Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Erica Rowe. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Erica, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
Self-esteem is a really tricky thing to figure out no matter what age you are. Like most people, I struggled with it to a certain degree, mostly in my younger years when I didn’t quite know who I was yet. I’ve always been one of those people who adapts depending on my friend circle, so taking the time to figure out myself was key to having a healthy self image.
It’s also about ignoring the nay-sayers. Easier said than done, right? Especially these days where there is so much negativity on the internet and on social media, it’s hard to ignore those comments that hit a bit too close to home. What always helps me is remembering that people who throw negative words or thoughts your way is more about them than it is about you. They themselves don’t feel confident or have low self-esteem, and instead of dealing with it head on, they aim to bring down everyone around them.
For me personally, I think my confidence comes from my knowledge. I can speak from a place of experience and trust that I have the right information. Does that make sense? For instance, when someone asks me a question about editing, or they need help solving a problem, I am confident that I know the answer because I’ve had the same issue and have worked as an editor for so long it’s second nature. This boost my self-esteem also.
To boil it down – it all comes down to trusting yourself. Trust your gut; trust your experience.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I’m a video editor by trade, and work mostly in the DMV area. It’s something I’ve been doing professionally for well over a decade, and it’s taken time and effort to get where I am today, which is something I’m proud of.
I’m also one of the co-founders of SHRUG Productions, a production company I started with a few friends about a decade ago (I can’t believe it’s been that long!). We make short films, mostly comedy, and compete in local film competitions regularly like the 48 Hour Film Project and the 72 Film Fest. Doing those competitions has really allowed us to grow as filmmakers and also as a team. We’re actually about to do the Baltimore 48hfp this coming weekend, and will be doing the 72 Film Fest again this year in October.
Personally, I’m also a writer, and have been working to get my book finished and published. It’s been a long process since sitting down and focusing on writing can sometimes be really hard after a day of editing, but I’m excited to do it.
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?
Patience is super important. I know – you’re probably rolling your eyes and thinking “come on that’s so cliche”, but it really is crucial. Not everything is going to happen immediately. Everything takes time, and it’s important to give things time.
Another [learned] skill is determination. What I mean by that is – don’t give up at the first hurdle. Things won’t always go the way you want or the way you imagined, but that doesn’t mean you stop trying. Things will happen the way they need to, and sometimes you don’t see it coming. Just like patience above – give it time. It took me a long time to learn this one. Earlier on in my career when I was first getting started, I can’t tell you the number of times I didn’t hear back from an interview or application or whathaveyou. It’s frustrating. But I kept at it. Eventually I got to a place where things flow naturally, but it took years to get here.
One of my biggest assets as a film editor has been my speed. I work very quickly but also have an eye for detail. And I’ve gotten even faster over the years. One of the reasons I can do this is because I know my tools inside and out. I’m an Adobe Premiere Pro editor. I’ve been using the software for a decade. I know the shortcuts, I know how to troubleshoot. I know my tools like I know the back of my hand. This is crucial for my work, and also gives me an edge. Knowing your tools is absolutely worth the time it takes to learn them.
If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?
Currently one of my biggest challenges is related to my production company SHRUG Productions. We’re at a stage in our work where we kind of done a lot, but we have no real budget (other than our bank accounts) which makes more ambitious projects almost impossible. We’d all love to just create our films full time, but money is always an issue. This is our current challenge we are trying to navigate. When we figure it out I’ll let you know haha.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ericarowe.com
- Instagram: @eastarigan
- Facebook: @eastarigan
- Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/erica-rowe-86727732
- Youtube: Shrug Productions
Image Credits
Erica Rowe, Wyatt Unger, Daniel Sadler, Charlie Henry, Wes Farquhar, Adam Adkins, Cait Kelley, Maya Elby, Brian Booker, Shawn Shaka, Andrew LaHaise, Rachel England, Matt Mendoza, Ian Ampoyo, Andrew Stainer, Jessicca Unger, Donovan Randolph, Athena the black cat, Chancey June Gannett
