We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Aleksandra Milanova. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Aleksandra below.

Aleksandra, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

They practice what they preach and are perfect role models. They have been through the mill countless times, but always endured with faith and came out of any struggle as better people. The growth that they’ve shown me has been an inspiration.

My mother is an angel whose wisdom has carried us through storms. Despite the many challenges she has faced, her fearless heart and eternal optimism remain undeterred. She has a tremendous calming power, and she is a vessel of peace and love. My father is the epitome of excellence, integrity, and stability. He is highly principled and incredibly strong. He knows exactly what he wants, and he goes after it. Their unity is simply divine. When I look at them, I see an example of unconditional love. And feeling that love is what has sustained me, and all of us, through hardship.

My brother and I were raised with a balanced approach. Our parents gave us absolute freedom within healthy boundaries. They created a safe space for us to learn and grow without feeling undermined, judged, or controlled. They instilled in us the basic values and taught us priorities. We’ve had family meetings every week since I can remember. Even in the difficult times, when communication was challenging, we didn’t stop sharing our thoughts, experiences, and support for each other.

Living in a country with a hurting economy and dysfunctional system, by society’s measures, my parents had no reason to believe that my choice to abandon my business career and become a writer is smart. But they trusted me and supported me from day one. They’re brave like that. :)

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a writer and producer, currently based in Los Angeles. Unlike most of the stories I’ve heard in the industry, I did not dream of making movies since I was little and I did not see writing as my career. But I’ve always had a profound love for storytelling. The idea to get into the filmmaking industry came up in my mid-20s when I was struggling with my business career in my home country, Macedonia. So, I packed my bags and moved to Los Angeles to be a screenwriter. I felt like a fish out of water, trying to navigate an unfamiliar industry in a foreign country. But I took the leap of faith, and here I am now, telling stories for a living.

Screenwriting is my primary occupation, and I have written over 50 scripts to date. Over 30 of those have been produced in Macedonia and the US, and have been broadcast or screened nationally or internationally. My stories are mainly exploring themes of love, family, friendship, justice and identity. I started in the worlds of thriller and fantasy, but comedy was a secret love that I fully embraced a few years ago. I’ve been through a lot of changes and challenges in the past few years, so I took a breather during the strike and supported the WGA on the picket lines.

Getting into producing felt like a natural progression because in television, writers are also producers. But writing remains my priority. When I have extra free time between projects, I work as a script consultant. Recently, I started working as a coach, helping people preserve their balance in navigating this cutthroat industry. Everyone who is successful knows that mindset comes before skill set. And that’s where coaching comes in.

I know some people see filmmaking as pure entertainment, but for me it is much deeper than that. I like to say that we’re in the soul-nurturing business. My purpose is to tell the truth and send the love and hope from my heart towards all people by sharing the human experience. Stories are essential to living. Sharing them is not just a fun profession. It’s also an enormous responsibility.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I must say that I don’t believe there is such a thing as non-creatives, and it’s time for that social construct to be abandoned. Every job requires some level of creativity. Even mathematicians need to be creative in solving problems. I saw a post on social media from a mother who told her kids to draw her sleeping so that she could take a nap. Genius. Whether she could really take a nap, I don’t know. But I know for a fact that moms need to be super creative to keep their kids entertained and safe at the same time. I worked several jobs that society doesn’t consider creative, but I employed a good amount of creativity daily in order to finish the tasks. There is a difference in the level of creativity required to do different jobs, but there is no such thing as working with no creative energy.

Most of my friends and family work outside of the entertainment industry and don’t have artistic jobs. But there is nothing about my struggles that they don’t understand. The human experience is universal. All a person needs to understand another is a drop of empathy, a ton of willingness to listen, and the sacrifice of a few fears.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I had to pivot so many times in my life that pivoting for me is no longer a strenuous undertaking. It’s more like those fun turns on a roller coaster. But I believe my biggest shift was when I changed my profession. I was applying for an art scholarship and I wasn’t sure I would get it. I didn’t want to paralyze myself by overthinking, so I didn’t make any plans during that process and I took one day at a time. When the scholarship got approved, I only had a couple of weeks to quit my job, close my business, get a visa, find a place to stay in Los Angeles, find roommates, book a flight, say bye to my family and friends, and prepare for the new world. I was running on adrenaline and excitement. There was no time to question myself or have second thoughts. As the plane was taking off, I looked out the window and saw my family next to the airport, waving. That’s when it hit me that my life was changing drastically. Emotions poured in, and I cried all the way to LA.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: aleksmila.jpg
• Twitter: @AleksMilaTweets

Image Credits
Kushagra Jain Luis Avilés Goran Lozanovski Yves Arispe