My name is Adunolaoluwa Oshilowo, I am 26 years old. I am an actor, a model and a blogger; basically anything creative, I want to be a part of it. I went to Covenant University and I studied mass communication, not because it was my choice but mainly because I didn’t want to study law. I had always known that I wanted something different.
When i was in University, I was always scared of graduating because I wasn’t sure of what I’ll do next. I felt like I had practiced all the answers I would give people after school so it seems like I know what I really wanted. Along the line, I noticed I wanted something for me because it felt like I had never made any decision for myself.
I wanted to be a model, so i started researching. I bought fashion magazines, made phone calls to editors, spoke to agencies and reached out to model scouts too… I didn’t start modelling till a year or two after leaving university.
I tried doing the 9 to 5 thing but I enjoyed modelling and I felt I could do more. I was interested in acting too; I was that kid that loved watching movies and won’t leave until I am chased to bed by my parents.
Speaking about modelling, people see your picture, everything looking great and they just think you are making a lot of money and doing fantastic, but behind the scene, it’s just you pushing and trying to sell yourself and hoping that people see that you are the right person for the particular job. It’s a bit tough actually.
‘People often think not doing a 9 to 5 but following your passion is a lot easier. This is completely untrue, you need to be a strong person. It’s like experiencing constant rejection and just one yes.’
Having to juggle being a model and an actor was challenging; you’d think that I am a model so acting will come easily to me, nah. In my own case, I made a decision to take a course and training before I started pursuing acting. It’s so similar yet so different. It’s like a completely different industry to get into especially in Nigeria so it’s a struggle.
I struggled with it most this past year (2019) that I had to take a step back to re-evaluate what I have been doing and all the efforts because it just started feeling like I was not doing enough. Balancing everything is not as easy as it seems.
Nevertheless, what generally keeps me going is the fact that, it is my choice. For anyone I have had a conversation with, I had to tell them that my driving force in life is choice. Being abl
e to say that I made this decision and ready to follow through irrespective of the setbacks. Ever so often, when I am caught up in the stress of work, I have to sit down and tell myself that instead of regrets, I remind myself that I made these choices and that’s very important to me to see it through.
The people I surrounded myself with also helped me in finding balance. It’s funny how you make a decision and realize some people around you are doing same. I am so blessed with the people I have in my life, they inspire me and make me want to do more. It might not be a big deal but knowing that everyone is pushing and taking intentional steps in getting to where they want to be. Those things keep me steady and keep me going.
Photography: Jay Olowu
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