It is a true artist who flows between the art forms. From acting to jewelry making and design, Gihan El Shamashergy finds herself at the meeting place of both her passions. Over the past year, the actress has graced the big screen in projects like Rehla 404, Kamel Al Adad +1, and Anf W Thalath Ouyoun.
We spoke to the actress about how her passion for jewelry making started, teaching, and the sudden shift into a blooming acting career.
FINDING THE CRAFT
El Shamashergy’s found her passion in life early. The actress has been crafting handmade products since her youth, “It all started coincidentally, I used to do pottery, woodwork, and other forms and specialized in jewelry making unintentionally in 2010. I delved into it completely in 2011.”
At first, she spent some time discovering different techniques, experimenting with which ones she preferred to use, and what line of design I felt was most expressive of her style. Once she had found a shape for her art form that stood out, El Shamashergy decided it was time to build her own brand.
“My designs are clustered and look very organic – I don’t make anything that’s not streamlined and neat designs. So this always reflects an internal feeling that I have or something similar to me; I am a chaotic person and I feel everything really deeply. So, whatever comes out in my designs mimics me.”
El Shamashergy’s love for art is one that she finds to be stemming from her love of expression. When asked which art form she found most resonated with her, she answered, “Sometimes, I feel I express myself more when I’m working with my hands, or in some specific scenes, I feel like I’m bringing out something internal. There are so many forms of art that I find myself in.”
The actress’ pieces are not ones you’re going to find on every passerby’s hands, she finds her art is best translated through a very slow working process and likes to take her time doing things. “The thing is, I don’t do mass production. One piece can take a very long time. Some pieces I can reproduce, some are just one piece. I like to work alone and want to continue it like this, I like working on a piece at my own pace. I don’t want this to turn into a mass-produced line.”
THE SWIFT SHIFT
The transition into acting was as simple and swift as the actress’ view on life. She tells us, “Acting was the most coincidental thing! Everything in my life is. I don’t remember ever organizing or planning anything in my life. I don’t know how to plan anything in advance. Next week is too far a plan to even commit to.”
El Shamashergy still views her career shift as a stroke of fate, “Up until today, I treat it like it’s a coincidence. I have an ‘if it happens then it happens and if it doesn’t then that’s okay’ mentality.”
“I have a problem with rejection. This job [acting] teaches you that rejection is normal. When I first joined the industry, I’d go to auditions, succeed in one, and get rejected in the other ten.” The actress shares, “You’d start to wonder if you’re the problem or if you’re not good enough. However, it might be that you’re taller, shorter, smaller, or bigger than the character they want. Sometimes they’re reasons that are out of your control.”
It is a swift dance to landing the right roles. The actress has dazzled with her growing list of projects, from starring alongside Mona Zaki in Rehla 404 to her role in the hit series Safah El Giza. “I still consider myself at the beginning of my career,” El Shamashergy tells us. “But when I had just started, I would get a lot of opportunities and I would take all of them because I wanted to learn and stand in front of the camera while understanding the feeling of being on set.”
For the rest of our sit-down with Gihan El Shamashergy, head to our YouTube channel.
