We were lucky to catch up with Victoria Elder recently and have shared our conversation below.

Victoria , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Hi there! My name is Victoria Elder, and I’m from Orange County, CA. I discovered my love for film when I was a kid. I used to dress up and perform for my grandma when she was sick with leukemia. It wasn’t until I saw how happy it made her that I decided this is what I wanted to do with my life. I started acting class when I was 12 and got my first agent by 13, but I was always either too young or too old for parts. Driving back and forth for auditions was difficult and disheartening.

My parents were supportive in their own way. They never made me feel like I needed to do something else that was more practical. That was my older brother’s job. I always felt like I needed a backup plan, so I went to college to become an accountant because I liked math. However, I quickly found out that this field wasn’t for me. I tried computer programming, which I did enjoy, but I knew it wasn’t my passion.

Taking acting as an elective, I met a teacher who re-sparked my passion for my craft. So, I packed my bags and headed to LA. Now, I am with an agent who respects me, and a class that keeps my craft sharp. Eighteen years later, through all the experiences I’ve had up until this point, I found a love for directing. I picked up a camera and started making small films on my own. I taught myself how to shoot, edit, color, and play with sound through Youtube Academy.

Last year, I was finally able to release my first short film that was longer than 3 minutes. It was a grueling process, but because I love what I do, it didn’t feel like that. With a handful of wins from numerous festivals, that sparked me to create more story-based shorts with a small team of friends I’ve collected along the way.

Though it is a difficult field of work to make it in, if you have passion and love for something, you should always go for it. Even when you are dealing with everyday life – love, money, family. As someone who never asked for help, It was a struggle, but I am proud of the person I have become. I believe you can create your own reality, and that’s what I do with my films.

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.

I now work as a social media marketer for the restaurant I used to serve at. I turned my job, which was killing me, into a job that I can work remotely from. I now have time to work on my creative endeavors that also lead to a payday! The more you work at it, the more opportunities present themselves. I now have time to work on my own short films, writing, filming, and editing. I am in the works on running my own film festival and am helping on other people’s projects.

The key to all of this is the freedom to do what I love. Through the discipline of believing that there was a way out of my serving job, I have found myself in the position I’ve always wanted to be in with no limits.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I believe everyone is creative. There are just some people who believe in the unbelievable. Most people abandon their creative ventures because they feel, “It won’t make me money,” or “That’s not practical.” It’s simply not true. Anyone can do anything if they really want to. This is a tough pill to swallow. People will read this and say, “Easy for you to say,” or “Your life must not be as difficult as mine.” These are the things I’ve heard from people my entire life. That’s because we were taught that the only way to survive is to make money. In some ways, that is true, but instead of thinking, “I have to work to live,” you can live through your work. If you love to do something and you think it isn’t practical, then you carry doubt. In yourself, in your abilities, in any hope that you’ll ever enjoy what you do. This is something I struggled with a lot throughout my entire life. I learned all these ways of thinking through my parents’ divorcing over money. It wasn’t until these past two years that I started figuring out my relationship with the dreaded “money.” It’s everyone’s favorite excuse not to pursue something. The best thing I’ve ever done for myself, and the best advice I can give anyone, is to look at their relationship with money. If that is the reason you are not doing something you love and thriving on it, then you need to figure out the root cause of that. Whether it’s your family, like it was for me, an abusive relationship you can’t leave, or even insecurities you carry within yourself. Finding the root of that will open up so many opportunities for creative endeavors that you’ve been burying deep inside. Let your inner child play! Let go of doubt in yourself and your abilities!

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I highly recommend “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron. I just started the book this year, and it encapsulates everything I have been feeling all my adult life. I want to say, “If only I found this book sooner…” but that is a way of thinking I have let go of. The “if only” mindset is a dangerous one. I truly believe that everything is presented to you at the right time.

I was gifted this book by one of my good friends. She was reading the intro and saw a little excerpt about a woman named Victoria who was a talented but lost actress that found her love for directing using this book to help give her the tools to go all the way. It was a moment of synchronicity. Some would call it fate. After reading the first few chapters, I felt to myself, “I feel like my future self wrote this book to give my present self this message.” A few weeks later, another friend whom I had recommended the book to told me that the author has the same birthday as me. Moments like this start to happen when you open yourself up to the possibilities of the magic of the universe and the power within yourself.

I share this in hopes that it will help someone else find that magic!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.victorialaurenelder.com/
• Instagram: liltoria