Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Candace Bellamy. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Candace, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
I am a Family Practice Physician and currently work for the US Army. A few years ago I suffered from burnout and looking for inspiration, began researching women in medicine, in particular those women doctors who had blazed a trail in medicine. That’s when I first came across Dr. Joycelyn Elders, the first African American Surgeon General of the United States. I decided to try and find her and was able to meet and interview her in 2018. After hearing her story, I knew that I wanted to do a documentary to tell her story. I took film classes and developed a network of amazing filmmakers to help with the project. We recently completed production on the project and it has been an honor of a lifetime to meet and get to know Dr. Elders and her family over the last few years of filming. She is a personal and professional role model, who at 89, continues to speak out on major public health issues affecting our country.
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?
Originally from TN, I always knew I wanted to be a doctor. That dream of becoming a doctor came true and I spent my first year practicing medicine on the west coast before moving back to TN to be close to family. I worked a lot during that time and decided I needed a hobby, and responded to an ad in the local paper where someone was offering voice lessons. At our first meeting, Steve, my voice teacher, said to me, “You should sing” and encouraged me to go audition for a local production of “Hello Dolly”. I auditioned and was cast as a featured extra and fell in love with musical theatre. I auditioned for other musicals and started my own band. My friend John, who had previously lived in Austin said to me, “if you really want to do music, you should move to Austin, the live music capital.” I flew down to Austin, loved it, went back home and sold my house and moved to Austin in 2006. Since that time, I have been in multiple bands, have my own soul band, attended a one-year music program at UT Austin, and continue to work full time. I have had the honor of co-writing songs with some of the premiere songwriters in Austin, recorded several albums, performed with my band throughout Texas, and created a one-woman showed that I performed in New York City and toured in TN. I am most proud of following a passion that was outside of medicine and that sometimes people didn’t understand me doing and would discourage me. Much of my music is based on family, faith, and love. I am always excited when someone contacts me to share what my music has meant to them. I was recently contacted about speaking at a Women’s retreat along with performing some of my original music. This is not what I planned for my life, yet this is better than I could have imagined.
Is there a mission driving your creative journey?
What drives me is that I love storytelling and everything I do creatively reflects that. Whether I am performing an original or cover tune, I love telling that story onstage. Directing the Dr. Elders documentary was an incredible experience. I also have a podcast, Strong Women in Medicine that shares the story of diverse women in medicine.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
As a physician, I work independently much of the time. I had to unlearn “working independently” when it came to my creative projects. I remember a filmmaker friend told me, “you can do it alone, but by the end, you will hate it and be burned out.” That spoke volumes to me. And there is so much joy when you collaborate with other creatives and share ideas, and put out work that you are really proud of.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.candacebellamy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/singercandacebellamy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/singercandacebellamy
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/candace-bellamy-6580a61/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CandaceBellamyMusic/videos
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=0jf4A9Qu-La1YoQCs-QVfw
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cbell4770?_t=8V0BBG75T0o&_r=1
Image Credits
Jackie Hill David Heisler