Aris Kurniawan's Life Principles, The Key to Surviving 25 Years in the Entertainment Industry

Kapanlagi.com - Surviving for 25 years in the highly competitive entertainment industry is certainly not an easy feat. Senior actor Aris Kurniawan has his own recipe. Not only relying on his acting skills, he also firmly upholds various life philosophies he has learned from his parents and seniors, which have kept him relevant until now.

One of the main principles he holds is advice from his father, who works as a farmer. Aris recounts how his father taught him the importance of having knowledge before managing a "field".

"Even if you have a field, a rice paddy, if you don't have knowledge, you don't possess the knowledge, your field is useless. If you have the knowledge but don't apply it, it's also useless," said Aris Kurniawan during a conversation with Kapanlagi.com, Monday (4/8/2025).

1. Philosophy in Career and Business

This philosophy is also what he applies in his career and business, where skills and knowledge must go hand in hand. In addition, he also learned valuable lessons from seniors on set about the importance of diversification or not relying solely on one source of income.

"Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Because if that one basket is damaged, broken, or shattered, then you can't have a life. At least manage three or five baskets, whatever that may be," he said.

2. High-Risk Professions

This principle drives him not only to focus on acting but also to start a tofu meatball business and open an acting studio. This decision proved to be right, especially after he experienced several dangerous incidents on set that made him aware of the high risks of being an actor.

"In the past, I experienced several accidents that were actually risky for my safety. The first one, we fell from the sling, falling onto a big tree. If it’s pulled by a person, what if there’s human error? It would be over, broken for sure, and that’s it," he explained.

3. Learning Behind the Screen

In addition to the "egg basket" philosophy, Aris also learned from the late director Yazman Yazid about the importance of learning behind the scenes. He received the advice that a true star not only shines in front of the camera but also possesses deep knowledge and understanding behind it.

"Learning doesn't have to be in front of the screen. Working doesn't have to be in front of the screen either. If you want to be entertained, learn everything behind the scenes. One day it might elevate your status among others," he said.

4. Never Stop Learning

Holding onto that advice, Aris never stopped learning. From writing books, becoming an acting instructor, to now venturing into the world of series production, he has embraced it all as part of the process to become a complete and resilient artist.

"In the end, right now if I'm not shooting, I'm teaching, trading, selling tofu. Recently, Alhamdulillah, we're doing a vertical series, which hopefully becomes a good bridge," he concluded.

(kpl/far/rsp)