Meet Jessica Hinkson

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jessica Hinkson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jessica below.

Jessica, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

It comes from not letting shame define you.

On a warm, bright morning some years ago, I awoke with my dog spooned beside me. The light filtering through my somewhat sheer curtains felt particularly piercing. I was low, and I was in pain. I had been sexually assaulted a few nights earlier. At least, that’s the phrase I’ll use—the more likable, polite, cuter phrase a “good girl” might use.

My vision was blurry, a side effect of the post-assault drugs. My eyes were bloodshot, puffy, and weepy. My dog nestled closer. I couldn’t get up. I didn’t want to get up. I ached.

I wondered if I should stay. It was quiet, almost silent: the grief, the shame, the fear, the desperate longing to be anywhere but here. The answer rose from within—“Yes.” Yes, I should be here. I belong here.

But no one was coming to save me.

How much pain? How many times must we endure before we listen to our bodies screaming “No”? Apparently, many. It took many before I finally decided to answer the call.

Yet I know it was always “Yes.” Yes, buried deep within me, within the layers of my fascia. I needed to claim it, fight for it, and own it—my life, I mean. My worth, I mean.

Some might call this indulgent sharing. Some might think, “She’s not for me. I don’t get her.”

And what I need to say is this: my shame no longer defines me.

It was a moment in my life that I shoved down for far too long, only to keep fighting harder, longer. Accepting what happened created space for self-forgiveness and the truth that grief and joy can coexist—as can trauma and living a great life.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am an award-winning independent filmmaker, and my films have garnered numerous international accolades. They have been broadcast on CBC, Amazon Prime, Super Channel, and Highball TV. In 2021, I was honored with the Women in Film Screenplay Award at the Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival for my film SARA. I graduated from The Neighborhood Playhouse and had the privilege of being mentored by Terry Schreiber. I am a full member of UBCP/ACTRA, a proud member of WIFT-Toronto, and an Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television member. Some of the highlights of my career include being a multi-Stowe Story Labs alumna and founding Hello, Darling Pictures. I am also thrilled to be part of the prestigious Women In the Director’s Chair Story and Leadership Program, where I am developing my first feature, Concrete Marshmallow, in partnership with C’mon Mort Productions.

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?

Becoming a healthy, happy person—what that looks like and sounds like is different for everyone. For me, yoga grounds me and keeps me present. Walking my dog, staring at my dog, and snuggling with my dog creates a magical, unconditional bond. Gardening is my latest discovery! Putting my hands in the dirt, planting, and being is like a divine meditation. I find cooking, baths (get the candles, bring your book, journal, ice water, and essential oils), and long walks on the beach or in a forest are soul-filling.
There will be so many “no’s,” and it will feel wearing, but keep going. It is about perseverance. And I promise that “yes” will come. So werk, werk, werk on you being you with your unique voice, POV, and insight. The world needs it. The world needs you.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

Reading Stefanie Foo’s “What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma ” was a gateway to giving myself agency.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jessicahinkson.com/
• Instagram: @jess_hinkson

Image Credits

Headshot captured by Lauren Vandenbrook

B&W Stills by Kenya-Jade Pinto