We recently connected with Carlee Soeder and have shared our conversation below.

Carlee, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

2023 has been a particularly trying year. Testing my commitment to my craft, my art nearly every day in ways I never foresaw coming.

Yes, I am happy as a creative, as an actress, as a director, and as a filmmaker.

Are there days when I question what it would be like to enjoy the well-defined paths of other careers? Knowing exactly what I need to do to succeed and move forward at the pace I want and desire? Not have to sacrifice countless days, months, years, money on workshops, classes, networking events, money on projects I produce to move forward, and still wonder whether it is in fact making a difference and will catapult me to the next step? Yes. Of course, I do.

I’m no different than any other creative who is hopelessly devoted to their art. Torn on really hard days or months or years, on whether it was the right choice. And wholeheartedly knowing, it is.

I am so stupidly and madly in love with my artistic self. And I’m not leaving her behind at any point in my life. Maybe my practice will look different here and there throughout my life. But I’ll always be a creative, an artist my entire life. Whether I do get to do it full-time or part-time throughout my life, it will always be there.

I think asking an artist/creative if they wonder if they want a regular job, is a way to push forward the narrative that your value is dependent on what your job is and how much financial freedom you have. And don’t get me wrong, financial freedom is very important to me. But everyone is valuable, no matter what they do. If only we could give them permission to be free to follow their hearts without the constant, “What’s your backup?”

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.

In the expedited version of my tale, I grew up in Miami, Florida as a soccer playing, weekend fishing, super nerd who started taking acting seriously in college. When I wrapped up my four years at Florida State University,I knew I wanted to pursue acting and filmmaking.

Speed to, I move to Atlanta in 2020 and two months later the pandemic starts. I am trapped in an apartment, barely any film contacts or friends, and just trying to survive like the rest of the world. A year later, a friend gets me out of waiting tables and onto the set of Stranger Things in the Health and Safety Department. And from there, things started to make a little more sense. I found Drama Inc, where I started training in different acting classes and learning more about what it’s like to pursue acting in the Atlanta market. On set, I would task myself with befriending and learning from as many people in as many different departments as I could. Later that landed me in the world of props, of which I worked on several television shows (HBO, Fox, Hulu, Netflix) as a props assistant. In 2021, I had a script from a film program that unfortunately did not reach its conclusion due to the pandemic. So, I set myself out on the journey of figuring out how to produce Check-Six (my first short film). Fast forward a year, I find a really fantastic acting agency that is giving me auditions I couldn’t dream of beforehand. Check-Six has made its way through film festivals as my directorial debut. Fast forward another year, my short film Winter’s Year is making it into several film festivals and has been awarded Best Experimental Short Film twice so far and nominated for Best Original Score!

Now, I am currently in post-production on my third short film, Score Pending… and I cannot wait for everyone to see it. As of today, I am writing and planning my moves for directing my first feature film.

Life is wild. Life is intense. Life is worth every moment of doubt, grief, hopelessness, and anxiety because all those seeds I’ve been planting over the last 4 years are starting to sprout. And life is bountiful, surprising, full, and loving. I’ve learned that being consistent is one of the most powerful abilities on this planet. By consistently telling myself, “I can do this, I’m capable,” I’ve found so much strength. Be consistent in everything you do and things will change. I consistently train for acting, consistently write and direct, consistently show up for myself, for my friends, and for my family. Consistency has been the biggest key for me.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Whether it’s acting, directing, or writing, telling a story that captures a glimmer of the reality of life in any regard is one of the most precious things in my eyes.

In acting, it’s that moment when I feel and know I am speaking from the heart of that character. I know them just as well as I know myself. I am so fully moved and captured by their spirit. They and I exist as one in that moment. Tapped into the energy of another and living and speaking in harmony. It’s magic. And I am so honored to show their soul to the world.

In directing, it’s the creation and exploration of a world. Whether it be completely ours or just holding small fragments of our world, it’s the moment where you’re so encaptured and absorbed by it. How the story presents itself to you in its’ own living and breathing form, and how it transforms your life forever from that point on. Finding hope in a story and bringing that hope back home with you. Holding dearly to it as it shapes your day-to-day.

In truth, it’s the magic of the story.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Support the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike! Take time out of your day to talk to artists/creatives who work in the film/tv industry that are struggling right now. Ask us why we are on strike and we will tell you everything and why it is SO important. The resources are available, they just require your involvement to land an impact.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @carlzoeder @creekside_studios_atl
• Other: Actors Access: https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/carleesoeder IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8485677/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 Winter’s Year Trailer on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/787638544?share=copy