai a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Shivani, so great to have you on the platform. There’s so much we want to ask you, but let’s start with the topic of self-care. Do you do anything for self-care and if so, do you think it’s had a meaningful impact on your effectiveness?
I absolutely love talking about self-care because I think it’s often either overlooked – or now that it has become a social media buzzword, misunderstood. I truly think not having a self-care system (not just a self-care routine) in place can derail you towards burnout faster than you realise. I was once told by my therapist that for self-care, everyone needs these three basic things: nutrition, activity, and sleep. I feel that’s the bare minimum that one needs to look after for their survival.
I make it a point to never work more than 8 hours a day, no matter how much I have on my plate. On a regular day when I’m working from home, I keep it to just 6 hours, in fact! Back when I had first started my business and was juggling my acting career at the same time, I used to work 16 hour days with no days off. I quickly realised it wasn’t a sustainable lifestyle. By setting hard boundaries with my working hours, I ensure that I’m getting in at least 7-8 hours of sleep a day alongside also having time for rejuvenation!
As and when I get the chance, I take unplugged walks in parks and along canals. This means I don’t listen to music or distract myself with anything on the phone, so I orient outwards into nature – which in turn, allows me to go inward and connect with myself.
Lastly, food & cooking brings me a lot of joy – so taking care of my nutrition comes naturally to me. I wake up earlier every morning to cook and pack myself a wholesome meal that I can take to work, instead of defaulting to dining out. This way, I’m not only incorporating an activity that I love doing into my daily routine, but also taking care of my body from the inside out!
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m primarily an actor, as well as a business mentor for actors like myself who live in non-major markets.
What excites me about being an actor is the very reason I started doing it in the first place – to bring people a smile and comfort through my work. In a world that is riddled with chaos, art is the one thing that brings warmth to our souls. I find it incredibly fulfilling that someone could turn on an episode of their favourite sitcom on an awful day and instantly feel better. To be involved in a profession like that is a sheer joy and privilege.
Professionally, I’m currently excited to refocus my energy back to actor training. I’ve spent the past couple of years auditioning internationally for projects in LA, NYC, Toronto, Mumbai, & Singapore and it’s been such an exciting journey for me thus far. However, in the wake of the WGA and SAG strikes, I’m taking some much-needed time away from actively auditioning and instead working on honing my craft. We’re currently fighting for the future of our industry such that artists all over the world can build sustainable careers as actors for years to come – and I feel like taking a step back from auditioning is the very least I can do as an actor situated in Singapore.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The first quality that comes to mind is being unafraid to invest in myself and my career. I think this is something artists tend to shy away from because our income is so unstable as freelancers and the ability to invest comes across as a privilege reserved for the rich. However, it’s important to understand that in order to make money, you have to spend money. Even if it’s just forking out $10/month for a profile on a casting platform, that also counts as an investment. For actors, an investment could also look like spending money on setting up a self-taping studio at home by getting a good tripod stand, a nice ring light, a clean backdrop, and perhaps even a mic. For business owners like myself, an investment on a larger scale might look like investing in education to understand how to establish and run a business as a solopreneur.
Self-awareness is also key. Being in tune with yourself and your needs, both on a personal and professional level, is crucial so that you can continue to operate in a fulfilled capacity. Whether it means understanding that you’re struggling mentally, or realising that your career isn’t where you want it to be and that your strategies may need to change – all of it requires having an awareness of self.
Lastly, faith. This might just be the most important one. This isn’t religious, per se. It’s just a matter of having assurance that your success isn’t a matter of ‘if’, but rather, a matter of ‘when’. Internalising this gives you so much strength to overcome all the challenges thrown your way.
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
I’ve gone from being just an artist in this world, to also an actor in this business. I have not forsaken the former, I have simply also adopted the latter.
It sounds vague, but this growth has been an accumulation of small, micro-level choices made daily in my lifestyle routines and career approach. There’s a certain stage you reach in your acting career when you realise something isn’t quite working, or that something needs to change. When you get there – or at least, when I got there – I understood that for a long, sustainable, healthy career as an artist, I could not thrive on craft alone. I might be able to survive, but perhaps not thrive. And that I needed to adopt the state of mind of a CEO in order to operate my acting career in the most fulfilling way possible. This meant taking stock, experimenting with approaches, and thinking strategically.
It’s been tedious and tiring. But when I notice that the way I put myself out into the world has changed and now exudes a robust confidence, it feels so worth it.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsshivanidesai/?hl=en
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsshivanidesai/?originalSubdomain=sg
Image Credits
Leah Huebner
