We recently connected with Alyssa Stormes and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Alyssa, thank you for joining us today and sharing your experiences and acquired wisdom with us. Burnout is a huge topic these days and so we’d love to kick things off by discussing your thoughts on overcoming or avoiding burnout
I feel very fortunate to have a lot of different interests and talents, but even with all of that I still experience burnout! Burnout for me goes hand in hand with creative blocks, and my solution is the same for both and is pretty simple – try something new! If I am trying to draw and can’t find the will or inspiration, I will try a craft kit I’ve never done or watch a movie I’ve never seen. There is an endless supply of creativity that is more accessible than ever: use it! This will also force you to take a break which is essential in cultivating a healthy work environment, especially when you’re alone for most of it. If I am stuck on an individual task for more than an hour, I put it away for a full day (if time allows). I reset, I eat, drink water, do something relaxing/not work related, and then go back (and not a moment earlier).
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a filmmaker and visual artist based in Minneapolis. I have a background in the performing arts( violin, theatre), a degree in Film, and had a long history of working in the nonprofit arts sector before making the jump to full time freelancing in 2020. This summer I had the biggest shoot of my career for a pop-installation at the Mall of America for Nintendo’s Summer of Play. Local company Star fabricated all the pieces for the exhibit, and I did a 12 hour timelapse of the whole installation. I also directed local musician Julia Brennan’s music video for her new single, Sticks and Stones. It’s out now on Vevo!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
When I first started on my own I tried exploring way too many sources of instagram. I opened like four different POD shops, was too focused on my social media accounts, and my website was huge and confusing. Having a little more focus in the beginning would have saved me a lot of time, but it also taught me a lot about what works and what doesn’t when you’re selling your work/services. That leads right into the second biggest teacher on my creative journey: learning how to price your work. This was especially difficult to learn as a videographer/filmmaker because rates varies so much from job to job and person to person. It’s a common thing with creatives that we are afraid of charging too much, or charging enough to cover our time but not lose the client. My advice is to charge what you know you’re worth, or more accurately what it actually costs to provide your service or product. Whenever anyone tries to ask for a lower rate, I defend my prices because I know this is what it will take to be profitable for me as an independent artist. When you are confident in your prices, people will respect them. Lastly, follow the money. If something is costing you a lot of time and is not producing actual money in your bank account, drop it. In the beginning I was trying to pursues illustration, design, videography, and photography, and I was stretched way too thin to build on any of them. But, my portfolio was mainly video, and that’s where my big projects started to come from. Keep that momentum rolling and sooner or later you’ll have some breathing room to explore other avenues or reinvest in the one that is footing the bill.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
Musicians, performers, bands of all kinds, hit me up! Music videos are my favorite thing to make, and I am offering them at cost for unsigned artists, BIPOC, LGBTQ, and those with disabilities.
I am also working a lot on providing custom closed captions, so if you have a short or feature film entering into a festival, make sure it’s accessible and get it captioned!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.alyssastormes.com
- Instagram: @alyssastormes
- Youtube: @alyssastormes
