We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jasmine Brimsmayd. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jasmine below.

Jasmine, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

My most meaningful project lately is the one that I’m currently working on; Guild In Real Life. It was a project I started as my personal family dynamics began to shift in the wake of my transition and coming out. The story celebrates Transness and Trans folks and our found families in the film, while simultaneously has been a beautiful way for me to connect with folks as it’s been developed and begins its shift from development to pre-production. I hope that that continues as the journey of the project continues too.

Jasmine, 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’m a Writer, an Actor, and a Filmmaker. I started all of these at the same time it feels. My artistic journey fortunately started when I was little; I always would create stories with my toys I played with, and then I wrote down their adventures. I think that was likely where my love for writing began. My town’s school district just so happened to want to build an art school for K-6 in the area I lived in at the time, and the rest was history.

Since then, I’ve received a Bachelor of Science in Television and Film Production, and an MFA in Acting. Throughout both programs, I continued to write short films, television pilots, and plays! The thing that I’m most proud of is that through all of my work, whether it’s Script Supervisor on a Set, Performing in a Play or Short Film, working as an Assistant Editor, and beyond, I think what sets me apart is that I’m always thinking about the story of the project. The story helps anchor me and ground me, and I think wondering how I can better service the story allows me to make unique creative decisions that I wouldn’t make if I was only thinking about my part alone. “What is the story trying to say?” or “What is this story about at it’s core, and how does this moment reflect it?” are things I’m always thinking of no matter what the job is. In a way, it makes all of the work feel the same at times (or at least very interesting overlap!), just different tools I’m using to answer those core questions.

Nowadays, I work in Los Angeles as an Actor and Freelance Script Supervisor. I’ve also recently published my first Short Story, “Gnoshing of Teeth” with Q26, and I also began taking commissions for poetry, plays, short stories, and the like as well! As for what’s next — it’s my short film “Guild in Real Life!”.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Paying us! Whether that’s commissions, or paying us for work for your business, payment is the key to best supporting us and allowing us to keep doing what we’re doing.

AI is a terrible resource for artwork for so many reasons. It attacks creative jobs, the climate, and the imagination of those who use it. I also think that the proliferation of AI is proof enough that companies need art and artists in so many avenues. If society can be more accepting as art as another career path, I think that would do so much, and that starts, I believe, with paying us.

I worry sometimes that people see art and the professionals that make art as a luxury item and privileged job. Making art is work, and it can beautiful and rewarding, and it can also be a slog. There can be days where you don’t want to clock in, or deadlines to reach, emails to answer, and meetings to attend. This is true of all work; there are plenty of jobs that are not art-related that people find to be beautiful and rewarding. That is not exclusive to art, and yet society at large doesn’t find working as a mechanic, dentist, florist, or librarian to be privileged or luxurious jobs (though they are important and I’m grateful for everyone who works them! Big love to florists and librarians!).

If society can find it in them to look at art and the career of an artist to be not one of some spiritual calling of the privileged few, but another job that you can want, go to school for, grow in, and develop the necessary skills for to be competitive and receive a fair wage, I think expectation of payment can become more commonplace, and help artists, creatives, and to foster a thriving creative ecosystem. Until then, we’re all supporting each other, swapping art, asking one another for favors, or paying each other out of pocket with as much money as we can muster. While it may not be ideal, it has helped me personally in being one of the strongest ways to develop and foster artistic and creative communities, and I hope that if a future of paying artists regularly happens, that community aspect isn’t lost.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I wish I knew about film school and drama school growing up! The resources, knowledge from professors and fostered community is unmatched. I received my MFA from CalArts in 2023, but I didn’t know CalArts, or Art Schools in general, existed until I was already in undergrad. I feel like if I knew that going to school for Film or Acting or Art in General was a possibility growing up, it would have helped to expand my imagination just a little bit more. Film School taught me about color graders, production coordinators, and the dozens of other jobs that exist within the film ecosystem that I otherwise would have gone through life without knowing existed. And some of these institutions allow you to audit classes for free even if you’re not a student!

Beyond just the knowledge of Film and Drama schools existing, I wish I knew about Literary Magazines growing up. So many literary mags are out there, and you can just submit to them! Some require payment to submit, but there are plenty that are free (You can find lists on ChillSubs!). I would have tried to publish poetry and short stories way earlier than I began if I knew about them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jasminebrimsmayd.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jazbrimsmayd/

Image Credits

Known Photographers:

Yusef Ferguson
Mao Kawakami
Kathy Do
Mei Ling Marzonie