We were lucky to catch up with Billye Sands recently and have shared our conversation below.
Billye, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?
I am eternally grateful to be an artist/creative! As a kid, I thought everyone could be creative! As an adult, I realize that this is not always the case, and not everyone has the opportunity to do it full time.
I’ve tried to do more ‘normal’ work – programming, cashiering, teaching – and though I am grateful for those opportunities, I would always get frustrated, as if I was stuck in a box. Even inside that work, I had to find creative ways to implement the subject matter, so I still used my creativity.
Now, I work as a Creative Marketing Producer, writing/shooting/editing commercials all over southwest Georgia for WALB-TV. I am blessed that I can be paid for being creative! It’s an AMAZING feeling. People are paying me (and my amazing coworkers) to use our creativity to reach a client’s goal!!! Hearing that our commercials are helping community members’ businesses to grow puts a smile on my face every time!
Of course, there are ups and downs. The feelings of “Am I good enough?”, “Do people actually care about my work?”, and “Am I actually making a positive impact?” come up frequently. One of the things I’m working on now is my mental health, and learning how to the inner work necessary to thrive. It has definitely been a journey, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world!!!
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?
Hey I’m Billye! I was born in Macon, Georgia, home of many artists – Allman Brothers, Little Richard, Otis Redding, etc. I grew up in Albany, GA – home of Ray Charles and many many others. What I’m trying to say is, I grew up in very artsy/creative/high achieving areas. My family is musical too.
I’ve been playing piano on and off since I was 7, but I discovered my strength in photography while I was a student at Mercer University, and my strength in composing music when I was a student at Full Sail University. I have an eternal love for all things both creative and technical – I’m also the audio lead for Stride Star Studios, an indie video game company!
I’ve just started an Etsy shop selling my photography prints – https://www.etsy.com/shop/billYAYfilmsLLC.
My life goal is to grow my film business, bill_YAYfilms L.L.C., spotlighting the lives and points of view of black/queer/neurodivergent/women in the southern United States and beyond!
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Helping give people a reason to live! This world is vast – many things to discover and share! I would not be alive today if it weren’t for the arts. Art gives me hope – something to look forward to. Art/life helps me pay attention to the little details that make up the bigger picture. I would like to do for others what so many artists have done for me.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
I have a planner. I know, I know. It seems basic. But for someone like me who is scatterbrained and sometimes doesn’t know which way is up, it’s a game-changer! This particular planner – Law of Attraction Planner – is VERY detailed and assists me in mapping my life out visually so I can keep track of my progress. From life goals to tracking how much water I drink per day – it’s everything I need!
Link: https://shorturl.at/k2568
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/billYAYfilmsLLC/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bill_yayfilmsllc
- Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/billyay