Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Anne.
Sara, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Thanks to the ones that came before me I was born with rhythm in my feet like my dancer mama and auntie, I had music in my soul like my saxophone playing great grandfather, a desire to control my hands like my illustrator grandpa, and a hankering to entertain like my father. It seems like my family’s history decided my fate before I could even make my mind up on what I would aim my ambition on. The only thing I knew for certain was I had a lot I desired to say and creativity was the only way I knew how to articulate it truthfully. I spent some years in dance studios, painted on my child-sized easel, sewed through a lonely summer, and have written songs to cope with everything life has thrown at me since I was 15.
Some of these obsessions were only phases that left as quickly as they came but others are no longer just hobbies, they’ve become jobs. I am now a fully repped Actress who spends her free time writing music, scripts, and stories. I tested out of school when I was 16, with the hope of getting to make living through my passions and thanks to my mama who believed in me, each year I get to live that dream more consistently. My slow rising success is opening up the door for me to share my other artistic endeavors with the world like photography, styling, and writing. All of these smalls accomplishments are laying the groundwork for me to one day launch my own all-female ran company designed to open doors for creative outcasts that haven’t had as easy a time being heard as others.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In the creative industry, each day tests your strength and the ill-intentioned end up fleeing to their hometowns or a comfortable job with a stable paycheck even if that means hating what they do from nine to five Monday through Friday. There has been long periods of time where the only word I heard was no and auditions felt like a cruel reminder of all my flaws. In those times, I questioned my abilities, my appearance, and worthiness to obtain all my dreams but I have survived the most devastating lows and months full of rejection. I have spent a lot of time stressing that I wouldn’t even have the money for gas but still, I pushed on. Why? Am I some sort of masochist that enjoys the anxiety of not knowing if I will make rent every other month? Maybe.
I question why I keep working until one day my phone rings and it’s my agent or manager saying “you booked the part.’ Then suddenly all of those months of doubt fade to a memory and I find myself on a plane flying to New Mexico to act on a Netflix series, or standing on a red carpet for a festival my film is screening at, or even just getting a message from a stranger on Instagram saying I inspired them. I’ve never experienced something with such deep lows and exhilarating highs and so far this is the only feeling that has made me feel like we are all here for a reason. I am convinced each of us is meant to find that one thing that makes us feel that way I do when I hear the word “yes” after months of “noes’.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
It’s interesting being an actress or in the ‘industry” nowadays because your job doesn’t start and stop when you go to work. You are your own business and brand which means everything you do can help or harm your career. You can try and fight that fact by saying “F*** you’ to social media and brand work or you can embrace it. A gross fact is most of the commercial auditions I go in for ask me how many followers I have. Each time I get asked this question I cringe because I know my follower count has nothing to do with my talent but I swallow my pride and tell them anyway. I know in 2019 there are a million obscure ways to move forward in your career and right now social media is at the top of the “obscure tools” list.
I’ve learned that if you do it with dignity you don’t have to feel like a dirtbag when you go to bed at night. This is why I only work with companies that are doing something I believe in like “Bulletin” who donated a percentage of their proceeds to planned parenthood or “Good Girls Gone Great” that is created to empower young women. I am accepting that for now being in good standing on sites like Instagram gives you space to do what you love and hopefully make positive change. It is up to you whether you abuse that opportunity or utilize it to help others and lead by example.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Though Los Angeles is home to me now when I was growing up it was a city full of hope, just an hours drive away. When I look back at the younger version of myself sitting in the back seat of my mom’s minivan I desperately miss the feeling that used to fill me every time I entered the city limits. All my memories have a golden haze over them, like a filter on my life. I remember seeing the Hollywood sign for the first time and having my mom take me to see the Oscars red carpet the night before all the stars walked it with grace. I reminisce on my first date, which was a double date with my mom and her boyfriend to top of the Bonaventure hotel to eat at the restaurant that slowly turned to give you a view of the whole city.
I remember my first Runyon hike and trip down the Santa Monica Promenade, I remember the pier lighting up the night with rides and kooky personalities, I remember my first experiences as a young adult going out to concerts and events with friends, making my insanely protective mom test her patience. Most importantly though I hang on to the feeling that made me fall in love with the city of Los Angeles in the first place. The feeling of acceptance and opportunity, looking around at the widely different and proud people that filled the streets gave me the green light to be whatever and whoever I wanted to be. I didn’t have to fit into a box or label who I was because the city gave me the freedom to wake up each day and decide who I wanted to be with no anchor to who I was the day before. I will always love and remember LA that way even when I know it like the back of my hand.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saraannebeara/
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6687300/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
Image Credit:
Jimmy Canon
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