Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Stephanie Ferreira. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Stephanie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

“Surrender”, the short film I wrote, produced, co-directed, and starred in! I come from an acting background and so I was used to waiting for my next role. You audition, you wait to hear back, most of the time you don’t, and then the cycle continues. It can feel incredibly disempowering as an artist to feel like you’re at the whim of other people’s choices all the time. When all my inner artist wants to do is play and create whenever they want! And so, in a lot of ways I was pigeonholing myself and keeping my creativity designated to being an actor. When I knew I really wanted so much more. So, I finally took the chance on myself and explored writing/producing/directing and activated a whole other side of myself. It’s incredibly powerful as an artist to self-coronate and claim your dreams and not wait for anybody else’s permission slip.

Creating this film also allowed me to be really intentional about the pulse I want to put forward into the industry. We need more LGBTQIA+ stories, so I wrote one. As a queer artist, it’s really important to me that I see my community represented. We need more women led film sets. So, I made sure I built the film team with that intention, from Producer to Director to Cinematography and beyond were women in film. Not only did this film allow me to claim filmmaker but it gave me the space to consider what kind of filmmaker I want to be and to put that energy forward in every facet of the project.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a multifaceted creative; a Filmmaker, Actor, Wardrobe Stylist, and Event Curator based in the NYC area. At first glance these 4 titles may seems varied, but they all flow in the vein of Expression. Whether personal expression or the expression of a vision. What drives me is activating the most authentic expression, whether within a person, a story, a character, or creative event.

Coming from an acting background, crafting a character went beyond just performance, it went into visual storytelling through wardrobe as well. Ask any actor what solidified the character for them, and most often it’s when they put on the character’s costume or the wig and looked in the mirror. How you express yourself through clothing has the ability to activate energetic parts of you that want to come forward. So, I began Styling Sorcery, my styling business for photoshoots, taking on personal clients, and costuming for independent film projects

Creative directing and styling for photoshoots ties in so nicely with my love of filmmaking. They’re all different scales of a self-contained universe or story being communicated. My enjoyment of creating these self-contained moments expands into Event Curation. Most recently, I felt the synergy of so many of my passions come together for a “Spotlighting Women in Indie Film” event I curated and hosted. An evening of ten incredible short films, directed by women, and the filmmakers in attendance for a panel discussion on their creative process. Truly a magical night!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The feeling of knowing I am an active creator of my life. I’m actively interacting with the creative energy within and around me, whether I’m creating a film over months or water coloring over coffee in the morning. I’m choosing truth and authenticity. I’m choosing play and beauty. And I’m also choosing those moments when the artistic path feels a little hard, because it isn’t so cut and dry. That is rewarding to me, knowing everyday I’m listening to my inner artist and intentionally choosing my creative life.

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

A lesson I’ve had to unlearn is that I needed to know everything about a subject/thing before beginning a new endeavor. There’s so much that comes up when someone is stepping into a new medium or new project, hello imposter syndrome. Jumping into making my first short film was daunting and I had to surrender to the process knowing that I would learn through doing. It’s scary sometimes, to free fall into the unknown but there’s always some level of unknown with Anything remotely exciting or worthwhile. I’ve found as I leap more, the steps reveal themselves, community shows up, and I meet myself deeper in the self-trust.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephferr897/

Image Credits

Casey King

Ele Rasco

Brian Carter