Today we’d like to introduce you to Sher Arar.
Hi Sher, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in Houston, TX where I took the traditional route of life. I went to a highschool that predominantly focused on academics. It was extremely rigorous and once I graduated, I was two years ahead of everyone in college. I then continued my education with an MBA and began working in the Oil and Gas business. After three years, I started getting sick. Something just felt off, I was working long hours and getting paid well, but I felt very out of alignment. After a period of intense emotional highs and lows, I finally decided to leave that job behind and travel a bit.
That bit was supposed to be a few weeks but turned into six months. I traveled to 23 countries all around Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. During my travels, I learned a lot about myself and others. Being alone in a new environment brought out qualities in myself I didn’t know existed. I learned how independent I actually am. I learned the importance of being self-sufficient. I learned that we have all the answers, and we really are the drivers of our own lives. I learned that peace comes from within, not from others.
When I got back from my travels, I was able to channel this new energy into my work. I began doing more things that lined with my passions. I attended music festivals (alone! and met people along the way), I began making my own music, mixing, and slowly started to get gigs.
After realizing how much I enjoyed DJing, I moved to LA to pursue bigger gigs. Unfortunately, that was around the same time COVID happened, so all live events were put on pause.
I used this time to really perfect my craft and work in other areas that matched my passion. Being in LA, I started to look into film. Film has always been my first love, but growing up in Texas I never nurtured this area. I began writing my own scripts, filming them (on my iPhone), and posting online. By doing that, I met other artists online and we collaborated on projects. Then, I started taking acting classes. I was approached by an agent and now I work in both commercial and theatrical acting.
I can’t say I do “one thing”, and I am okay with that. Society tends to put people in a box and you live in that box forever. I disagree with that. I think humans are multi-faceted. It is important to focus and grow in an area, but trying out different things and excelling in more than one area is part of the game of life. I definitely have a long ways to go and am still on that journey, but when you are doing something connected to your heart, you don’t care how long it will take to have your “I made it moment”.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Obstacles are a part of life, so yes there have been many struggles. Within the entertainment industry, you often feel like you’re competing for DJ gigs, acting gigs, writing gigs; so you really have to step back and look at the bigger picture. The biggest struggle is stopping yourself from giving up. Sometimes you will audition for ten roles and finally get one role and it’s a really small part. It feels discouraging, but you have to remember why you’re doing it.
For me, I think back at the life I was living. Although I was getting steady pay and had a predictable and safe path paved out, I remember how miserable I was and I told myself I never want to feel that way ever again. I have a whiteboard in my closet that I look at every day. On it, I write my “goals” and some quotes to keep me going. Sometimes we forget what our goals are, so writing them down and having them somewhere we can see every day helps you remember “why” you’re doing it. For me, my goals are not a matter of “if they will happen”, but “when they will happen”. It’s not a linear process, there are lots of tweaking and changing that will happen, but as long as you’re on the path connected to your heart, you will get there.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a DJ, actress, and scriptwriter. What sets me apart is my identity. I am a Muslim woman who wears the hijab. You don’t see many of us in mainstream media, and I am hoping to break that stereotype by integrating with others, thus, normalizing Muslim women. 🙂 It’s always felt like us vs. them, but I want to live in a world where we can all connect even if we have different personal beliefs. Those beliefs don’t have to get in the way of beautiful relationships and art that can be created together.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/dezertflake
- SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/xxsher
