Creative careers viable options, but ...
WHEN SHE was 16, Sundra Oakley, actress, dancer, writer and producer, among other things, who was born in Queens, New York, landed her first role in a television commercial. It was the beginning of the fulfilment of her dream to be a big star as an actress.
The “fierce and proud Jamaican” told the audience at the recent Creative Career Expo hosted by the Ministry of Cultural, Gender, Entertainment at the Jamaica Conference in downtown Kingston that that was when she became a “professional actor”.
The main speaker at the event is a graduate of New York University’s (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts with a degree in French and Theatre. Before NYU, she did a stint at Georgetown University in Washington DC, where she also took some acting classes at Howard University. However, she was not inspired at Georgetown where she was not a pursuing a path that would have led to a successful career in the creative arts.
A conversation with her mother when she was in year two at Georgetown inspired her to apply to NYU, which was actually her first college choice. Georgetown was about working to get one of those big jobs outside of the creative industries, but the creative bug had already bitten her. She had discovered acting at age 13, and had grown up doing a variety of dances. So, at Georgetown, she was “torn”, “consumed by” and “obsessed with” being a professional dancer.
And in the aforementioned conversation she got “the greenlight” to be whatever and whoever she wanted to be. Thus, she has dedicated her career to her ancestors and her mother. She has appeared as an actress and dancer in numerous awardwinning productions onstage, film, and television, such as Code Black, All American, Being Mary Jane, Legends, Sex in the City, and most recently, the Bob Marley One Love movie, in which she plays Bob Marley’s lawyer.
“But, it was not as easy and tight”, as people would have thought, she shared. “The matrix does not necessarily coordinate. ”There were bumpy stretches and deep corners along the way. She said, “The path is winding, unpredictable, tempestuous, rewarding, conflicting. ”She thought she would have been very successful at least three years after NYU, that she would have got a regular role on a TV show, which is regarded a ‘holy grail ’in the business. Yet, it did not happen.
Her trajectory has not been exactly what she wants it to be, but she said life has been “beautiful”, that though people might not know the names of “middle-class” and “working-class” actors, “we are here and we are working. You don’t necessarily have to be at the stratosphere level, there is so much more than that which meets the eye,” she stated.
Oakley would get retrospective sometimes, questioning her career of choice, thinking that she would have been making big money right now if she had stayed at Georgetown University. However, she said she had no regrets. “Because, I am living a life that I love, and I truly want that for you, and it can come in so many different ways, ”she said to the roomful of senior secondary school and tertiary-level students. She then went on to suggest ways in which they could navigate through, and survive, life as a creative.
She implored them not to get caught up with the narratives they see on social media, and think that that is the essence of a creative life. “A beg unoo, don’t do it, ”she pleaded. Take your passion as far as you can; study and honour your craft, don’t take it for granted; cultivate a life outside of your business, be versatile; redefine what success is for your own sanity, your own emotional well-beings; don’t be afraid of change; don’t let anyone diminish your art of creativity; and don’t underestimate the value of your creativity are some of the nuggets that she left with them.
Regarding the event itself, Oakley revealed that despite going to the most prestigious drama school in the world, she did not have anyone to inspire and guide her. It was mainly about the craft of acting, as the business side of show business did not factor in the learning experience. So, she was “excited” to see that the creative expo sought to address business-related issues.
That speaks to a bright and promising future, she said, which made the hair on the back of her head “tan up”. “I wish I had something like this when I was your age,” she told the rapt audience. In reference to her mother allowing her to do what she was comfortable with, she said, “Listen to the youngsters and listen to what their dreams are.” And the youngsters must dream and believe in their gifts and talents.