The Journey Never Stops; featuring Rochester, N.Y.’s Amazon Prime Actor Che Holloway
In light of it being Leo season (at the time of writing this) I decided to share a little about me in this article, and hopefully I can drop some gems that will keep you going in whatever you feel your purpose may be! I know your probably thinking…”Who the hell is this guy?!!!” Well for starters, I go by the name Che Holloway, though some of you may know me as Chequan, Quan, Tyreek or Ty. I am a local, professional and trained actor with roots here in Rochester as an artist.
(In my Troy McClure voice… Simpsons reference there haha)
Most know me for being an Actor starring in projects such as The Oprah Winfrey’s “Unfaithful” or for starring in a few projects on Amazon Prime like, Pressure, The Elysian Field and Dark Justice Show! What many don’t know however is that I have a strong theatre background and actually trained in that first! (Shout out to SOTA and Geva Summer Academy!) Now I know actors get a bad rep… and folks think we live a grand luxurious lifestyle but hopefully by the end of this article, I can show you that wasn’t or isn’t the case for me. I have been in many situations where I’ve had to sacrifice time with loved ones, times where I sacrificed my own mental, spiritual and emotional stability for “The Bigger Picture”.
So far this doesn’t sound too grand, now does it? But despite it all, the struggle and sacrifice helped to strengthen me in regards to how I perceive myself, in how I communicate with others and it also helped me to realize what I will and won’t stand for. There were many who were skeptical of me and my dream of being an artist, so I didn’t have the moral support I wish I had when I embarked on this journey. I moved to NYC back in 2010 to attend the American Musical and Dramatic Academy to pursue my dreams of being a legitimate artist and that was not easy. It was tough, not only the courses themselves but day to day living.
I threw myself into an unfamiliar situation with very little tools for success and often faced struggles in the forms of homelessness. Not eating for a day or two or being let go time and time again from a start up business or establishment that would eventually shut down and lay folks off. I used to think I just had bad luck, but soon came to realize that it was NYC and businesses open and close all the time and that it wasn’t something to mentally torture yourself over. I learned quickly to adapt an almost Phoenix type of energy. I constantly found myself in a loop of doing well, doing great, then doing bad, then doing worse. It was a very frustrating loop to be in, and I would often want to give up and throw in the towel. I didn’t realize how important stability was for me until I went through all that, it gave me a greater appreciation for structure and forced me to be more responsible.
I would be a fraud if I didn’t mention, that I was also dealing with my sexuality and it has been always something that weighed heavy on my mind. I would be a liar if I didn’t say that my self esteem wasn’t affected by this. After recently coming out to the world, I would also be a liar If I didn’t say that my self esteem hasn’t also been boosted from all the love and support I have received. I used to be afraid of how others would perceive me…then one day…that just stopped. Now don’t get me wrong…I mean, I still care about what folks have to say.. it’s just not as important to me carry the negative energy all the time. It was draining me. Killing my confidence slowly. I will admit I am a very sensitive creature who holds everything close to my heart. But I stopped fighting the fact that I was sensitive and just embraced it. There is strength and power in emotions, don’t hide or suppress them. (Unless your an ax murderer….then please suppress).
I don’t say all this for you to feel bad for me, or sad for me or even mad for me. I’m not trying to seem like i’m on some superior high ground or a fancy soap box. I say all this to say, as good as your intentions may be, Life gets tough, it’s super unfair sometimes and can be brutal but you have to keep going. Every day is a new chance to be better than you were yesterday. Letting others down is natural and sometimes imminent…but letting yourself down is completely unacceptable. Life can seem tough, but what I have learned through a LOT of trial and error is…PERSPECTIVE IS KEY. Beauty, truly is in the hands of the beholder. I try to remind myself of this often when I find myself getting emotional. We are works in progress…as long as your always working towards progress.
