I’m Ihsan, I am 21 and I’m an artist from South East London supported by Sounds Like Chaos. I first joined Sounds Like Chaos many moons ago in 2012, when SLC was still known as Uncover youth theatre. I’ve performed in multiple shows with the company including Euphoria, When Its Night-Time, Dare Night Karaoke and Phenomena: A beginners guide to love and physics, just to name a few. Recently I haven’t been very involved with the group but SLC has always felt like home to me and coming back to work with them on 2020VISION during lockdown has been a really great experience for me.
Being a young artist in 2020 has not come without its challenges, of course lockdown being one of them. With restrictions on where you can go, what you can do and who you can see it has been immensely difficult to not only to create art but to just feel positive and motivated. Which is a huge precursor to actually creating art. A significant amount of work has been put on hold or has had to adapt drastically, which leaves you feeling defeated and unmotivated. With a lot of people losing their source of income, going on furlough and losing loved ones along the way there are even more blockages to staying creative in these trying times. For me this commission could not have come at a better time. I am so glad that I was able to be a part of it. Being involved in this project has really helped me stay in that creative head space, expand my skill set, stay motivated and generally just feel good about myself as a creator.
Throughout this project I have learnt so much from the many industry professionals who have given us their time and insight on how to function in today’s climate. The tips and tricks they have passed on to us have been absolutely invaluable and I hope to be able to put them to use soon.
This commission has given me the opportunity and the support to work on a number of skills that have all come together to create my final piece. One of the most important things I have taken away from this is a major boost to the confidence I have in myself and in my potential as an artist. This commission has given me the opportunity to prove to myself that I can in fact be a creator.
Finally, Gemma and Roisin have made us aware of a plethora of opportunities, training and even professional jobs to help us bridge the gap into the industry. I am so grateful for this as I am now able to take another step forward in my journey. As of Wednesday the 11th of November I shall be participating in an online writing course at the National Theatre! To say I am nervous is an understatement but hopefully it will all go well.
I am so looking forward to being able to take part in many more projects with SLC so I can bring back new skills I have learned and create more amazing work with SLC!
Goodbye for now!
Ihsan Quamie