For our opening, we are pleased to introduce the talented Ana Sofia Martins.
A brief look at the journey of Ana Sofia Martins
Ana Sofia Martins, a Portuguese actress and model born in Lisbon, ventured into the entertainment industry after a successful career as a model. She made her television debut in 2012 and has since participated in several high-profile productions.
In addition to her artistic career, she is recognized for her commitment to social causes such as the fight against bullying and the advocacy of gender equality.
Below, we share a brief interview with Ana Sofia, where she shares a deeper insight into her life and gives us advice on how to face the challenges that life presents to us.
How do you keep inspired and motivated over time?
Inspiration usually comes from those around me. I am lucky to have people in my life who do not limit themselves and often step out of their comfort zone. Throughout my professional life I have taken on challenges that have led me to learn new ways of doing a certain task and this always ends up having a motivating effect on me, in other words, how to achieve the same goal but in a different way.
How do you think art and culture can be used as tools for inclusion and social change and progress?
We should all have access to what can enrich us intellectually, unfortunately this is still not the case. The basis of the solution to this problem is in education.
In this particular case I can speak from my own experience, I grew up in an underprivileged environment and I remember that art and culture came to me through school and some programs I watched on TV. Today I realize that this helped me bridge the social gap that separated me from the world.
Art has the ability to uplift and transform, and the solution could be to create more free events, art workshops, school visits and open the cultural space to everyone, giving a voice to those who have less access to it, including their family members and peers.
What advice would you give to young people who want to pursue their dreams so that they can overcome the obstacles that arise along the way?
First of all, you have to learn to deal with adversity and accept that "NO" is a part of life. This lesson applies to both the pursuit of a dream and life in general. Failing and not getting it right the first time should be seen as part of the journey, not to say that we shouldn't give up, sometimes giving up on a dream we thought was ours can lead us to something bigger that was not in our plans.
Getting from point A to point B is not as easy as it seems, what sets us apart from the world around us is how we face or overcome the obstacles that come our way.
