Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea-rachel Parker
Andrea-Rachel, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
hey there, thanks for some time again, sure.. been singing acting & dancing since the age of 6. I began auditioning at an early age, stopped, pursued medicine and came back to it. went to school for pre-med & eventually, changed majors to communications and journalism & then communications with an emphasis on media at an entirely different school.
I love the arts & sciences. creativity & drama…they (fam & close friends) said was just in my blood. took me a while to take it seriously because I was told to get into medicine. my journey has been tons of fun when I look back on it. I have met some cool people, learned a few things and have started to grow into myself even more. with all the fun though, it was not always the smoothest, so I’m hoping this second half can be a bit simpler & easy since I’ve learned more. many internships, & ent jobs. side gigs, auditions & callbacks. much training… and at the time it was in more than one area so I could always be a bit prepared. I would take fight classes, audit acting classes, do online scenes, take Groupon stage combat classes… do things that increased my skill level, like rock climbing courses.. karate classes, singing/voice & voice over. the past was really filled with me learning more than anything, even though it never felt like it then. looking back I realize that 2016 – 2022 was the time I was able to start to apply the techniques & tricks I learned but prior to was just a bunch of skills I developed.
speaking of journies though, now, is a great time to speak on where I am in the arts. I’ve been asked do I still act. and the answer is I will always love to but the circumstances, situations and people have to be right. I’m excited to see what new acting opportunities will be brought to me and come my way, but I’m also excited to get into a filmmaker hat. I d k how yet but I’m hoping to be able to continue this project I am working on, and share a piece of my voyage that some say could be considered a bit dark.
the truth is that, there are so many lessons & sharing this footage and trying to piece together a compelling story is one of the biggest creativity paths I’ve been on.
I didn’t necessarily know things would unfold how they have been & I think the story is there.. and someone would be able to appreciate it.
lately, I’ve been learning the right & better ways to edit produce and direct, I’m looking to tell a story of a past experience on what I think can help women, young girls and some men commit to better healthier happier habits & environments when it comes to relationships between the opposite sex. the men are nervous about this because it can show the dark side, but honestly we end it on a refreshing positive note that I think will help tie the message in together.
it’s a specific & direct reflection of the rooming housing situation I underwent in an area with a guy who was suppose to be a builder & investor in the property & how i was able to circumvent it being weird & all the things that happened in between.
truly im hoping that people watch not just for the shock value
it isn’t reflective of my entire journey though. it’s a tiny blimp of almost 5 months. there was tons of good before after and between so I emphasize that as well. really hope to have people see that, anyone can end up in these kinds of situations, and it’s all a matter of sustaining proper mental health.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Was you grow as a person, and artists, a creative… you change into the person of your taste value & the biggest challenge, is sometimes getting those who are closest to you, to see you as the refined version of yourself.
it’s hard for them to accept, new speech, new practices, new knowledge, new habits, new interest, and harder for them to accept that maybe their place, has changed in your life. it happens all the time within healthy dynamics.
the dynamic of parenthood, changes in healthy child situations… you grow from seeing your child, as an adolescent, to a graduate, to a young adult, to accomplished … to a wife and eventually a parent. most parents look forward to seeing their kids grow into these phases.
& the parenthood analogy is just an example I think many can relate to. but if it’s healthy, you come into your own. no enmeshment.
so a very eye opening hurdle was overcoming the fact and even accepting that you can’t always change a persons perception of you while also understanding, that in my journey, often the perception of me, my artwork, my creativity & process is taken in by really a reflection of the viewers perception of themselves & their own lack, or insecurity. how they see and internalize me, my work, my demeanor my confidence is less about accuracy & more about where they are or aren’t on their spiritual journey.
challenges become easier to overcome when your brain conceptualizes that the act of betrayal, isn’t ever truly personal. and in fact; when they are stating it’s personal, it’s a clue into that there is an unhealed personal part of them missing. rest them and move on. obstacles begin to disappear. a simple I hope you become confident enough to be empowered by my own confidence is really all you need. and poof! issues disappear when we can begin to trust ourselves enough to find the right way to convey our thoughts and feelings with others that allow us to disconnect from the outcome.
so simply, letting go of the ideas that i should always care how others perceive me.
