We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Elizabeth Dowland. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Elizabeth below.
Elizabeth, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
The biggest risk I’ve taken was abandoning a stable career path to pursue creativity. Since I was a little girl, I always knew that whatever career I chose for myself, it was going to allow me to be expressive and creative. My dream was to be an author for quite a long time, with storytelling being one of my greatest passions – from writing whimsical short stories to thrilling graphic novels. It wasn’t until I was about to go into high school that my direction really changed in a surprising way.
The high school I’d chosen to go to had something called “Career & Technical Education” programs, which was a major reason why I wanted to go there. Specifically, they had an architecture program, and with the persuasion of my family, I chose to try a class out during my freshman year. At the time, I was a big Sims fan and video gamer, so I loved building cities and residentials – and I mean, how much different could architecture really be?
Within the first few months, I’d caught the attention of my teacher, who was a highly successful architect with several published works under his belt. I think he most appreciated that I was a young woman interested in such a heavily male-dominated field, as he was a huge advocate for breaking the norms and encouraging more young women to pursue STEM/STEM-adjacent careers. I definitely was a bit of a teacher’s pet (not exactly by choice, but it did feel nice to be recognized) and he taught me everything I needed to know to be a successful young professional. Even though architecture never truly felt quite right for me, I was very quick to pick it up and run with it. Over the next 4 years, I worked on projects with Habitat for Humanity, founded and became the president of a National Association of Home Builders chapter at my school, and even made history by receiving accolades on the first all-female team to compete in a major competition at the annual International Builders Show. I was making a name for myself in the architectural field, and my friends and family had never been prouder. And through it all, still, something still didn’t feel right.
When I began university, I declared architecture as my Bachelor’s track, with the goal of eventually going for my Master’s degree. The first year was the hardest, as it was a competitive program I’d enrolled in – about 700 freshmen in my class, and only 70 to be selected at the end of the year to move forward. After months and months of late nights in my design lab, eyes bloodshot from staring at light tables and microscopic blueprint details, I miraculously became one of those 70 lucky souls to be selected into the program. Sometimes I still wonder how I did it, but I did nonetheless.
In my second year of university, my life changed completely. I’ll save the nitty-gritty details for another time, but it was a hard time for me. Unbelievably so. While desperate to prove myself to my professors, my peers, my family, that I was worthy of being an architect, the spark in me – as dim as it was to begin with – began to fade away for good. I practically hated the path I’d chosen, I couldn’t stand it anymore. Among other things, such as my declining mental health, relationship strains, and feeling as though I’d lost my identity, I just shut down. I stopped going to my classes because I couldn’t bring myself to go anymore; I stopped doing my class work and talking to my peers because I felt ashamed and drained and failed.
It wasn’t until I had an epiphany – or how I like to see it, a divine intervention – that put me on the path that I’m on today. I wish I could tell you when the exact moment was when I woke up, but one day, I just did. I was on the verge of dropping out of school and joining the military when it dawned on me that the reason I was so unhappy was that I had abandoned my childhood dreams. The freedom that was storytelling. And that’s when I decided to become a filmmaker, more specifically a film writer and director. The biggest fear for me at the time wasn’t the instability of the field (which now is definitely a daunting challenge of mine and many creatives out there), but more so the reaction of my family. They embraced me with all of their love and support, which I’m endlessly grateful for, and that really allowed me to let go of all of my other fears and insecurities so I could embark on my new journey.
I remember my first film class like it was yesterday, because it was like it was the first day I found my happiness again in a very long time. Everything felt completely surreal, in the best of ways, and I just had this undoubtable knowledge that I was doing what I was supposed to all along. I’ve held that feeling close to me from the beginning, and now I get to look back at where I came from with gratitude. If I hadn’t abandoned the comfort of the life I’d begun creating for myself, I may have never woken up to the beauty it has blessed me with in these past several years. And I’m only looking forward to what the future has in store for me.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Elizabeth Dowland, and I’m an independent writer and film director based out of Phoenix, AZ with a BA in Film & Media Production through the Sidney Poitier New American Film School at Arizona State University.
