Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Christopher Copelabnd. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Christopher thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

My story begins like many people in my current position: a freelance, multi-hyphenate creative working out of Los Angeles, California, after moving here from a small town in a flyover state, dreaming of pursuing big dreams in a big city. Blah blah blah. In my case, the town was Chelsea, Alabama, a 30-minute drive into “the sticks” from Birmingham, also known as Magic City. Built on a foundation of rich iron reserves and the industry that sprung from them, Birmingham is a railroad town nestled right in the heart of Dixie (with all the complications a name like that would provide). Partly why I never really felt quite at home there, I suppose.

To most people from the town I grew up in, I imagine my path has seemed quite reckless and full of danger and risk. But lived from the inside of my life, it seemed the much greater risk to stay put and pursue a more “comfortable path.” Telling stories and expressing myself through creative mediums was what you might call my destiny since I was four years old and fell in love with playing pretend, wielding a stick for a light saber and a bath towel for a cloak. As I grew older, I learned music and got involved in local theater thanks to my parents, realizing my imagination needed a place to be made manifest. This continued until I started playing in metal bands in high school.

I eventually decided to give community college a try, majoring in English with a minor in theatre. I remember the moment my friend from Birmingham, Joseph McQueen, who has since gone on to mix and produce albums for some of the biggest names in rock and metal music, asked me to move to LA with him. I had kept him waiting for around three months telling him I was still thinking about it with no definite answer. One day he just told me that at some point, I would have to make a decision, and I knew as soon as I typed the words “okay, I’m in,” I would be committed to it.

I’ll never forget the moment I made that decision. It felt like I was clicking up a roller coaster that I could no longer pull the eject button on, but the moment I finally texted him “okay, I’m in,” I felt a sense of freedom I had never experienced before. Although I didn’t know exactly where I was going, I knew that I was on my way.

I’ve been on my way now for the last nine years in LA. I’ve cried in coin laundromats at 2am wondering what I’m doing with my life, gone through multi-year acting conservatories, recorded albums, had songs I’ve written placed in big budget feature films, worked with some of my heroes, made some of my best friends, and sat on the hills of Mulholland Drive overlooking the Hollywood lights, promising myself I would never give up.

Each time I’ve broken down, thinking I can’t take it anymore, a more driven, more focused version of myself has risen from the ashes. In short, although I’ve never known what my life would look like in another year, I would not trade the person I’ve become for having taken an “easier” path. A long time ago, I heard a Japanese proverb that goes, “Fall down seven times, stand up eight.”

It makes an improper fraction, but I believe it’s the proper way to live.

So, if there is something you feel that you must do, if there is a Self that you feel you might become, although the “risks” might seem great to someone on the outside, the greatest risk of all is never knowing what you might have been if you allowed yourself to believe in yourself. My life so far has been a story about embracing the journey, and when life knocks you down, stand up one more time than you fall. I’ve made a living on my creative dreams and although I don’t know where it will take me in the end, I know I’m still on my way.

Christopher, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started out as an actor and musician, but now work primarily as a writer-director in narrative and commercial film. This encompasses cinematography, directing, and even creating marketing strategies.

My true passion is storytelling– the art and science of human transformation.

A psychology-forward focus on Story has made me just as adept at finding the structure of a character in a narrative as bringing out the emotion at the heart of a brand story on the marketing side.

When I work with a client, whether it’s a producer, musician, or brand, my role is ultimately that of a Communicator– to truly understand the client’s goal and find the most clear and compelling way to communicate that they are *exactly* what their audience has been looking for all along.

I would like for people to know that I truly care about the work I do. Possibly too much, haha. Every opportunity to make something is an opportunity to make something great, and I bring all of the lessons of a very diverse professional background into everything I do, giving me perspectives and ideas which might typically come from a group of people rather than a single individual.

I mostly work through referrals and word of mouth, so the best place to find me and my upcoming work is on Instagram @CTCopeland !

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

I published an article on Medium compiling the most transformative storytelling ideas I’ve come across over ten years of learning and practicing storytelling and story structure. Anyone who is interested in learning how to tell a compelling story would benefit immeasurably from the minds I’ve highlighted here.

https://medium.com/@christopherthomascopeland/free-storytelling-resources-ultimate-edition-42fca14c4a30

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

I don’t know if I’d say that I’ve HAD to pivot, but my life has been full of them. I came to LA to pursue comedic acting and moody acoustic folk music– neither of which I do now. But it’s usually been due to actually living that lifestyle out for a while, feeling the rewards of it, and realizing it wasn’t the end of my journey.

More than anything, I’d say be open to letting go of who you think you are in order to discover what you might become. We are so often trapped by our ideas of ourselves (and worse– our imaginings of others’ ideas of us!!) that we can become paralyzed.

I suspect most people feel that they may be interested in a different career or hobby or lifestyle and never pursue it because there’s no evidence in their past that they can become that. But just like characters in stories, until we we become conscious of them, we don’t choose the circumstances that make us. So who we happen to be is always but a shadow of our potential.

Follow the strange things which gleam. That’s where the adventure begins.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: ctcopeland
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-copeland-7bb760150/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChristopherCopeland

Image Credits

Christopher Copeland