I got back lash for dealing well of actors like Franco, or working on the deuce….after the fact… and a level of people who lacked maturity to play and antagonize me for my roles or the betterment of myself as I wanted more & new things. once upon a time i thought a good deep convo could fix most things but that isn’t always the case with perception, often it doesn’t matter how deep, nor how many questions answered . people will treat you how they feel about themselves. we have to find those who we want to go on that journey with. but we can’t tag along with everyone, especially not at the expense of our own self and well being.
a lover, friend… you work through those seeded things with, often times without even having to speak. but we can’t fight the world always because it dampers the spirit that keeps us bright. if we are a light to others, our first job & priority is to not let it dim. so the struggle of hoping ppl can separate me from my characters i play, the struggle of growing into a new and sometimes different person… realizing that you don’t necessarily have much in common with those you start out with. understanding that you can’t force anyone to accept nor acknowledge your growth.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
lol, yes to clarify, I began as a New York actress. Brooklyn, born to be exact…I’ve been in hit tv shows like wu-tang: an american saga… thanks to RZA, METHOD MAN & ALEX TSU! you can find those shows on HULU.
i’ve also been in hit shows “The Deuce” as Bernice aka ginger, alongside Chris Bauer, James Franco Maggie Gyllenhaal & margarita leveia.
the original tv show show “power,” as destiny, alongside superstars, Omari Hardwick, Michael Rainey jr, naturi naughton of 3LW, Lela Loren, and Joesph Sikora
in 2020, I began working in tech with my own online creativity & bartering hub for the different special and uniquely-abled, “TF?!” check it out,
tradeforsocial.com.
& then got into real estate. bought my first property, which sent me on a path to produce this crazy story of the highs & lows I’ve been on. so back into acting and entertainment essentially, but with an emphasis on adding a different value.
may have mentioned earlier that I’m taking some prior experiences & using it as material for a documentary type of film. it follows my journey on obtaining my first land property trying to work with an investor and how I escaped being part of their cult like lifestyle & how we happened to save a few girls from being harmed due to catching a potential/possible child predator.
outside of that I am happy and excited to be working briefly on the youth empowered board of directors!
the not for profit
is helmed by Gena Williams founder & executive from Houston, Texas!
YOUTH EMPOWERED FOR SUCCESS, you can find them at www.youthempowered.org/
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
your voice matters, your thoughts are matter. there is an energy field that your mind and body and spirit create all around you and those are true things. stay mindful of that and connected to that and then you will always realize and remember that you have the truest power over your own universe. if you stay consistent, persistent & don’t feed into the fears or distractions.. over time, great & greater things can materialize for you, with you & because of you. speak blessings and wealth and health over your life. and though it is sometimes hard, and lonelier, keep people who play about you, out your face. women especially, (though I love my men too) but women and young girls especially, as I get older i realize the importance of finding a reason to be excited about living. I hope you guys find a reason to be excited about life, and all the beautiful great things it has to offer. look into art more deeply. read as much as you can. learn new words & be fascinated with life! the more curious and fascinated you become & stay, the more different worlds and better experiences open for you. and sometimes, protect your dreams & aspirations away from naysayers, you will recognize them, based on how they make you feel. refining how well you can read a room, a person, a place a situation is great even if it’s just for yourself to know. and to overcome a hurdle you have to first believe in the possibility of it being overcome. & that finding people that you genuinely trust, like & make you happy is so important. rest easily to one of my previous managers, they passed away in 2021. Jenevieve Brewer we had a great run, and it’s been terribly hard to find her replacement. she wanted success for her artist, was easy to talk to & communicate with, listened.. to understand immediately got to work & really trusted me, not just as a artist but as a being in its whole totality in this world, and knowing her was a great pleasure in this life. she deserves to be remembered & honored, always. And no evil eye can ruin the level of respect I had for her, even, with our spats and differences. rest easily to her, Chena (and all of the other rescues, yes some were still saved, and still lived years after). so find good management that feels like home & family. find people to laugh with more than you cry & argue with. and to do that, find people who want to be & prefer to be happy. special shouts to those who worked with her.. Tracy Heller & Erika McFadden… bc even though things are different now.. they were essential parts to the locomotion!
Pricing:
- not really
- TF?! is a free hub with an option to go premium
- premium is like 25 with great fun stuff that comes with it
- the movie, will be out end of year next year..
- you guys will be able to get it online for a low cost to download
Contact Info:
- Website: https://andrearachel.com
- Instagram: @doyoutf
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/doyoutradefor/
- Twitter: https://x.com/tradeforintl
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/@doyoutf
- Other: https://doyoutradefor.com
