We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Valerie Brandy a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Valerie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.
My Mom has inspired me in so many ways it’s hard to pick just one anecdote, but I’ll go with this one. I was always naturally inclined toward reading and writing, but when it was time to do the spelling list of the week as a kid, I would get frustrated at not remembering the spelling of words quickly enough. I was a smart kid in the gifted and talented classes, and I tested as having the vocabulary of high schooler in elementary school– the meaning of words was easy for me to “get,” but the spelling was just a bit harder. As someone who was used to things coming quickly, I found this really frustrating. My Mom counteracted this by sitting down with the spelling list of the week, and having me write the words down while saying them aloud. She taught me that people learn best when engaging all faces senses– and writing them let me “see” the words, while saying the letter aloud allowed me to “hear” them. When it came to learning my multiplication tables, she did the same thing and found a “multiplication rap” tape we would play in the car. It was a fun song to rap along to, that made me “hear” the tables while dancing along. This taught me that people remember what they experience with all their senses– and it doesn’t hurt if it’s fun! Today, I use this tactic with my actors. I do a rehearsal with just dialogue, then let them connect that dialogue to a new environment– a new space, typically our “set”– combined with intentional movement. Memorization isn’t about rote routine, but about getting that “thing” into your body as a physical sensation you don’t have to consciously “think” about.
Valerie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’m a filmmaker, screenwriter, and actress. I’ve been a member of the WGA West for over ten years, and currently serve as a feature captain. I’ve written for networks and studios like Walt Disney, and many others, with one of my early scripts being acknowledged in the Nichol Fellowships. My feature film “Lola’s Last Letter,” — which I wrote, directed, and starred in– was a part of the mumblecore movement, and was distributed to major streaming services after a festival run. Last year, I was awarded the “Best Director’s Demo” from LA Live Film Festival. My production company has created everything from feature films to social media content. Our slow content video series “Travel California” is headed to SlingTV’s ambient channels this summer, taking viewers on a drone tour of some of California’s most beautiful landscapes. As an actor, I appeared as Trixie on FX’s Emmy-winning show “Justified,” and was nominated for a Best Principal Actress award from LA Film Review. I hold multiple academic appointments in the film departments of Universities like Loyola Marymount, Syracuse, and UCLA extension.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Screenwriting success found me at a time I wasn’t looking for it. I had written a script with the intention of furthering myself as an actor, and didn’t really even understand what writing looked like as a career. Doors opened for me in the writing world, and I walked through them, even though I wasn’t sure what to expect on the other side– and it was one of the best decision I ever made. What was actually happening was that God knew my talents were wider than what I was seeing. I was looking at my gifts with a miopic view, and God said, “No– you have more to offer.” What I’ve learned is that sometimes pivots are actually expansions. God will shut doors so that we lean into natural abilities we’re ignoring or taking for granted. That’s why you can’t ever let someone else tell you what you’re “qualified” for, or what’s inside you. Only God knows what’s inside you, or what you’re capable of. Even YOU don’t fully know what gifts you have that you just haven’t explored yet. When I pivoted from acting to writing, I wasn’t always taken seriously in the beginning. But I went where the path led me, and I’m glad I did. Even today, I’m exploring new gifts and talents, which is something I love about this industry– it never gets boring, and there’s always something new to learn. There’s always a new area to grow into.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
I don’t really believe in the division between “creatives” and “non-creatives,” because the truth is– everyone is creating all the time. When someone tells me they aren’t “creative,” I always just smile to myself and think: didn’t you create parts of this life? Didn’t you choose that partner and create a relationship with them? Didn’t you stay up late a few nights ago imagining the worst thing that could happen, and also the best? Didn’t you pick that wallpaper in your living room? Didn’t you choose that outfit this morning? Didn’t you create this moment with me, at least in part?
When people say they aren’t creative, what they really mean is they don’t trust their creative vision to be “good.” They tell themselves their hypothetical art would be “inventive” enough, or “new” enough, or “pretty” enough. But in art, there’s no good or bad choice. There is no right or wrong answer. No piece of work is entirely new or different or good or bad. There’s just choices. Some choices are more effective than others– but that doesn’t mean the less effective ones are “bad.” Creativity should exist separate from judgement.
On that note, what I’d want “non-creatives” to know is that the creatives are just like you… and you’re just like them. You create every day at your job, and we do the same at ours. We also have the more managerial tasks, like emails, meetings, etc. We don’t get to escape those either, and often they’re the lions share of our time. It’s the same. We’re all creating. We’re all pining for something. We all are expressing ourselves every day and that manifestation of “us” in the world is a kind of art.
Contact Info:
- Website:www.valeriebrandy.com
- Instagram: @valeriebrandywriter
- Twitter: @valeriebrandy