Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Ellison.
So, before we jump into specific questions about what you do, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My story is a complicated one because my passions and my work lie in who I am as a person.
I’m a half white, half Pakistani woman that was adopted into one of the few democratic families in Texas. In that family, I have a mom, a dad, eight siblings, and eight nieces & nephews, as well as two family friends that for all intents and purposes are part of our family. Those family members include some biological children, an adoption from Guatemala, two adoptions from Russia, an adoption from Ethiopia, and immigration from Jamaica.
I’ve lived in France, Missouri, Texas, and California. I grew up in the church but went on my own spiritual journey because most people of my ethnic background practice Islam and I’m curious to understand all people’s beliefs and ideals.
I came out as gay in 2017 and before that was in interracial relationships where we experienced racism. I struggle with my mental health and have been diagnosed with high-functioning Asperger’s and bipolar.
I’ve always loved music and film, but I also love writing and art; I have an affinity towards anything creative. I have an insatiable urge to understand how things work and why people make the decisions they make. I often spend my weekends volunteering, and I care (almost) too much for people in my life as well as strangers.
As a creative, those things, the things that make me who I am, drive my art. I make YouTube videos with two goals. One, like many, is to entertain; this is where my challenge videos, my random videos involving tarot card readings or making Pride shirts, and my travel vlogs come in. The second is to relate and inspire; this involves the videos where I talk about my experience as a gay woman, talk about my experiences with mental health, and where I share my music. Of course, I enjoy making these videos because it’s fun, but I feel fulfilled because of the impact they have, no matter how small.
I started down this path back in middle school when I picked up a video camera and began making videos completely on my own. These videos were mainly related to school in some way whether that be to show on the announcements or doing a video trailer book review instead of a paper, but as time went on, I expanded to YouTube and posted my first video in 2011. I grew up playing instruments, violin, saxophone, percussion instruments, singing, a little bit of piano, and most recent to that first video, guitar. The video was a cover of “Sunday Morning” with my sister, Maya. It’s on a channel that I no longer know the login info for so, therefore, can never be taken off the internet. This may be slightly unfortunate for me, but everyone needs those videos to look back on, laugh, and make them humble I suppose.
I continued to post a few music videos through high school and the first part of college but eventually began investing my time elsewhere and didn’t remember this was my passion until after college. The channel I developed in 2017 is centered around queer content, mental health topics, travel, has fun random videos, and ultimately is really just a place for me to be me, vulnerable and unfiltered. That’s where I currently upload and plan to upload all of my future videos.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has most definitely not been a smooth road. The thing I’ve realized about art though is that it mostly comes from people who have experienced traumas.
There’s been many times in my life when I’ve been treated poorly, taken advantage of, and experienced hardships that lead to deep depressions. The probability that you encounter these hardships, unfortunately, goes up if you’re a woman, a person of color, an LGBTQ+ person, or part of any minority group.
My advice is to seek support in those hard times and don’t let them consume you. You may not always feel like you have control over this, but there are so many types of support, I promise there is something that can help even if it seems impossible at the moment.
Obviously, some of those support opportunities include family and friends. However, if you feel a sense of isolation, there’s therapy, online support groups, in-person support groups, groups based on hobbies, groups based on religion if you’re religious, volunteer groups that may help you feel better because you’re connecting with people while helping others, and so many other ways to seek support that you can likely find through online searches. Do some research and try one or all of these out because it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll find people that care and will be there to help pull you out of dark times so you can harness the energy to fuel your art.
What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
I don’t like to limit my work to one category, but I think I can categorize my passions into three main groups. The first is being a creative, the second is activism and volunteer work, and the third is my current employment at WME Agency.
My creative endeavors, outwardly, lie mostly in my YouTube videos, however, my work in music and songwriting is being developed in the shadows, and I also have other plans for a possible future podcast with another YouTuber, and a couple of years down the road, a book.
My volunteer and activism work generally surrounds organizations focused on LGBTQ+ rights/aid, mental health awareness/aid, and general human rights especially when it comes to ending racism.
I also currently work at WME in the Music/Comedy/Touring department. I’m really glad I’ve gotten to spend a couple of years there because I’ve been able to start conversations about talented LGBTQ+ acts that may not have otherwise been brought to their attention. I’ve also acquired many skills that will come in handy when making sure creatives, such as myself and my friends, are properly compensated for our work throughout our lifetimes.
All three of these categories of work come down to one thing for me, and that’s my want to help people. A friend asked me the other day if I thought the purpose of life was being complacent or being happy. I told her that I think happiness is a desire for life, but it’s not the purpose. I believe the purpose of life is to make a difference or have an impact on people’s lives.
That’s what I’m proud of— the little moments where I’ve helped someone feel accepted by being relatable or showing them that it’s possible to live a full life even as a bi-racial gay woman from the south with mental health struggles; the times when showing people care or sticking up for what is ethical has given someone strength to get through another day so that maybe they can pay it forward; or even the times when I’ve helped an artist be able to pursue their passion by booking them an audience to showcase their talents to or putting their names and works in front of industry people who have the ability to change their lives. The little things add up and that’s what makes me feel fulfilled.
Finding a mentor and building a network are often cited in studies as a major factor impacting one’s success. Do you have any advice or lessons to share regarding finding a mentor or networking in general?
You know, my most important piece of advice here is probably unlike what most people say because it’s passive. I think the best thing you can possibly do is check yourself to make sure you’re staying a good person, who is being true to who you are and shows the world who that person is.
Your people will find you, whether that be in friendships, audiences, or mentors. The best networking opportunities come from your friends wanting to help you, and friends want to help you when you’ve shown them real care and they know the real you.
So many people, especially in Los Angeles, try to come off to people as what they think that person wants to see in order to help them; however, there’s a fatal flaw with this and it’s that eventually the truth always comes out. If you manipulate situations like that, you may get the opportunity you want, but what do you do with that opportunity? There’s two ways this goes, and neither are good. Either, you keep up the act so the person that gave you the opportunity sticks around and is supportive, but more than likely, you’re not doing what you’re passionate about, so even though you have the opportunity, you aren’t using it for what you started this whole thing for in the first place; or, option 2, you use the opportunity to pursue what you are passionate about, and the person who helped set it up sees that you aren’t the person you’ve been pretending to be, so you likely lose them as a friend and sour your reputation as you’ve become another “fake industry person.”
So my best advice? Just be you, and be loud and proud about who that is.
If you want some more tangible advice, put yourself out there and try to make contact with people who you think have similar interests or could be good mentors. The worst that happens is you don’t get a response or someone says no, but the only way to ensure you don’t build those relationships is never trying in the first place. Look at it this way: whether they say no or you never try to connect, you’re in the same place as you are right now, so you’ve got nothing to lose; might as well put yourself out there so there’s at least opportunity for you to gain and grow.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.youtube.com/annaellison
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna_ellison/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnaEllisonYoutube
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/annaellisonnn
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/user/1299084108?si=K2cbqlEOReyHVF1g5VF57g
Image Credit:
Paloma Renee Palau, Annie McLendon, Sarah Witt
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