We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Elana Frankel a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Elana, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I grew up surrounded by people who think differently. My father is a photographer and art collector and while it might not seem it, my mother’s creative superpower is being a psychologist (key to getting people to tell their story). My sister is an entrepreneur, the most creative of creatives. My cousin is an Academy-Award winning documentary filmmaker. Another cousin is a tie-dye artist and another, runs an online art collective. One more is a woodworker. I married a graphic designer, who also designed toys and furniture, and have two sons, who are just at the start of their own creative journey.

It never occurred to me not to be creative. Growing up, I found myself framing up when I entered a space. When I walked down the street, I could hear a soundtrack playing along. I listened to stories and wrote them down. Short stories. Plays. Scripts. I painted what I saw. I thought I wanted to be in front of the camera. I thought I wanted to design sets. I learned about lighting. I got a Bachelor of Speech in performance studies in college and went on to graduate work in Italian Futurism. I worked in publishing. I was a writer, author, editor, creative director, editor in chief.

Finally, I put it all together and made a film, Cannabis + Creativity. Why at that moment, only a year ago? It was the right time. I had amassed a lifetime of understanding and finally felt equipped to tell stories with both a strong visual point of view and strong narratives with engaging characters. And, it isn’t fiction. It’s real life. Real stories that are transparent and truthful. The stories resonate and connect with people because they are universal truths that remind us: We are not alone.

Elana, 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 had been a writer, editor and producer for years. About 8 years ago, I was working as a creative director for an online design company. I was producing photo shoots around the world; and had 40 people reporting to me. We pumped out new content that went live twice a day, on the web site and editorial blog. We produced print and television ads and marketing collateral, Then, during a dinner in Miami during Art Basel, I stood up and excused myself. I wasn’t feeling well. I never made it to the WC. I fell and fractured my skull. When I woke up, I was getting a cat scan and when I tried to talk, nothing came out and I couldn’t move. I was bedridden for weeks, unable to walk or talk. Bed and brain rest were prescribed by doctors and neurologists….for a year. My husband found an alternative, a natural anti inflammatory that would relieve the brain swelling. Cannabis. He was thinking differently. I found the right protocol and within 3 months was up and talking. Going back to work, slowly. But something else was different. I was different. Yes, a near death experience can change you but the truth is a little more complicated. The plant-based therapeutics in small doses, with an entourage effect of THC, CBD, CBG, CBN and terpene profiles changed my brain.

I found myself thinking about a magazine called Women and Weed to share stories, which after 3 issues became a book. I started thinking about advocacy and mission-driven work surrounding the plant, art, culture and legacy, social equity and history. I started to paint again, everyday, a little watercolor of something I had seen. I was writing and the childhood memories I had of framing up rooms and sound tracks came rushing back. I had been rewired. I needed to make a film.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I first decided to put everything I had learned/amassed together in a film, I immediately went to my cousin, who I had worked with over the years on films, and who obviously had a thriving creative career in documentary filmmaking with 2 Academy Awards under her belt.

I was buzzing. Budget? How do I raise money? People? How do I put together a team?

She told me one thing: Raise as much money as you can and then make the best film with that amount of money.

I never forgot that.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Early on in my instagram life, I was VERY lucky that someone who was working on a story for BuzzFeed included my feed as one to watch. That quickly got my numbers up. But truthfully, it’s taken a while to get it to where I want it to be–filled with creative people, authentic, truthful and a bit risky. I focus on one platform, which may not be the norm, but works for me. Instagram is all about creativity and that’s what I focus on. I love it but don’t live by it.

LinkedIn is for business, thought leadership and professional connection,

I ignore FB…although I am a voyeur. Shhhhh…..

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @elanafrankel
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elanafrankel/

Image Credits

Book silo and open to Parenting story: Darryl Arbesman