FOX23 News caught up with Kevin Craig West as he told a group of Russell Sage students that following your heart is the best career path.
Some people believe if you have talent you are born with it.
"I was groomed to be an engineer," said West, a local actor from Troy. "Went to school not knowingly having a creative bone in my body."
Other people believe you are what you make yourself.
"I follow the mantra of 'as you think, so shall you be,'" he said.
When you hear how West got his start, you might start to think it is a little of both.
"Seventeen years ago I was coerced into doing a community theatre play," said West. "Performed in that and loved in."
A woman in the audience gave him tickets to a New York State Theatre Institute show and the acting bug had bitten.
"I said I'd love to do that for the rest of my life," said West.
But as he told a group of young actors, the drive had to come from within.
"There were plenty of people telling me I was insane, that there's no way to make a living," he said.
He proved them wrong when he moved to New York and the work picked up.
"People were telling me I appeared to be on a fast track," said West. "People who were calling me crazy started to second guess their thoughts."
When he came back to the Capital Region, the work followed. He even got a part in "The Place Beyond the Pines," when the crew moved into Schenectady this summer.
"I had a three page dialogue scene with Dane DeHaan and Eva Mendes," said West. "The director said 'alright, cool we got the dialogue, let's have some fun let's improv.'"
While it may not be Hollywood or Broadway, West says that the Capital Region isn't a bad place for acting.
"There's a lot of work in the Capital Region," he said.
Being home, West has had the chance to wear many hats. While he wouldn't call himself anything but an actor, West has produced, directed, even shot productions.
Anyone who has tried knows that acting isn't the easiest job to commit to. But when something is in your blood, when it is a passion, work just doesn't feel like it.
"I felt it in my heart, it's what I was supposed to be doing for the rest of my life," said West. "If I set my mind to it, I can achieve it."
