Today we’d like to introduce you to Lex Lapp.
Hi Lex, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My nails have been bitten to a crisp since I can remember. There have been pockets here and there where I’ve put my nervous tick elsewhere, but for the most part, it gets taken out on my harmless phalanges.
For so many reasons, even at a young age, I was in constant fear of everything going wrong or worse, coming to an end. Existential dread was not common among fellow first graders, so my parents gifted me the idea to write, and I started journaling like my life depended on it. The encouragement to write allowed me to start working through some icky stuff, but more importantly, it gave me a chance to escape. Marked by my mom’s “Princess Pumpernickel,” which was a story she made up from time to time about the princess who puckers, and my dad’s impromptu jam sesh’s, it’s no surprise that I. Love. Stories.
I wrote about my dreams, about animals that didn’t exist, poetry, prose, and eventually, scripts. Once the performance was in the mix, my two younger brothers were consistently forced to participate in my endeavors and I discovered creative collaboration. In eighth grade, I summoned my drama class to perform an adaptation I had written of Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge. Who knows if it was enjoyed by anyone, but the fact that there was an audience made me feel like “Embrace Moi” (yikes) was a triumph. After that, writing and directing was a part of my every day in one way or another.
My college experience began with getting into a pretty well-regarded program for acting. Very quickly into the year, I transferred into the theatre directing program at the same school and never looked back. I now pursue writing and directing full-time, freelancing in film and teaching acting on the side.
While my anxiety has never dissipated and in fact has been stacked upon, the addition of the arts into my life, especially writing, transformed and expanded what I thought the human experience was supposed to be. It shows me beauty in places where I’m told there is none, challenges constructs, creates nuance and bends parts of me I didn’t know needed bending. I am broken open every day by my curiosity and ideas about others, I just hope to show more people that exists within them, too. How lucky and horrifying it is to be an artist, the perfect duality.
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?
My dad used to say to us, “Are you going to be a complainer, or will you be a problem solver?” That question has established so much of who I am, especially within my work.
I don’t know if a life in art making is ever a totally smooth road. In fact, I don’t think any life at all is free of challenges. Of course, there are things I’ve been through which have helped shape me, but the truth is that the largest and longest obstacle has been fighting for a life in the arts while living in a culture that dismisses the upmost importance of true artistry.
The pieces I am a part of and make myself are typically categorized as “independent,” meaning financial backing does not come from a studio or streaming service. These are pieces interested in diving into the human psyche, asking uncomfortable questions, and putting real people on screen who aren’t polished or A-list. Because art is not subsidized by our government here in America, the money for these projects is coming from, generally, individuals who love film and want to see it survive, grants that can be almost impossible to obtain, or small production companies. This also means that there is never enough money. Ever.
The tension of constant fear and constant desire to create is a state I’ve found a number of artists live in continuously. The society we’ve been plopped into isn’t interested in making space for people like us. Creating for a living doesn’t feed into an “instant commodity” mindset, and that makes people like me seem useless to a corporation-driven world. Inevitably, the instability of work, lack of resources, and general denial that what we do is of worth are all things that might bog someone down from time to time, and it does, especially when the importance of storytelling is a proven necessity dating back to the reason we started communicating at all.
But then, this truth also shoots me up and out into the sky. I look out and see a culture that builds molds for people so that they can further an ideal that is about raising one person up rather than building up the collective, and it motivates me to keep moving and making. It reminds me that we are living in a world sucked dry and that I am a part of the rehydration. I see possibility everywhere, and I don’t know if everyone is gifted with that.
A life in the arts can feel isolating, especially in my chosen fields of writing and directing. I am so lucky to be surrounded with and have such a solid community of other young artists. People who ask questions, challenge the system built before us and are actively working to break break break the molds. The obstacles have only made us stronger and made our work more clear.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Writing and directing are my big, blossoming children. I have a deep love for subversion of genre and asking questions surrounding class, bodies, and familial dynamics. I work in both narrative and experimental spaces and am finding a true home in the intersection of the two. I am consistently making short films and music videos and am gearing up to make my first feature film.
Something that a lot of people don’t realize about independent filmmakers is that we all have a plethora of jobs we do in order to have the freedom to create the type of work that is important to us. The past few years helped me discover I have a real knack for 1st Assistant Directing (commonly a dreaded job on set.) Ironically, I’ve found such peace in this job that’s defined by being the point person for the most high-stress scenarios during a shoot. I get to be up close and personal with every department head, learning how to individually communicate and aid the team. It’s a huge test in patience, balance, and care, and it is beyond rewarding. My community has doubled because of this work. It turns out the most amazing people want to make art too!
My love for storytelling shines through anything I’m doing, be it my own creative endeavors or other sets I get the privilege to work on. Ideas are everywhere, floating around us like bits of matter, waiting for someone to scoop them up. My work is about taking those bits, molding and shaping them, putting them into a container or what some might call a world, and offering up a character or journey for an audience. I’m interested in active cinema, that doesn’t allow for sitting back or pure escapism. The hope is that the work speaks to someone, incites change, or even sparks a conversation. I have so much to learn but am thrilled I get the opportunity to build a career inside true passion.
Most recently, I directed a music video that will drop June 9th and am completing a short film that I wrote and directed, which will be wrapped by the end of summer.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Something that is surprising, especially to those I work with, is that I treasure my own company and am a total night owl. If I could live alone in the mountains and be nocturnal, I would. I think sometimes people like me who work so deeply in creative and collaborative fields are pegged as extroverts and then follow the misconception that you have to be a “people’s person.” While I can turn on that side of myself and sometimes truly enjoy the prolonged presence of others, my alone time is where I absolutely thrive. Writing at night is genuinely one of the most delicious activities to me. The sunshine is so splendid, my friends are incredibly important to me, and community is instrumental in growth, but I have to say that a night alone for me is like love at first sight.
Contact Info:
- Website: lexlapp.com
Image Credits
Headshot: Stephanie Girard
