Meet Stef ‘Sharky’ Schultz and the Crew of ‘Favorite Place’

Great photo –  you look so intense! 

Thank you Jennifer, it was taken by Chris De La Rosa, a prominent photographer in Austin!  While I am no stranger to ‘running and gunning,’ and being in front of or behind the camera over the last few years, all I’m having to do is review footage in this photo!   Could not have made the upcoming video without my crew, and the production was a joint effort with my friends at Alliance Streaming LLC, Rachel Roe, and  Calvin Cates, who owns and operates it.  He brought Connor, owner/operator of the eSports Cave franchise in the greater Austin area, to our party too, we snatched him up as soon as we could!  Stay tuned, there will be an additional interview coming up that will talk more about the shoot itself.

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Stef ‘Sharky’ Schultz. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Stef ‘Sharky’ below.

Stef ‘Sharky’ , appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
In order to thrive and be my happiest, I’ve learned to find the beauty and joy there is to be found every step of the way, because it seems like trying times are upon us more and more these days…sometimes, we may find that difficulty can inspire us to come up with beautiful ways to express ourselves that may not have occurred to us in more prosperous situations….and other times, it can be a challenge just to get through a day or week, let alone feel creative on top of that!

The good news is that we ALL are capable of creating art; the very definition is “the expression or application of creative skill or imagination,” and though it can be tricky sometimes to find our mediums, you’ll never know unless you DO and KEEP DOING! Don’t ‘try’….that’s an energy-wasting word. Regret is so much worse than failure….it may help to look at failure as a series of steps until success is achieved. Keep doing your best….and when your best doesn’t feel like enough, keep adjusting, but I’ve learned lately that ‘showing up’ looks different every day for some of us, and I think that’s fine.

It helps me, personally, to have a lot of different outlets…..and it also helps to know when to take breaks, including making adequate time for self-care….I have found personally over the years how true it is that rest can have a great effect, and help you get good perspectives on things! I’m one who naturally wants to push harder and harder and burn the midnight oil…but often it’s the connections we make and the opportunities we find along the way, when we’re happy and well-rested, that bring about the breakthroughs we seek. Also, if something isn’t flowing or making sense today, coming back to a project tomorrow, or even a month or more later, with a fresh set of eyes and better mindset, could really work wonders. Avoid burnout. It’s hard to recover from.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am so grateful for the (3) MAIN opportunities on my table right now, at the time of this interview – it’s mid-August, and:

-I was in the Top 5 of a national singing competition, placed 4th, had to drop off of campaining for it in the final days due to being blindsighted from a layoff and having a shift in priorities, but it was for a chance to perform at a benefits concert in NYC in October — at least some proceeds from that operation will be going towards the Suicide Prevention Foundation, thankfully — which has deep personal significance to me…if you have never been through darkness like that, be thankful, but be there to listen to people you care about who may be going through something. It’s okay to not be okay, or understand how to communicate that you’re feeling sad, but know that these feelings don’t have to last forever…we’ve never lived tomorrow before, and there really are so many things to get excited about out there, even if some of us, there where we are, have to work a little harder to find them. Please know that your life isn’t just yours…it also belongs to the people who love you…and will miss you more than you will ever know if you leave. If you think the suffering inside is so great that it’s not worth enduring, you’re probably in great need of making your world bigger. Reach out and see how big the world can be, and understand that you are not as alone in it as you perceive. Maybe your location is the problem, maybe it’s someone toxic who’s dragging you down, and maybe even just getting a change of scenery is a good start to getting out of your head. There are usually options and ways to improve your situation….and talking to new people or empathetic people and people you can trust could present perspectives that may not have occurred to you.

