We were lucky to catch up with Kymberly Harris recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kymberly, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

The art I respond to investigates a specific relationship between people and their environment. For some unknown but very real reason, the artist feels a need to express something from their perspective about this relationship. What always fascinates me is that the more specific and personal that perspective is, the more universal the effect. When you see a film or tv series ,or read a book, you can feel if the intention is giving voice to a personal perspective on human behavior, or if the intention is the opposite. an artist is interested in questions, not answers.

This path certainly requires risk and courage, as well as an interest in the examination of human motivations. These are the works I feel most interested in experiencing and creating. Think of Chloe Zhou’s first film, THE RIDER. I have nothing in common with that world, but am fully relating because of her eye, her interest, her perspective. So I leave feeling enlightened and connected and a little less lonely in the world. Good work leaves you feeling less alone, more emboldened, more compassionate.

I’m not sure if artists are just born artists. I think it is a kind of proclivity. Certainly. not everyone feels interested in getting into the underbelly of personal motivations or in truthful self- examination. But I think we can all agree that the great works of art are a result of an artist’s passion for just that.

I can’t imagine doing anything else, and never could. If your passion is to study human nature, then you can certainly bring that to any job. An artist will see the world a little differently, no matter where they are. To be an artist and make art is a privilege in our culture. So for me, I’d be a lousy accountant. But, I’d be fascinated to make a film about an accountant and create a vision around some certain detail of the accountant’s relationship with their environment, dive deeply into every reflective detail, and bring it to life.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a director and a writer. I came to filmmaking and directing theatre through acting and playwriting. I acted almost every day of my life since I was six years old, to when I was working professionally in New York in my adult life. In 2006, I started a school and theatre company in my home town of Bloomington Normal, IL. It was then that I began writing and directing the actors I taught in several plays a year. I fell in love with guiding a community of like minded creatives around specific vision and a way of creating characters. When I came to LA in 2014, I started directing, and directed and wrote my first film. This was a pivotal experience where I felt all of my experience and interest had a place to go and was needed.

Several of my film projects and theatre projects have manifested as a result of an actor I taught wanting me to direct them. Having started as an actor and acting for so long, I certainly would say that my understand of the process and ability to bring out performance comes from a special insight into the actors instrument, regardless of their age, gender, race, experience. My skill set has proven to bring out their best performance. I still coach and offer acting workshops when my schedule allows, as I love working with actors so much. I’m directing my fifth film now. My passion for world- building and all of it’s aspects, design, shots, sound, costume, music, is very inspired. But at the end of the day, I know that performance is the most important, and without it, no one will respond to the work. And it is finding actors as collaborators that will always be my first inspiration.

I have several scripts I’m interested in making into films, and I am attached to direct a few written by other screenwriters. Please find my work at www.kymberlyharris.me, and feel free to reach out with questions or ideas.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Right now the unions are fighting for their right to make a living as artists. We have been in a strike for weeks.

I feel the power of art is underestimated. Think of yourself during the pandemic. How much did you rely on watching shows, movies, reading books, art of any kind, to get you through? It’s a human need to see oneself reflected in story. It’s a deep need, as old as time. Cave people drew on walls. It’s primal. It’s just silly to try to take the mystery of the artists process out of the equation. Without the writers and actors, there is no entertainment. Entertainment can’t be created solely as a business model.

Sometimes a protest is what is needed to raise awareness.. America, more than other sophisticated countries that have national theaters and universal healthcare, makes it very difficult for artists to provide this service we all very much rely on. It’s easy to underestimate the courage it takes to live as a creative, and it doesn’t help when those that are hired can’t afford to live on the paycheck they are given. I would love to see more companies, or artists that have resources, create opportunities for professional artists to make independent films and series. Artists are thinking about what they can give to the world, so it would be lovely if giving to artists were more considered. For the world to understand the value of creative work in all of our lives, artists must stand up for their value, keep growing their craft, and believe in the power of using and developing their voices. And mostly we want an environment where we can support each other.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I’m very interested in empowering actors and artists.

I suppose coming up, although I had a strong perspective, I always felt there was this mysterious paradigm that I needed to figure out in order to communicate properly and to work. When I let go of that, and chose to trust that it was my vision and perspective that was important to communicate, I started working regularly.

There is no secret way to get work, or to present yourself, or to say things or to write things. Being an artist means that your job is to interpret what you see as effectively as you can. Every set or ensemble requires collaboration, and the more clear you are on what your role is and what you want to bring to the production, the more valuable you will be in your role. Instead of trying to be like someone else or compare myself to others, I now put my energy into doing the work and growing in my craft. I stay curious about professional contributions, and potential collaborations, while confident that all my hard work and necessary preparation deserves my trust and concentration.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kymberlyharris.me
• Instagram: @firsthand.films
• Facebook: Kymberly Harris
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kymberlyharris
• Twitter: @kymberly.harris