Sabin Karki always wanted to be the best in the business. “I don’t think I am the best at what I do yet. There is a cameraman somewhere who can take a mil­lion-dollar shot sitting at the spot that I am in. I want to be inside that person’s mind. There is someone who can do it better than me and I want to be that person.” When Karki perfomed in shop­ping malls, he used to see his dance group categorized as a ‘B-boying group’. But he did not want to be categorized and wanted to create his own unique brand. “When I started to dance in 2008, I did not even know that I would be paid for it.” He recalls that in 2011, an organizer from Close-Up Love Fest asked him how much he would charge for a show, and he was sur­prised. “I was dancing because I loved it. To learn I would be paid for it was amazing.”

He joined Cartoonz Crew, a dance group, in 2012, and they did many events together, struggling a lot at the start. “We did not have money to ride the public bus so some of us would walk to our meeting place.” He recalls running around for the entire day in Thamel to find the cheapest place to print matching t-shirts for group mem­bers. Despite these struggles, Karki never doubted himself or felt like giving up on his dream. “I just kept going. Maybe because I had family support, which is essential, especially at the start of your career when you are struggling financially. I assured my mother I was going to get big and this was just a passing phase. Luckily, whatever I thought would happen, has happened, like a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

Karki believes his work speaks for itself and he is not scared of not being popular or relevant

But there are many who cannot follow their dreams for various rea­sons, or make it big in the industry despite a lot of struggle. “You need creativity, new ideas, and good execution, and you might still fail. So I understand when parents tell their children to focus on subjects that ensure job security. It’s a safety net. If I had to financially support my family from the beginning, I could not have said ‘I won’t give up on dance.’ People can’t just­drop everything to pursue their passion.” Karki says you need to reflect on how good you are and find ways to follow your passion.

The good thing is that technol­ogy has become so advanced that there are now platforms like You­Tube and Instagram where you can showcase your talent. “This is the golden age,” says Karki. “It is the place to build your fan base. As you grow, you do not have to restrict your art. For now, I am thinking of making music videos. Eventually, I will make a film.”

He wants to keep learning and growing. One of his early dreams was to be independent. Now he has learnt every step of video-making, from concept formulation to edit­ing to publishing, and he does not have to rely on anyone. “I still need my brother Sanjay Karki though. He keeps me motivated. He is busy with his engineering classes and I wait for him to come home every day so that we can develop and work on ideas,” he reveals.

Karki believes his work speaks for itself and he is not scared of not being popular or relevant. “But I know that the day I can’t think of a new idea, I am finished. People con­stantly ask when I am publishing a new video. But I do not want to just publish a video. Rather, I would invest my time in creating some­thing that people remember.” He says there are enough people doing the same thing in arts; Nepal needs more hard-working people who are ready to be internationally recog­nized. “When I work with someone, I want perfection.” To the people who are trying their best, he says, “Keep taking little steps and if you are good, your hard work will not be wasted.”