We were lucky to catch up with Rachel (R.A.) Hemsley recently and have shared our conversation below.
Rachel (R.A.), appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
When I was a kid growing up, the curled shavings on my windowsill left over from my dad unsticking the window weren’t bits of caulking — they were tiny fairy scrolls. I wasn’t a film school student sitting in a sandwich shop in Orange County on a rainy day — I was the main character in one of my novels or movies, sitting in a pub in England. Being a writer from a young age, people expected me to be imaginative and fanciful about the world. As a filmmaker now in Hollywood, people assume that I’m perpetually in a state of creating. They are mostly right. But I surprise myself with how often I sit down to write a script or novel and spend hours staring at the screen, or absolutely detesting everything I’ve typed out. Projects take a long time to come to fruition in the Film Industry, and my creative stamina can wane after ten months of waiting for a feature film to get funded. In my thirteen years as a professional Creative, my livelihood — and most aspects of my life — have depended on my “creativity,” and the problem is it’s not constant. I imagine it’s the same with anyone, whether their jobs or hobbies are their “creative” outlet. But if there’s one practice that keeps my creativity alive, I’ve learned it’s this: Romanticize everything.
Going to film school at Chapman University, I was informed daily that the Industry is difficult, soul-sucking, and stuck in its ways. Except for the unusual, chosen few who have pioneered and made waves, like Spielberg or Greta Gerwig, I could expect to spend years working my way up, maybe get a shot, and most likely end up broke with a lot of random credits to my name. Hopelessness kills creativity. In any profession or area of life. I get halfway through a sci-fi script and the fear that “I’ll never get enough clout or money to make this” leaves me struggling to produce any worthwhile thoughts on the page. But I have a superpower. Most people had this power as children, but the majority lost it by the time they were eight, nine, or ten. It’s the ability to sit back and look at the world through the imagination.
Lenses of possibility made our unhindered minds see shadows in our bedrooms and convince ourselves that they were monsters. We would see dragons in the clouds, or hear music in the rain. That’s the secret to a constant fountain of creativity. If I romanticize the world around me, even in the smallest way, it automatically turns on that right side of my brain and can give me inspiration. If I have a long commute across LA in rush hour, I turn on movie soundtracks and let myself become lost in the view I’m passing by. By the time I get to where I’m going, I’ll have three new story ideas. Sometimes you just have to look for the wondrous and extraordinary details in ordinary life.
While I’ve always had a tendency to romanticize everything, it has been largely reinforced the last three years. I have been a freelance producer and director creating and producing YouTube shows for the bigger studios, such as Mattel, Warner Bros., and Disney. Nearly all of these have been kids shows, ranging from ages 6-12 years old. For most of these shows, we are asked to incorporate some sort of toy or product, along with making it educational or activity-based for the kiddos. That can be a challenge. I can’t count the times I was completely out of ideas for how to make things like a water bottle or pillows “fun” for kids. So I would think like the kids I direct – look at the world and these objects as if nothing was impossible. Suddenly pillows could be mountain peaks that small dolls would have to climb, and the water bottle could be a water tower that they’re trying to get to to save their kingdom. Being on set with the kids, I would see first hand how they could take empty, ugly wads of trash and a trash can and turn it into a game of basketball. Confine them in a long car ride in the rain, and they’ll race rain drops on the window. Who says we need to stop thinking that way?
So I am fully of the opinion that everyone is capable of being creative. It doesn’t matter how “practical” or boring you’ve become as an adult, you can always stare and admire the sunrise on the train in to the office, or smile at the person wearing a colorful outfit on the bus and wonder what kind of person they are. We need only to look at the world around us with delight, even the ugly or boring parts of it. Especially those parts. Now, I am currently in the funding process to raise the budget for my first feature film as a director/writer. It is a family/inspirational film that deals with this very subject: seeing magic in a “grown up” world. In my career, I have decided to fight to keep that child-like wonder, and have each story I tell reflect that. Because it’s a fantastic world we live in, and we deserve to remind each other in every way we can.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
For the last thirteen years I have been a writer and storyteller, starting with a published children’s chapter book, Emma of Winds, and moving into movies and television as a writer, director and producer. I have always loved stories that bring imagination to life, usually in the style of Disney live action in the way of fantasy, inspiration, and adventure. My heart as a creator is to bring together different generations, build up dynamic and inspirational female main characters, and make every story I tell about hope (which in today’s world and media, we honestly don’t get enough of). In a world of media that has focused on pushing agendas, being dark and gritty, and sticking to the same five A-list stars, I focus on story, uplifting content, and love working with up-and-coming talent who can fully envelop the characters and world. I have created and directed shows on YouTube for DC Comics, Warner Bros, Disney, Mattel, and more, and have several award winning short films online or in the film festival circuit. I have also directed commercially as a freelancer and am currently pitching several shows in different genres for streaming and feature films to different studios and networks.
