We recently connected with Dr. Kerry Ann Zamore and have shared our conversation below.

Dr. Kerry Ann, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I have an amazing opportunity to do what I love; teach at the University level as well as write and produce stage plays and films. I fell in love with writing at an early age and it truly has framed who I am and what I do today. I continued to write for theatre even while pursuing my Ph.D. in social work because I love telling stories and creating spaces for healing, advocacy, education, and awareness. Writing allows me to combine those worlds. I wrote for church theatre for about 12 years, and also performed in community theatre. As a social worker I saw toxicity within families and communities and I wanted to address it in a different manner by bringing awareness and education through performing arts. I took my experiences working with families, the education I had gained, and my passion for telling stories and created my companies. Kzamore Enterprises LLC and The Zamore Foundation.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I got into the industry through my passion for writing, my passion for social work, and my passion for bringing change to communities. I saw a need to address difficult topics such as domestic violence, poverty, relationship/family matters, and even health issues among marginalized populations in a non-traditional way. As a survivor of domestic violence, I wrote a book about my experience with practical applications for victims to seek help (Restored, which can be found on Amazon). I had so much feedback about the book and how it helped various people that I wanted to bring the words to life, so I created a stage play and a film about my experience. This was my 10th play, but it was the catalyst that propelled me into my purpose. I saw a shift in the response to the play.

The plays that came before also addressed various social issues but this play showed me that I could combine my social work experience with my playwrighting passion. I tell stories in a light-hearted, but also dramatic way that allows the audience to connect personally with the characters and the story as a whole. I am most proud that the plays and films change lives, connect families and connect communities. From the plays and films, I began a life coaching business where I am able to help other individuals jump-start their own passions by finding their purpose.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I knew about business credit when I began this journey. I wish I trusted my gut more and taken more risks at the beginning. And finally, I wish I had started with an accountant and attorney. I have these things in place now, but this would have prevented a lot of financial heartaches if I had started off with a formal business plan rather than just a passion to help.

I am thankful for making the mistakes at the beginning because it has made me stronger, wiser, and more resilient.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The lesson that I had to learn and unlearn is that you cannot take everyone with you. I learned that there are some who will help you build, some who will watch you build and join in to see what and how you are building but they don’t stay. I learned some will come and take bricks while you are building to build their own, there are some that will wait for you to fail, and most importantly, I also learned that there are some that will stay rain and sun. Those are few – but they are true. In the end, always trust your gut, and be intentional in planning. Write the vision and make it plain. When you fail to plan – that’s when you fail.

Contact Info:

• Website: Kzamore.com
• Instagram: @dr_Kerryzamore
• Facebook: DrkerryAnn Zamore
• Linkedin: Dr. Kerry Ann Zamore

Image Credits
Khanetic Images