We were lucky to catch up with Erica Sandifer recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Erica, thanks for joining us today. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

Mental Illness is what I like to call, a “specialized stigma”, especially among black communities. Talking about mental illness is taboo, or where you have to be brave enough to not really care of the opinions that will be devised of you. I am living with bipolar 1 disorder, severe depression and anxiety, and recently I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Those who are ignorant to these diseases automatically associate a negative connotation to you or your personality, identifying you as “crazy”. No one wants to work with a “crazy” person right? I’ve been fired from my most recent job as a journalist due to symptoms of my diseases, not because I was “crazy” but because of my inability to function during depressive stages that are part of the diagnoses. Some days I move mountains, some days, I can’t get out of bed. I don’t go around “going off” on people or do I lash out. I don’t threaten people and I definitely don’t commit mass shootings. I am simply a creative balancing a chronic disease—meaning it will be with me for life. Being Bipolar simply means the inability to control your emotions—either I very happy(manic) or very sad(depression) two cycles that exchange roles in my life quite often, making it hard for me maintain jobs, new friendships and relationships. I’ve learned that being bipolar is a symptom of my greatness, how truly gifted I am. I am a best selling, award winning author with a novel in libraries all over the world. I’ve come to the realization that most of our most favorite creatives struggle with these same issues. We’re just waiting for the community to evolve and accept.

Erica, 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 am from the Mississippi Delta with a MFA in Creative Writing from Full Sail University. Full Sail Strong! Getting into the film industry was by accident, I was young and blindly looking for a Master’s program that would allow me to write novels; however, I stumbled upon film and television writing. Although I do not have any active productions, I am master at my craft and I have the ability to teach and guide those who seek knowledge. I am the owner and creator of a screenwriter’s forum for women—Women Write Too! I created Women Write Too! for all the undiscovered and underrepresented female screenwriters in the industry. Women Write Too! is a safe place to coexist and be heard! We plan to host screenwriting contests, screenwriting festivals and online classes to help more women learn the art of visual storytelling! I am so proud of this project because I know will reach and change so many lives! We plan to fully kick things in gear in 2023, so be on the lookout!

I am also coming out of retirement as a model! Although I’m not quite so tall, I have a face that commercials are waiting for, so I am looking forward to reentering the illustrious world of modeling!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

In 2013, I failed a class at Full Sail that caused me not to graduate. I was devastated. For four years, my mother and I wrote letters and contacted the school in hopes for the allowance to be readmitted. In 2018, I grew tired; however, I did not give up. I called one day and my prayer was answered. I was offered six courses where I had to make not only straight A’s but A+’s. This happened over a course of six months—needless to say, I graduated February 2019. It was the most challenging feat, but I mastered it.

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

Since 2019, I’ve been a licensed Realtor; however, I recently made the decision to retire as an agent to focus on my true gift, writing. Although I am passionate about real estate, I want what God wants for me. He gave me the gift of word—I am a true wordsmith! So, I must use it. In order to fulfill that destiny, I had to eliminate time consuming distractions that would throw me off course—and I’m completely fine with that while trusting God in this season and process.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ericaamericas.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericaamericas/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086572880332
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwGblDbXCI7xrcTlr_AANPA

Image Credits
Photos by Tuan Le Instagram: @snaptyme_photoz Facebook: Snaptyme_Photoz Hair and Makeup by Shara Shaw Instagram: @opulent_beauti | @woodshaw_imageconsulting Facebook: Woodshaw Image Consulting LLC Custom Dress by Vanessa Blanding Instagram: vanessathedesigner Facebook: Vanessa the Designer