We recently connected with Sophia Franzella and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Sophia, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

When I was a little girl, I would stand on toy boxes when my parents’ friends came over for dinner, and I’d force unsolicited entertainment on them. I would change costumes midway through the day. My childhood best friend and I would choreograph dances to perform for her family gatherings. I would often attempt to cast and direct plays at recess in second grade. I always knew I wanted to be an artist, and I am very thankful for the many opportunities I’ve had to perform, choreograph, and direct.

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

I grew up in New Orleans, dancing and acting whenever I had an opportunity in school. When I was 14, I lost my childhood home and belongings to Hurricane Katrina. That experience and trauma shaped my life in ways that were painful and extremely enlightening. My family encouraged me to perform throughout my entire life, even after the storm when it was such a struggle to adapt to our new lives in Dallas, Texas.
I started auditioning for the school plays at my new school and quickly became obsessed with acting. I went to school in Austin, Texas where I studied acting from incredible professors with professional acting experience. I was lucky enough to perform in many shows in my college program. Soon after college, my partner Nathan and I moved to Seattle to pursue careers in both making theatre and performing professionally for regional theatre houses. I have worked with almost every playhouse in the city and have learned so much in the past 10 years.
However, when the pandemic hit and I lost work, I wasn’t sure what to do anymore. I returned to a retail job and began working on my own artistic projects again for the first time in years. I was writing, dancing, collaborating with others on new ideas.
When I returned to acting professionally after the pandemic, I felt a shift within me. I wasn’t feeling creatively free by just being a freelance actor anymore. I realized I enjoy creating my own work so much that I only want to audition for shows that I absolutely want to act in. For me, auditioning for any play simply to pay my rent wasn’t feeling good anymore. It created a strong scarcity feeling within me, a competitive and fearful mentality, exhaustion, and I missed having the time to make my own work. Performing and auditioning (and usually working other jobs additionally) is exhausting.
At first, I felt like I was “quitting” my original dream of being a professional actor, but now I understand that I just enjoy many different ways of creatively expressing myself. If I can get compensated for any of my passions, that’s amazing; but if it’s simply for the love of it, that feels good too! Just as long as I get to create, I feel incredibly lucky and free. It’s so nice to detach from the labels we or others have placed on ourselves. And while I do see myself as an “actor”, I now know it is only one facet of my creativity. I also want to keep choreographing, writing, directing, and teaching with the same passion and time I’ve given acting for the past decade.
The past few months have been spent co-directing a new show called What I Like: a theatrical game with lab theatre Filament: A Collab Lab– a theatre lab I began with two collaborators Nathan Brockett and Brittany Allyson in 2016. I loved directing, choreographing, and devising with the incredible ensemble and my co-director Nathan Brockett. I felt joy and challenge in a way I haven’t in years. It was exhilarating. I can’t wait to do it again.
I’ve also spent the past 2 years really leaning into education. I started to take on more teaching work for income as I began to move away from performing professionally. But then I really began to get curious about teaching and have begun to enjoy it. I often teach acting and auditioning to ages 7-18. I also love working with disabled and neurodivergent communities. It brings me immense joy to share space with students and create together.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I believe art is for everyone. I believe art can teach you so much about yourself. It can increase your capacity for empathy and stir-up existential questions everyone shares. It can connect you to yourself and others and gives you permission to feel everything without judgement.
Art has saved my life more than once. Making or viewing art has comforted me in times of fear and doubt, isolation, pain, and crisis. I want others to know they aren’t alone in their human suffering and making art can bring us together and maybe diminish the intensity of life a bit. I try to create work that heals myself, and by doing so, I hope others feel lighter.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I’ve read/done the workbook of The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron twice, and I cannot recommend it enough. It is a treat to your artist self, and you deserve it!
I also love Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art. He has no time for your ego’s excuses, and it has helped me get out of my own way artistically. Both of these books address the concept of Resistance which has several faces but is essentially artist self-sabotage!

Contact Info:

• Website: coming soon!
• Instagram: @soulfirefranzella & @filament.collablab
• Youtube: Sophia Franzella

Image Credits

Brett Love (first 3)
Quinlan Corbett (last black and white one)