#94 - Shivani Desai: Don’t Overpitch Yourself

Dear Multi-hyphenate

“At its core, fundamentally being a multi-hyphenate is, to me, about exploration and not limiting yourself to one particular thing just because your natural strengths lie in that one particular thing.” -- Shivani Desai

In this episode, we discuss…

The importance of keeping hobbies separate from our hyphens.

Starting a new small business.

How multi-hyphenating helped get Michael out of a depressive episode.

The importance of workflow.

The common traps of netweaving.

Leaning out and not overpitching yourself.

Small, yet important business tactics.

When to appropriately accommodate for your clients.

It feels like everyday we wake up to news that is painful to read. That is why Shivani believes that art is so crucial in reminding us of the beauty that also exists in this world. She feels so connected to her purpose when she brings people hope, and comfort, and a smile through her work. That is why she’s an actor.

Shivani Desai is a 25 year old actor from India currently living in Singapore. Having grown up watching Bollywood cinema, her interest in the arts was sparked at a young age and she has relentlessly pursued the path of making art for a living ever since. Now a working actor, Shivani has starred in short films, TV shows, original plays, music videos, documentaries, and commercials while also working as a model for local magazines and making guest appearances on reality shows and podcasts.

Apart from acting, Shivani also runs her own coaching business full-time. Born out of a desire to help actors who live in non-major markets who don’t have access to same business coaching that their fellow actors in LA, NYC, or London do, she transitions actors stuck in the weird limbo between new actor and working actor into kickass business-savvy actors who operate globally. Shivani’s latest venture as an event developer involves taking on the mammoth task of organising an actor’s conference in Las Vegas this November. With this, she feels like she has flourished fully into a multi-hyphenate who is no longer bound by traditional definitions of what it means to be a working professional in the creative field.

To her, film and theatre signify the desire to affect change, a means to living truthfully, and an unwavering commitment to the process. Apart from acting, Shivani also enjoys self-portrait photography, cooking and baking, and acrylic painting.

You can find Shivani on Instagram @itsshivanidesai

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