Today we’d like to introduce you to Ember Ho.
Hi Ember, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself and tell us about the journey of you being where you are today.
Hello! I am an artist who acts, paints, and writes in LA -and a recent graduate from MFA in Acting! This might sound over-the-top dramatic but, at the age of 14, I started noticing my soul withering before I had the chance to grow (like who would want that!?)- then the dramatic arts became my savior.
My household is a typical four-member middle-class family from Hong Kong. My parents work to provide and aimed for the best possible education for my older sister and me.
Since I have memories of my own actions, I’ve been exposed to different performing and visual arts education. My mother would encourage me to express myself with drawing and writing. However, all the Arts influences I had, which became the core of my being, were only treated as “afterschool activities” and “should not be pursued.”
I was taught that the only way to make something out of myself was to stick to the elite school that some of my cousins and my sister were in. My parents and everyone around just expected me to follow their path for most of my education: Just to “play it safe,” and even if I were failing, I would still have that elite education on my resume.
And yes- I was failing in school. Grade-wise and friendship-wise. It was years of unrealized misery and struggles. I know it sounded ridiculous, but I felt like I hit rock bottom at 14. I found no joy in learning nor life. Then like a miracle, a greater force slapped me in the face when I was sleeping – I woke up one day and found a way out of that bottom.
All I had to do was to transfer to another school. The option was always there, but the consequences were losing a brand on my resume and the gossips my parents have to endure. The fear of stray away from the path that my family paved had me trapped, but the fear of being trapped by my parents’ expectations and not discovering myself forced me to pave my own way.
I found and got into a school that provides International Baccalaureate Program -that was when I was first exposed to the dramatic arts and knowing that arts are “serious enough” to be an official subject. I got hooked on acting almost immediately. In four years of studying Drama and Theatre as an Art subject in school, I had the opportunity to learn more about the purpose and the practices of the craft. Nonetheless, It taught me how to be honest with my emotions and express myself through character.
Acting inspired me to become a better person, and it showed me the joy of living and learning through exploring rough patches in life. By the age of 16, I made up my mind to go to a performing arts school, then pursue acting as my career.
Instead of getting my bachelor’s degree in performing arts, I got mine in Journalism and Mass Communication. The story was complicated, but it was another experience that shaped me into who I am today.
I gave up acting and decided to face reality in my freshman year of college to stick with being a designer at an advertising firm or a production house. However, throughout the degree, the filmmaking subjects and projects just keep tickling on my acting nerve. Thus when my mom approached me with a Master’s Degree option, I took on that opportunity to pursue my dream.
So that is how I ended up in LA now doing OPT with my MFA Acting for Film degree from New York Film Academy. In my Master’s training, I got to combine my screenwriting and production skills from my bachelor’s program with the craft of acting. It’s like how they used to advertise Kinder Chocolate Eggs: An egg that fulfills two wishes. I got to act and write at the same time for my career path.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Hahaha, I wish it was smooth. The main struggle I am still having is to be at peace with myself. I hate to admit that I have grown to become a self-critical perfectionist. I just wanted to put in the most effort into my work and that my performance is the best that I could offer. However, even knowing I did the most I could to develop the role, there’s no right or wrong in acting, and everything is subjective in the audience’s eyes. I would still beat myself up after performances with self-doubt and went crazy looking for aspects that I could improve. My teachers would always say, “trust that you are enough,” “have trust in your work,” “just let go and have fun.”
Till now, after graduating for almost three months now, every time after a self-tape audition, I would stare into the mirror and tell myself, “you did all you could at this moment. It is what it is.” Even though most nights, I would still think about ways that I could’ve done better, but it is what it is. *wink*
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a proud painter, a writer, and an actress. Words and colors are correlated in my mind. I paint with words and write with colors. I can paint and do creative writing right off my head. Most importantly, I can incorporate my painting skills into creating my voice-over content, and that I could write intriguing screenplays and monologues for myself to act in.
Any big plans?
My short-term goal is to get enough work to apply for an O-1 Visa to stay working in the United States by the time my OPT is over. Meanwhile, I will enjoy all the working opportunities I have as an actress, voice actor, writer, and crew member.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: emberlutho.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orientalseapearl/?hl=en
