We recently connected with Serenity Kelly and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Serenity , really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
As a child growing up, I’ve had several different ideas and “career changes”. From wanting to be a neurosurgeon, a professional basketball player, and a politician, finding the right path for me hasn’t been an easy journey.
When I reached high school, I had no direction at all. This was especially difficult for me as I’ve dealt with comparison all my life. My peers seemed to have it all figured out and knew what they were going to do for a career after high school. This caused me to feel envious, confused, and behind in life.
When I got to college, I was still unsure of where I fit or what my talents were. It was clear to me that math and sciences were not my strength, and that cleared a path for me to focus my attention in the arts. It was during my third year of undergrad that I took photojournalism and a media production class and used a DSLR camera for the very first time. It was here that I fell in love with video and photography which quickly carried over into editing! For the first time in my life, I was positive about what I was destined to do.
I became a head photographer at my church in 2019 and started doing independent passion projects. I found joy in editing and always related it to putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Everything just began to fit and fall into place for me and ever since then I’ve run with it! It lead me to work in news for 2 years and now graduate school where I am pursuing my MFA!
So to answer your question about how I found my purpose, I took my time trying different things and used process of elimination. I identified my weaknesses and knew that those areas weren’t what I should do for a career. I had a semester in undergrad where I took a science and math class at the same time and failed both classes. I felt like a failure, but the lesson I took from that semester was that at least I tried. Because of that, I knew that I didn’t want a career in anything pertaining to those subjects. I would tell anyone that the key to finding their purpose is just to try something and not rush the process. If it doesn’t work out, then at least you will know what’s not for you. When you do find your purpose however, you will feel a strong passion and interest for what it is that you do. It will feel a lot like home and you will have this feeling of assurance for what you were meant to do. That’s how I found my purpose.
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 love to make films and am working towards being an industry professional. I am currently working on growing my production business Serentertainment Productions and I want to create content for all the oddballs in society. I write, direct and edit, but I am always open to expanding my horizons and learning other roles. As a writer and director, it is obsessively satisfying when I see my vision brought to life by actors and actresses. I get to tell my story through characters that I create along with the world and environment that they are placed in. I also love that it has the power to brighten someone else’s mood, create for them a world of escape, or give them a sense of community. As an editor, I get to be the person who controls the narrative and see the finished product before anyone else. I drive the pace, the emotion in each cut, and paint the picture!
Filmmaking, to me, is an outlet where I can express myself in a manner that would otherwise be misunderstood or ridiculed if only spoken verbally. Growing up, I was always the oddball out in groups at my school and even within my own family. I’ve never really followed trends and have always had my own sense of style and personality. One thing that I love about who I am is that I am well-rounded and cannot be placed inside of a box. I have the ability to connect with any human being whether it’s through music, food, culture, or common interests. I feel that I connect to everyone on some level and just have a genuine love for people.
These are things that I hope to exude through my films. I hope to make things that are frowned upon or “unpopular” the new normal. I want to be a trendsetter for people to be them authentic selves and not care what anyone thinks or says. I have a strong belief that no one should be a copy of anything or anyone because there is always only one original. I also want to challenge certain thought processes and narratives in society and I feel that I am able to do that in film. This is why I love to make films!
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?
I would say the three most impactful things in my journey is the ability to remain teachable, to have patience, and resiliency. Being teachable has not only kept me grounded, but it’s allowed me to learn new and old lessons in my professional and personal life. I don’t know everything and I learned over time that it’s ok to admit that. It is not anything to be ashamed of because it leaves space for other people to pour their knowledge into me and make me stronger at my craft. It also shows people that although I am confident in my strengths, I am willing to be vulnerable about my weaknesses. You can never learn too much.
Having patience has been something that I’ve been challenged in my entire life. As someone whose struggled with comparing myself to others, I know what it’s like to look at everyone else’s progress and desire those results for myself, but I had to remember that greatness takes time. If I continue putting the work in for the success that I want, then ultimately my work and sacrifice will pay off.
Resiliency is something that everyone should have, especially in the film industry. No one is exempt from failure and everyone is going to fail or feel like they’ve failed at something. This is a reality that I have faced multiple times in my life, but it’s never about the failure, rather, how you respond to that failure. You can either let it break you and keep you down, or learn from it and allow it to build you.
So what I would tell people who are early in their careers is to be patient with themselves, be teachable, to not be afraid of failure, and NEVER compare themselves to others. Their journey is their own and everyone finds success in different ways and at different paces. Growth and development takes time and flowers and plants don’t bloom overnight. If they keep watering their seeds and are persistent towards their goals, then it will not matter how many “no’s” they’ve received, or opportunities and projects that didn’t go their way. In the end, they will see that those “misfortunes” were teachers in disguise all along and that they became better for it.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
First and foremost, I would most definitely say God who creates my path and guides me daily. Secondly, I have to say that my parents, Anthony and Leslie Kelly, were the most helpful in helping me overcome challenges and building the necessary skills and qualities that I need for success. To start out, before I was old enough to attend public schools, my parents were and always will be my first teachers. Growing up, they emphasized and modeled the importance of work ethic and education. In 2006, my mom returned to school to complete her degrees in education and my dad worked very hard overnight shifts to provide for our family. Even as an adult today, I still rely heavily on my parents for wisdom and advice. They have always supported me, stood beside me, and pushed me even when I’ve taken my foot off of the gas at times. When I am down and discouraged, they remind me of all the work that I have accomplished over the years and that quitting is not an option (they didn’t raise no quitter!) My mom tells me to have my pity party and to feel what I feel during tough days, but then she encourages me to get up and fight another day! I fight another day for my dad who has sacrificed so many years of his life so that my siblings and I can chase our dreams.
My parents are my “why.” This is the approach I take in my professional and personal life. Things aren’t always going to be easy and challenges will arise, but then I remember their words and that they are always rooting for me! It helps me to go a little bit further and pushes me closer to my dreams every single day. I am thankful to God for my parents, my siblings, and my support system back home in Fresno and here in Atlanta altogether.
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Image Credits
Photo Credit: Michael Jones
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