We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sarah Iseley. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sarah below.
Sarah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?
The first dollar I earned was paid in cash and passed in an envelope through the box office window at Snow Camp Outdoor Theater. I worked as a part-time, local actor in two historical dramas in Snow Camp, North Carolina for two seasons, once after I graduated high school and again after my freshman year of college. It was not a glamorous gig. We rehearsed and performed outside in the elements, in the middle of summer – in the middle of nowhere – on a stage that was supported by twigs, twine, and tetanus. I loved every second of it.
Growing up, I didn’t really have much exposure or access to theater. I knew that I loved it, but it always seemed to be just out of reach for me. So when I learned that I could be part of the Snow Camp company – a company I had grown up watching – I knew that’s what I needed to move toward. I played many small parts in both plays each season, which I loved; I loved getting to create magic with my castmates; I loved building a community; I loved telling stories and thanking the audience in costume after the stories came to an end. My favorite parts were the big dance scene in the first play and the one fight scene in the second play that the women got to be a part of where I did my first stunts. I got so much energy from these scenes, as well as the quick-changes and zooming through the tunnels under the stage and playing under the stars. Being a part of these special shows in this special place told me that I need to tell stories in a somatic way surrounded by people who also care deeply about the craft.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
In the simplest terms, I am a storyteller. Practically speaking, I am a filmmaker. In more complicated and potentially contradictory language, I am a creative person who works mostly in Post-Production but who also splatter-paints herself across Stunts, Podcasting, Voice Work, Party Planning, and Travel Advising. I am all over the place. But! What reigns most true and authentic to me above all, is that I believe I can adapt myself into any medium in which a story compels itself to be told in.
I have been telling stories in some way my whole life, so it’s hard for me to pinpoint where my love of storytelling started. My mom read lots of picture books with me when I was little; my dad showed me lots of movies growing up; I often recruited my siblings for various narrative antics; I always loved being involved in extracurricular activities and learning through active and creative play. Through these and other life experiences, I think I developed a sense of perspective in which I could share my voice and feel like I was seen and heard (which, as an introvert, was huge).
In eighth grade, with the help of my teachers and my dad, I made my first video projects. I loved this process so much that I asked for permission to sometimes make video projects instead of essays in high school. Luckily, my teachers obliged. While I enjoyed writing, directing, and filming these videos, I most loved how the story came together in the edit. I especially loved planting unexpected jokes and surprising moments in the cut so that I could watch my classmates’ reactions. The stresses of Windows Movie Maker incessantly crashing and of waiting all night for my projects to render and export the night before the due dates fell far below the magic I felt from the giggles and focused, unified watching experience I created in my bedroom studio.
Over the years, that seed of editing has grown into a career, which I am very thankful for. I have edited two feature films and a few handfuls of shorts among other projects. That storytelling seed has also allowed me to join the Motion Picture Editors Guild and to work on many features under the title of Assistant Editor. I also am grateful for the freedoms I have as a freelance filmmaker to take projects that interest me, which allows me to get on set from time to time as well as to take breaks and to travel.
The project that feels most personal and authentic to me, though, is the one I am also the most proud of. It is my podcast/blog, “The Let Me Play Project.” In this project of self-exploration, I give myself permission to pursue everything that feels like play – rollerskating, watching movies, making movies, Irish dance, aikido, parkour, travel, and more – and I chat with friends along the way to learn more about some of the character traits I admire in them. Since I’ve begun this project, I feel like my sense of wonder has come back; I can once again look at the world as a playground filled with potential and people who can support me rather than a system I need to force myself to fit in – something I struggled with after graduating college. I am very much still finding my way along my path. But one day, I would love to grow this project into a movement to encourage people to invite more play into their lives, in whatever ways feel most authentic to them.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
Well, first of all, I don’t believe in the creative, non-creative dichotomy. I believe that everyone is creative but that some people are more in touch with their creative spirit than others. I also believe that creativity is very much alive and flows in waves like water or energy; what inspires creative thinking in one person will differ from what sparks another, and though one person’s creative pace may be much slower or faster than another’s, the pace itself doesn’t dictate innate creative capacity. This unique connection to the creative spirit across all bounds and against all odds is what allows musicians and chefs and architects and pilots and CEOs alike to craft their careers from a place of flow and authenticity.
That said, I imagine people who are less in touch with their creative spirits may be most perplexed at why I believe that I will be successful as an “artist.” But the joke is on them – I don’t! Or, rather, I don’t blindly assume that creative success will be bestowed onto me. Actually, the only reason that I create is because I feel compelled to. And the only reason that I keep creating is that I am encouraged; I am encouraged by learning new skills and subjects; I am encouraged by collaborative construction; I am encouraged by observing the reactions of others when I share something that I have created. Creativity is a positive feedback loop of magic; it is a lifestyle and a mindset, and I allow my creativity to guide me whenever I can because it allows me to see the world in a more playful way.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
Recently, I have enjoyed learning about others’ perspectives on creativity itself. I love Rick Rubin’s “Tetragrammaton” podcast as well as his book, “The Creative Act: A Way of Being.” I also enjoyed Steven Pressfield’s “The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles.”
As a freelancer, listening to podcasts where successful people share ideas about business management and entrepreneurship has been helpful. Some of my go-to podcasts are Lewis Howes’ “The School of Greatness,” “The Mel Robbins Podcast,” and Jonathan Fields’ “Sparked” (on which I was featured!).
Outside of literature, finding other independent and creative people who have forged paths for themselves within my community has been very inspiring and reassuring. It is wonderful to have positive role models and mentors to show that independent success is both possible and rewarding. It’s also helpful to bounce questions to them from time to time, and they tend to understand and empathize with your struggles.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://letmeplayproject.substack.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/letmeplayproject/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sjiseley/
- Other: My travel advisor persona is named Evelin! Reach out to Evelin for Adventure for all your trip-planning needs: https://www.foratravel.com/advisor/evelin-iseley
