About
The only things we get to leave behind are the words we choose to say...
When the planes struck the Towers on September 11th, I had no idea leaving the film business to join the Navy would end up being one of the most important decisions I’d make in pursuit of living a creative life. The painful realization that had my plans not changed six days earlier I would have been one of the passengers who perished that day, caused profound survivor’s guilt and inspired me to enlist. But of course, there was more to the decision of entering the military than just honoring the lives lost that day.
I was twenty-four and keenly aware I was not yet equipped to pull off the scope of stories I hope to one day tell. Though I’d grown up performing theatre and had already produced my first commercial, my understanding of the world was limited to the entertainment industry. Being around the people who played heroes on TV was suddenly no longer enough – I wanted to be
around the real ones who inspire what we see on screen. And while I’d worked incredibly hard my entire life, I knew I needed more discipline. So, I opted for the most arduous environment an artist can find themselves in, hoping it would help me understand what I have to say about the world and finally know what I was made of.
​
The seventeen years I spent in the Navy was an exercise in being successful despite not fitting in while learning to accept the parts of me I cannot change. Although I was rejected by my peers and leaders on many occasions for being creative, thankfully, more often than not, it was exactly what helped me succeed. The effort spent trying to find my place in the world and understand where I fit amongst others forced me to observe human nature along the way. Courage came from failing and learning to stand up for myself and everyone who is different. And my voice as a storyteller came from constantly seeking the common thread that unites us all.
Though my journey has been disparate, every seemingly unrelated part prepared me to direct. Without question, it’s the first job I’ve held where all of me gets to show up every day – the seamstress, the leader, the musician, the playwright, the producer, the Naval Officer who fired missiles and the bullied girl whose heart bursts to make others feel seen.
They say it takes ten years to be an overnight success. In my case, it’s been at least forty, but I’m thankful for every one of them – especially the hard ones.
Alysha