We recently had the chance to connect with Erica Rowe and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Erica, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Lately I’ve got a lot going on outside of work. It can be a struggle to keep up sometimes! But on the whole, I’ve been focusing on my creativity and getting back into creating art. I’ve also been taking some online classes to expand my knowledge and learn things I’ve always been interested in but never took the time to learn. That’s been very rewarding so far and I’m enjoying the process of learning something new.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi there! I’m Erica and I am a Video Editor. While I work full time making educational content, on the side I have a production company, SHRUG Productions, that makes short films (mostly comedies). We compete in a lot of timed film competitions (48 Hour Film Project, 72 Film Fest) throughout the year that enable us to make high quality films in a short amount of time (usually a weekend), while also allowing us to experiment and improve our craft.
Outside of filmmaking, I consider myself to be a storyteller, using various mediums to do that (not just film). I play soccer, I do archery, I do [and sell] art. And yes, of course I’m a gamer also.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
I think in general others see you clearly and in a way you don’t see. For me, one of the most obvious instances of this was toward the end of freshman year of college. Film & Video Majors had to decide on a specialty at the end of freshman year, and I was struggling to decide which specialty to choose. I was torn between writing (which I still love), and directing (which I’m not crazy about but have done many times when the need arose). When chatting with my film production professor, he suggested I think about editing. At the time, it surprised me because I’d never considered it to be an option. I was so focused on the other choices I never thought about trying editing. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me, and that’s what I ended up picking. My entire professional career has stemmed from that one choice. I think my life would have looked very different had I gone in a different direction, had it not been for that one professor seeing the editor in me before I did.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Stop waiting for tomorrow.
It’s something a lot of people do, and I do it over and over again to this day. I think to myself, “Oh, I’m not ready to write today, I’ll start tomorrow.” The intention to act is always there, but the follow through is the hard part. And then before you know it, years have passed, and I’m still “planning to do it tomorrow”. And then I look back and think “why did I waste all that time doing nothing?” It’s a lovely cycle.
So, I would tell my younger self – stop waiting. Just do it. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by doing it today.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
I think most people have different versions of themselves and present themselves differently in different company.
Me personally, the different versions of myself are all very similar. The person I present myself as to the world is my authentic self, if maybe a bit refined at the edges.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
Tricky question. How do any of us really know the answer?
I can only hope the answer to this is yes, I’m doing what I was born to do. I have always seen myself as a storyteller. The way I’ve done that has changed over the years, but has always been a connecting thread of everything I do in life. There is a calmness that comes over me when I’m doing something that is “right”. No hesitation, no doubt, just calm. Any time I’m creating something, I have this feeling. That, for me, is how I know I’m doing what I need to do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ericarowe.com
- Instagram: @eastarigan
- Facebook: @shrugproductions
- Youtube: @shrugproductions
Image Credits
SHRUG Productions team photo
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
