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

Hi Stephanie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

Let me start by saying that I’m a firm believer in God and that He has a purpose for every life. With that said, I modeled in my early 20s. But, it didn’t pan out and years later I became a cop. At the time, I was on desk duty due to my pregnancy but worked the desk assignment for years afterwards. One day, I had a very interesting conversation with one of our custodians where I told him that I was considering getting back into modeling. He actually encouraged me to do so saying that my eyes tell a story that the world needs to hear. Later, I decided to seek representation with modeling agencies and came across quite a few talent agencies, including Liquid Talent Agency in Richmond, VA. The talent agent, Sheri Bias, brought me on and educated me on what I would need to get started (headshots, etc.). I actually booked my first four projects through Sheri to include two ECPI spots. Best of all, I booked my first two principal roles through her as well; the first being with The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. This would be my very first time being on a set. I climbed into that hair/makeup chair and the artist began working her magic. Then, it was “showtime” and we began filming. Suddenly, I felt at home and thought, “You know, I could really get used to this…” From that point forward, I realized that being an actor is my life’s purpose and I haven’t looked back!

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?

Well, as I alluded to in my introduction, pursuing an acting career was definitely a divine calling. As a matter of fact, I actually had horrible stage fright as a child. I used to participate in the plays and other performances at my elementary school but more so at our church. But, my stage fright was so bad that I used to beg my dad to take me to another church on the day of the performances. He obliged for a while until one day he told me, “Stephanie, this is the last time we’re going to do this.” and he never allowed me to skip a performance again. But school and church were the only places where I acted in any form. I never even considered a career as an actor until about 2013 when I was signed by Sheri Bias of Liquid Talent Agency in Richmond, Va. With that said, what I want potential clients/followers/fans to know about me is that there’s a bit of myself in every character that I become. This is partly why the thought of being a full-time actor comes so naturally to me. But, please don’t think that acting is easy. It’s an art form that I dedicate an abundance of time and effort to. I also make sacrifices to be successful in this career, including time away from my family. However, the end justifies the means so I have full faith and confidence that my family will benefit from all of my hard work for years to come.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I don’t have one story in particular…more like an ongoing saga. People get mesmerized by all of the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. They somehow believe that people are “overnight” successes. This is far from the truth. My journey has been one of far more “No’s” than “Yes’s” and this still goes on constantly. What’s worse is when your mind begins to go down the rabbit hole of “Why didn’t I book it?” or becoming emotionally attached to a role. It’s agonizing! But, in spite of it all, I know that God brought me into this career for a divine purpose. So, as a full-time actor, you must be resilient. You can’t fall apart when you aren’t booked! You also can’t get so emotionally attached that every role becomes a dream role out of desperation. Make no mistake about it, I still get disappointed; however, I keep pushing. I have a divine purpose to fulfill in my life and I refuse to allow anything, especially rejection, to deter me from that!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is divinely inspired from God. There are two very important points of consideration with this. One is that when God has called you to do something, what’s driving you isn’t always obvious nor is it something that you can clearly explain. All you know is that you have to keep going in this direction and nothing else will fill that void. The second, which is vital, is that you won’t always know the end from the beginning, but God does. You have to trust Him, even when you can’t trace Him. This means that you have to go with the flow even when it doesn’t even really make sense to you.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.stephonset.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actress_s_parker/

Image Credits
Jeremy Bustin