This is actually a theme in the music video I’m in the final stages of editing — which brings me to “Favorite Place,” which was filmed with good friends of mine in Austin! I learned from working as a freelancer in the Film Industry for years that Talent and Directors don’t get very far without a dedicated crew – so I’m fortunate to have such an amazing group of talented friends in my circle to work with me on my latest project. I’m Executive Producer on this, and I co-directed with Director of Photography Calvin Cates of Alliance Streaming, and towards the end of the shoot with Connor Stilwell of the Esports Cave chain in Austin. Our 1st AC was Theresa Rodriguez, and her son Saul was able to join the party too (and see his first film set)! Allen Irby was our awesome 2nd AC, and keeping us all lit up and looking cool was master lighting designer Brian Blake (bkblake.tech). Behind-the-scenes photos were taken by Christopher De La Rosa and Alli Holland. So happy that my friend Jennifer, as well as Rachel Roe of Rachel Roe Music, and Corey Powell aka Ratarue, could come too – check out their music, also! Wardrobe and consultation were compliments of an additional musical artist and singer-songwriter friend, Jia — check out BabyGee music!!

The song is going to be about getting outside of your head and out with your friends – making your world bigger – and, drawing inspiration from the strikes happening in the film industry right now, it will also emphasize how everyone’s job is important on set, and how every crewmember should be respected.”

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?
Resilience & Humility are key qualities — it’s all about not burning out and giving up, but having grace and mercy on yourself and being willing to approach things differently to achieve the results you may be seeking, and not being afraid to not look like you know what you’re doing while you work things out. It’s a balancing act.

ACCEPTANCE and ACCOUNTABILITY — look ’em up, break ’em down, learn ’em all the way around. I think those count as an important life skill. I wrote a song called “Perfect World” about how we’re only going to be perfect when the world is, but be patient with yourself if you’re seeking to improve….>insert cliche here: A JOURNEY BEGINS WITH A SINGLE STEP!<

Area of Knowledge — have several of them, and achieve them by cultivating a Student Mentality. Never stop learning and improving.

It’s a tough world out there, but these items are a good start — or a good continuation to what you’re already doing! That was more than just ‘three things’, that was several things, but they happened so fast, that NO ONE EVEN NOTICED, >OR< YELLED AT ME…the end.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
Oh, pull up a chair, I have SO many strategies for overwhelm; I collect them, it’s a hobby. Oy, sometimes, even being simply ‘whelmed’ is too much, am I right? Like, ‘what even IS LIFE?!”
We’re all in this together – everyone has problems, of every shape, size, color, flavor, etc. but they’re ALL problems ALL the same, so why pretend ANYONE’S life is perfect? Be still, jealous doomscrollers…..

First – stop trying to clone other people, what are you, a mad scientist?! We all get our time to shine, as hard as it may be to visualize that when you’re going through a dark tunnel. It may take time, but learn who you are, and be that…..therein that ownership, you will find POWER. As a matter of fact….let’s try something. Instead of comparing your life to other people’s…get gutsy and start asking some folks why things seem to be going well for them….their answers may surprise you, or you may even learn some best practices. Few things are as they seem.

Second – control is really an illusion…so learn to let things go. Advice from one of my coaches, Colleen Finn, look her up — she shared that when everything in the world gets to be too much, visualize that you are on a beach somewhere. Take a stick and draw a circle around yourself in the sand. What is inside of the circle is what you need to focus on. (It’s also protection from Sea Bears, depending on who you ask) Once things calm down again, you can go from there. Another friend from over the years told me to ‘put our oxygen masks on’ before helping others. Some advice from me in addition to his advice: keep the friends who give you a lot of good advice.

Third — speaking of oxygen masks, BREATHE! Everyone has different breathing techniques, there are enough to choke a — well, let’s focus on breathing, not choking. JUST….remember to BREATHE. Two quick inhales in and a long exhale out, some swear by that….others use the 4 seconds in, hold for 4, release for 6 seconds rule. Both of those have helped me. And speaking of breathing, we need to plant more TREES because they clean the air, and we in general just need to significantly reduce the mindless consumption of single-use products.

Fourth — PSYCH! Now you’re just being greedy! Besides, if I give away ALL of my secrets, why would you want to stay tuned for my next interview…….

…heh.

Riddle me this.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Christopher De La Rosa – Austin Alli Holland – Austin Don Q Hammond – Los Angeles, 1 photo of me smiling, orange, being used for my Opening Act music competition

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