"You CAN achieve any dreams you may have, no matter what!" with Sarah Hamilton

Photo credit: Stephanie Girard, https://www.stephgirardheadshots.com/

Sarah Hamilton is an American actress, writer, and filmmaker. She was born and raised in Webster, New York, where she found her passion for storytelling. In 2015, she published her first novel, started up her production company, Syrena Productions, and moved out to Los Angeles to attend college at Loyola Marymount University as a film and television production major, where she graduated in 2019. Since then, she has actively written/directed/produced multiple books, short films, web series, and began her professional acting career through various film, television, web, and theatrical projects. You can find out more about her at her website here. 

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I’ve always been a storyteller! I grew up creating and spending time with my family. Being able to play and explore different art forms when I was younger really helped me discover what I liked to do. The wonderful support from my family has always kept me going. It was incredibly difficult leaving my hometown - this entire world I loved and knew so well - in New York to LA for college, but was definitely the best choice for me. I love living out my creative dreams in la-la land and inspiring others to follow theirs as well. It’s not always easy, but following your passions is definitely worth it! 

What inspired you to start your business?

I have always been very creative. Growing up, I loved performing, photography, music, art, and writing. When I was in middle school, I wrote up a few plays and performed them with my brother. Eventually, I started to film them. Naturally, writing, acting, and filmmaking became my go-to passions and creative outlets. By high school, I had written, filmed, edited, and performed in several film projects with my friends, which led to attending Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles as a film and television production major. When I was younger, I always loved writing, but when asked, “what do you want to be when you are older?”, I wondered, “why wait?”! By senior year of high school, I had written and published my first novel, The Enchantress (a Royalty Status novel), and began reaching out to local news stations, book stores, and libraries to help promote. This began Syrena Productions, my production company! I chose this path because I wanted to learn as much about the business as I could while maintaining the most creative control. It has allowed me so much freedom and power to self-produce. Anything is possible and you can take control of your own dreams! 

Where is your business based?

My business is originally based in New York, but follows me to LA as well, since I’m based there now. 

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I started with creative passions and wanting to maintain creative control. It all starts with an idea and a dream. By playing around for a while and figuring out what I wanted, I was able to establish the steps to get to the goal(s) and work backwards from there. Everything takes time and there are always going to be new dreams/goals, but as long as you’re enjoying the process and taking time to appreciate all you have achieved, it’s a wonderful journey.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Honestly, this is something I’m still actively working on. Raising awareness for all I do starts with a website and having places to showcase my art, books, music, etcetera. Finding in audience in an oversaturated city of LA and the internet is tricky, but I find that the more true to my art and myself that I am, the more people tend to find me and my work. Reaching out to news stations, media outlets, blogs, podcasts, and other creative platforms, as well as family and friends through social media helps a ton! I always like to think, “WHO is my audience and WHERE are they looking?” Having an authentic presence online definitely helps. 

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Some of my biggest challenges have really been finishing projects, getting the word out there about them, and keeping up my stamina. With all art - especially writing and filmmaking - there’s this stage where I find myself ready for something new, but that’s when I have to step away for a minute and then come back to the same project with a fresher perspective. In acting, there’s constant rejection but it’s all about trying again and just realizing that what’s meant to be will be. There is definitely this odd line as a creative of what is in and out of control, but the key is opening as many doors as possible and stepping through the ones that open. This year, music has been a huge challenge, since it’s brand new to me. The best way to overcome the challenges of not being enough or not knowing how to do something really is just taking things moment by moment, learning when you want to, playing around with it all, and intuitively enjoying the learning process while taking any pressure off. Happiness is key!

How do you stay focused?

I stay focused by making to-do lists and really taking one task at a time, in an order that is the most productive and listening to music to help the process. I’ll take breaks when it feels right and I try not to put too much pressure on anything. If I’m in the mood to be working on writing, then I will, but if I’m not, I’ll just do something else for the time. I find that forcing creativity never really works well and sometimes, taking time to recharge, has to happen first! Drinking enough water, getting enough sunlight, having coffee, and moving around definitely helps.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

Honestly, I create to inspire and spread happiness and light. Inspiring others to follow their dreams no matter what is so important. I focus on being the most unapologetically me in all I do - especially business - so it can resonate with others. Basically, I’m not focused on any competition. I’m just focused on being the best I can be and creating art that inspires others. 

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

The most effective marketing strategy to grow my business - across all creative platforms since I’ve been working on my own name brand to encompass acting, writing, filmmaking, music, and other art forms - has been to create and post frequently while spreading across many platforms. On YouTube, people see a behind the scenes look at my lifestyle. On my website, it’s a portfolio of who I am and what I do. I think branching out to magazines, news stations, podcasts, and media outlets help a ton too.

What’s your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

My best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs is to start NOW! You CAN achieve any dreams you may have, no matter what!

What’s your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

My favorite app is probably Instagram because it’s a great way to communicate, share art, and keep an ongoing yearbook of memories through snapshots. I don’t really have a favorite blog, since I read through so many! As for my favorite book, I’m not sure of a favorite, but I have recently reading, Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill and it’s a really interesting read, especially for those into manifestation and business.

What’s your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

Social media is definitely my favorite business tool/resource! It’s such a great way to blend my lifestyle with my art of many forms and create a more personal AND professional presence. Plus, I love communicating with others! 

Who is your business role model? Why?

I’m very inspired by a lot, especially my family, friends, and world around me. I admire a variety of ways people work and build up their businesses and tend to adapt to a variety of styles that I think may help me. I’m pretty open and very intuitive, so I make choices based on what seems the most aligned to my ultimate dreams and goals.

How do you balance work and life?

This is definitely a work in progress! I tend to work too much, since I really love everything that I do and I wake up each day super excited about it. After a long time of overworking, crashing, and then overworking again (like usual), I have been taking more time for self-care by setting limits on what I’m doing each day. Like, I’ll see how much I have to get done and set an end time. Once I’m officially “done” for the day, I try to shut everything down and just enjoy a nice walk to fun music, call my family, or watch something. Making time for yourself is super important!

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

My favorite way to decompress is really just spending time with family and friends, possibly going for a walk, and listening to great music. I find that a lot of my creative passions tend to be just me and my brain, so it’s really nice to snap out of “the zone” for a bit and enjoy time with others.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

If there is anything that life as a creative artist - let alone during 2020 - has proven, it’s that life is certainly uncertain! I’m really just looking to live presently and enjoy each moment as they happen. That said, I’m really excited for more acting projects, finalizing the second season of the original web series, LA Mermaids, releasing music, and writing more!

How can our readers connect with you?

I love sharing inspiration and meeting others! Feel free to connect with me on social media @sarahfhamilton. I also post often on YouTube.com/sarahfhamilton and you can find more information on my website here: https://sarahfhamilton.wixsite.com/sarahhamilton. Thank you!