“Something to understand is that it’s not always about the money. Yes, of course we all need to make a living, but occasionally (and especially when starting out) it’s important to take a job that speaks to you, that you know will lead to others and could be the perfect springboard to get published or exposed to the right people who you want to work with—even if that’s a job where you barely make the ends meet or the budget is very tight. In the past, I have done things for free knowing it would lead to something I wanted or would get the right eyes on me when I needed them to move forward in my career. I have found that people can be their most creative when challenged with a small budget. It’s a great learning curve and much like dressing: You can buy your outfit from H&M, but with one or two good accessories, you can turn that outfit into something that looks like it just fell off a Paris runway. It’s all in the confidence and styling.” —, Martyn Lawrence Bullard