I am most excited for my first feature film as a director, which we are currently partnering with investors for! I am building up a studio (Raema Studios LLC) which is setting up a slate of content and partnering with both merchandising and publishing to turn these stories into books and audiobooks for families all over to enjoy! Where Disney and other studios are failing to produce original, wholesome and quality content, I hope to fill in that gap, creating films and shows that I, my 10 year-old goddaughter, and even Grandfather would enjoy watching.
You can learn more about me and get in contact with my team and I at my website, www.rahemsley.com. I am available for most commercial or narrative freelance work as a writer, producer, or director!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
In my personal journey, nothing has propelled me more than good communication, determination, and humility. As a leader, both as a director and producer, but also in business and as a mentor to others, clear and engaging communication is key. Learning how to convey what is inside my head to creative teams for a film, or to a business executive looking at my project, has been a skill that I’ve developed and use in all areas of my life. I’ve learned that the more you can focus on connecting with the people you are communicating with, then use that connection point to tailor your way of conveying your desires and intentions, the more people with not only understand, but be encouraged to work with you. Even if I want something from someone, or am talking to an employer, my first goal is to connect personally with them, and care about that personal connection. Everything else will flow from that.
Determination for me looks like not caring about the closed doors in life. There will be a lot of them, some slammed in your face that you hoped would be an open opportunity to accomplish your goals. But for every open door, there’s an open window. Even if I have to film a short film on an iPhone, or if a business meeting goes horribly wrong, it will not change the fact that I know I have a good idea, and there will always be another way to do things. There will be every reason to give up in life, but I have never failed to find at least one reason to keep doing what I’m doing, and that has always been enough. You never know — one wrong closed door could force you to the right open window.
Humility is essential and looks different for everyone, but for me it has been learning to be content with where I am at. Your career is not a finish line… it’s a journey. Every stage is important and full of success if you look at it the right way. I have had to humble myself and ask for favors, have done low-level jobs just to learn, and have made films I’m not exactly proud of. But with every single thing we do or go through, we learn something. And if we can be humbled and look for those things, we will move forward with more wisdom and more steadfastness. Arrogance is something I can’t afford. Even if you are an expert at something, there is always more to learn. Life would be boring if we knew everything anyhow. So stay humble, and you will accelerate all the more, as I have.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
As a creative, I am only interested in working with passionate innovators. Whether producers, cinematographers, companies, or businessmen/women, I am drawn to people who want to create original stories, new ways of conveying information, and better ways of doing business, especially in the Film Industry. In my opinion, there has to be a better, more integrious, more advantageous way of being profitable as a movie industry without compromising values or rights, and without bowing to the monopoly studios’ of doing things. I want to connect with people who not only have the drive to work hard and are passionate about their craft, but who see areas in the process where improvements can be made and make them! Currently my producing team and I are looking for financial investors for this feature film, which will be building not only a slate of content for years to come, but building a team of people who want to get better stories out into the world for their families. I am also always partnering with businesses or creatives that need help producing content, and am available for producing, directing, or writing work as a freelancer. My team and I can be reached at contact.rahemsley@gmail.com, or through instagram @r.a.hemsley.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rahemsley.com
- Instagram: @r.a.hemsley
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-r-a-hemsley-7a913446/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDq4f_i7x-w
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0OmkHHU1VI
Image Credits
Image Credits: Jiro Schneider Christopher Matista Work & Play Productions
