Jihad Brent

Professionally – Just that, the training taught me how to work, how to be a professional of the craft in every sense of the word.

Personally – It taught me that every single person on this earth has a story to tell. And that having the ability to tell those stories is a great honor.

My greatest strength was latching on to strong choices quickly. Being able to give myself over to my imagination and create vivid scenarios.

For the longest time my biggest struggle was trusting myself. Sometimes you can overwork yourself and deplete your battery before it’s time to perform. I had to learn that my “perfectionism” was often my mind saying  “you’re not good enough!” and once you try to be good you start missing the point. I had to learn to do the work and not worry too much about the result.

Yes , actually before I found the training I was planning to give up on my dream of becoming an actor. But truly the words of others have stuck with me and pushed me forward. I realized that by following my dream I was not only helping myself but I was able to help others feel seen through the characters or stories I embodied. The idea that I’m able to pay forward some feeling of understanding or feeling more understood to someone through a story I’m involved with or the craft that I love now means everything to me. And Jim was right “If you’re really meant to do this you won’t be able to quit no matter how hard you try”.

These will be some of the greatest years of your life, walk a little slower , breathe a little deeper and take it all in. Be as present as possible.

I now have a confidence that I didn’t have before walking through those doors. It’s not that I will never struggle again , it’s that I now have the toolkit to find solutions to the acting struggles I will have. I now know what to do when I feel stuck, how to find a solution . The training has deepened my love for the work you have to do behind the scenes to carve out that “perfect” character on screen.

Be ready to learn, be happy to fail, have fun with being embarrassed. Every day even the off days or the days you feel like you’re going backwards are making you a better actor. You are growing and that is a process.

On this journey I’ve had my fair share of good days, bad days, emotional breakdowns and questioning the possibility of this path. Even after the training I’ve thought “should I quit?” “Is this worth it?” “Am I good enough”. Self doubt can creep in especially when you’re at the beginning of a new chapter. But I look back on all I did to get to this point. I look at the people who believe in me. I look deep inside and know that I love this craft more than anything. I’m not able to quit. And the further I go, the more I learn to trust myself, the more that sentiment has been cemented. As I write this, I am balancing being a part of two different feature films. One being a supporting role while the other is a lead. I’m having an absolute blast ! I’m working very hard, and I feel privileged to have worked my way to this point and to also know that I’m still just getting started ! :).

If you’re reading this I believe in you !! You are worthy and the universe loves you.