Closed Doors

On this road of filmmaking and acting, there have been many, many closed doors…but there have also been many open doors. I’m proud to announce that #DroppingTheSBomb & my third short film #LettingGo were both accepted into the #NiceInternationalFilmFestival (5/12/16) & will be screening at the #MarcheDuFilm at #Cannes (5/14/16) this year! In Nice, Dropping the S Bomb was nominated for Best Original Screenplay of a Feature Film and Talented New Director while Letting Go was nominated for Best Original Screenplay of a Short Film. I was also nominated for Best Lead Actress in a Short Film!

Success happens when your time & energy are directed towards the proper channel. In the past, I’ve relentlessly kept knocking on closed doors hoping that one day, if I kept on knocking, those doors would eventually open…and as I’m sitting there knocking, I didn’t realize that those doors were locked. As I’m standing there knocking, I would find myself questioning my worth falling into a state of depression becoming mentally paralyzed, unable to rise up out of the filth I allowed myself to sink into…

In the past couple years, I’ve changed in that now when a door closes, I knock once & actually try to open it. If it’s locked, instead of fighting and trying desperately to pry open something that maybe shouldn’t ever have been open to begin with, I simply shift my focus towards a different door…one that may be open for me but I may have missed because I refused to move away from the door that was not only slammed shut but also locked.

I think in the past, the reason why I felt so defeated every time I came across a door that was shut is because I didn’t see my worth. All the locked doors I came across only served as validation of my deepest insecurities that I buried with a smile which served as a facade that life was great.

These shut doors metaphorically showed up most in my acting career and on the search to find “the one” – it still amazes me the parallels between both worlds and I think I’ve learned similar lessons in my experiences with both because of all the things in my life, I had placed those 2 things (acting career & future husband) on a very high pedestal for the simple reason that they were my heart’s desires.

Looking back, I wish I wouldn’t have wasted so much time and energy on those doors that were not only shut, but locked…it took me a decade to learn that there are endless doors all around us and within those open doors, you’ll find the one that leads to your destiny.

Just because a door opens for someone doesn’t mean that it’s going to open for you…but that ok because maybe the door you’re supposed to go through is in the opposite direction and better tailored for you & all your past experiences.

For those who will be traveling to France in May, I’d love to invite you all to the screening of my films – please email me if you’d like more information & hope to see you there! selahpictures@gmail.com