I have a 5+ year background in film and media production as a writer-director, production designer, and video editor, as well as 10+ years in theater/performing arts as a professional dancer and actress.
My main focus is on writing and directing for both film and television, however I have been commissioned to and enjoy designing sets and editing video content in my spare time.
Some of my personal and professional works include having written, directed, produced, and edited over 15 productions ranging from short films, documentaries, music videos, and social media content.
I also was a Production Intern at the San Francisco-based independent and LGBTQ+-owned film production company, 13th Gen when I was first getting my start in the film industry.
My most notable production, however, is my short horror-comedy film, “Murder Pizza”, about a young waitress with an insatiable appetite for revenge.
I developed “Murder Pizza” back in 2021 as my graduation thesis in university, and it has since taken on a life of its own.
I’m very grateful to have had my film be officially selected to screen at several national and international film festivals and conventions including the Downtown Los Angeles Film Festival (2022), A Night of Misfit Films Film Festival (2023), the Canadian Independent Film Festival (2023), and Winter Horrorfest (2022).
My film has also presented me with several opportunities to speak on panels, meet and get to speak with other like-minded filmmakers and creatives, and even be able to present my work in front of legendary filmmakers behind some of the most iconic horror flicks including “The Exorcist”, “The Nightmare on Elm Street”, and “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”.
As it has recently wrapped up its cycle in the film festival circuit, I have been working to have my film distributed to expand my audience, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled!
I definitely have an affinity for horror and the dark arts (if you couldn’t tell), and have had the pleasure of being a woman in horror as it has allowed me to showcase a unique voice in what is otherwise a heavily male-dominated industry.
I’m very involved in the horror, goth, and arts communities in Phoenix, and love to spend time supporting other artists and surrounding myself with creativity and different perspectives. Currently, I am developing a psychological thriller television series in which I have been focusing most of my time on writing as of late, before going into production.
As I pursue being an independent filmmaker, I manage a tattoo parlor – Club Tattoo – to help fund my creative endeavors. It’s also been a pretty great way to enable my tattoo habit…
When I’m not writing or working on another film project with my colleagues, you can always find me with a sketchbook in my hands or performing monthly shows in my Rocky Horror Picture Show shadowcast troupe as “Frank-N-Furter”.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the freedom it provides you. Not only does it provide you with the freedom of self-expression, but it also gives you the freedom to re-discover yourself and your perspectives on the world. Being a creative is digging deep into your soul and extracting all of the beautiful things that make you up – even the darkness, the gritty, and the “ugly”. Creative expression is the expelling of your inner thoughts and feelings onto the canvas of your choosing, and in turn freeing yourself of the restraints we often place on ourselves, or the conformity that society expects of us. The reward is not just the outcome of your expression, but the journey it takes you on.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I think the biggest misconception “non-creatives” might have while discovering mine or other creatives’ journeys is their inner monologue telling them “I could never do that, I’m not creative enough”. I truly believe that creativity lives inside of everyone, no matter if you’re a broker on Wall Street or a computer engineer. Maybe it’s dormant at the moment, but it’s there, and all it requires is a little patience and an open-mindedness to look inwards. That’s not to say to give up your career to pursue the arts (unless that’s what you want to do, in which case, you have all of my support), but it just means that you absolutely have the ability to explore a deeper part of yourself, and you might just feel better for it. The best part, too, is that creativity comes in a plethora of forms, whether it’s in the way you dress, in a painting, or in the way you strum guitar strings. It also doesn’t have to be “good”, which I think is entirely subjective and tends to get in the way of people exploring their creative side. All it has to be is what you want it to be. An escape, a form of serenity, an explosion of emotion – anything you desire. The hardest part about all of this, which I believe whether you’re a creative or “non-creative” you will experience at some point, is a willingness to take a risk and be vulnerable with yourself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm13175028/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
- Instagram: @sistersleaze (personal) @murderpizza (film)
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-dowland/
Image Credits
Josh Ohea, Andrew Cybuch, Chuck Pennington