Life & Work with Patrycja Kepa

Today we’d like to introduce you to Patrycja Kępa.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I arrived in the U.S. when I was six years old, a Polish immigrant child that knew no English and nothing about the American culture. I was immediately thrown into a public school where I had to not only navigate a foreign place but also pick up a language that made very little sense to me. However, being the overachiever I am, school became my motivator, and my rising grades were a sign that I was adapting to the environment around me. English was also a survival tool. My parents, both lovely and hardworking people, didn’t pick up English as I did and although they could say the casual “hello” and “how are you?” they relied on me to be their voice. I’m sure a lot of immigrant children, especially the eldest ones, can concur that when you start grasping the language all of a sudden, you not only become a translator, but you take on the face of your parents over the phone, making appointments, talking to the power company, speaking with the apartment owners, and the list goes on. Only when I got to college did I realize that in many aspects I was an 18-year-old with the mindset of a 30-year-old mother of three.

Naturally, college is a huge achievement in an immigrant household. I’m the first one from my family to not only attend a 4-year institution but also graduate from one. Again, here we weave in the power of education. When you are a low-income immigrant child in the U.S. there are only two routes – sports or school. I wouldn’t say I’m not athletic, but I never dove into sports the same way I dove into education, therefore, going to school and getting a college degree was my way of finding any semblance of the “American Dream.” I initially chose to study psychology, but upon telling my parents my intended major my freshman year of college, they insisted I pursue something that has better job opportunities. As a result, I ended up choosing business. As a rule of thumb, most immigrant parents try to push their children into three categories of study: 1) medicine, 2) law, and 3) business, with business being the most ambiguous one of them all. The ambiguity and range in business is kind of what had drawn me to it. Psychology still ended up as my second major because I love studying behavior and people. People fascinate me and so do their motivations, actions, and overall functioning. A better understanding of people helps craft better stories.

I began writing in elementary school, creating fantastical stories that helped me escape from some of the everyday realities I was facing. Just as quickly as I swallowed books, I would fill notebooks with descriptions, dialogues, and even drawings of my characters. As I grew older and gained different experiences, I started writing more grounded stories. Stories of immigration, culture shock, mental health, womanhood, alcoholism, poverty, growth, and love. All these topics are subjects I believe make our human experience the best screenplay ever written. As I went through college and even after graduating, I didn’t realize I was a storyteller, let alone a visual storyteller. I got a great job at a consulting firm with great benefits. I had made it, according to the standards of society where a high salary and an impressive bullet point on your resume is all you need to get a white picket fence house and a pat on your back for somehow managing to climb up the socioeconomic ladder.

Funny enough, right as I was starting my new job, I had met my partner, someone who has dedicated his life in pursuit of his passion. It was quite refreshing to see, but at the moment, it wasn’t my reality. Besides, I didn’t even know what my passion was. So, I started the job and quickly realized that I am not made for corporate America. As the months went on, I felt as if every aspect of my being had been squandered by my work routine, the stress, the lack of work-life balance, the feeling of just being another cog in the machine. I wanted to be my own machine and consulting didn’t let me be my creative self. So, I made a decision to leave. Was it brave? Was it dumb? Everyone will have their own opinions, but for me it was liberating. I felt like I could finally breathe. Funny enough, my parents supported my decision. For all these years, I had built up all these expectations I thought everyone had of me, only to realize I was my own harshest critic.

After leaving my job, I took the time to create. My partner and I co-wrote and co-directed a film that will be coming out in theaters nationwide on March 31st, 2023. The process made me realize how much I missed telling stories. Therefore, now as we are preparing to release the film, I’m also working on several scripts and also writing a book. My goal is to continue writing true stories and stories inspired by true events because there are so many wonderful lives that have not been discovered by the public and I want to be one of the people that can shed some light on them through film and through writing. I am pushing myself because I realized that I have something to give to this world, maybe not to everyone, but if my stories and what I learned can help even one person feel better about themselves, I have fulfilled my purpose.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My journey has not been a smooth road at all. Being a child of immigrants, we weren’t always in the best financial situation. I have two younger siblings, so our household is larger than average. We didn’t always have the resources to get certain things. I remember asking my mom for violin lessons when I was eight because I was fascinated by music and string instruments. She told me no. Our family couldn’t afford those additional things, I had to create my own opportunities and I ended up taking violin all four years of high school.

My father is a recovered alcoholic and even though we have a wonderful and growing relationship now, it wasn’t always like that. Being the eldest, I felt a great responsibility to not only protect my siblings but also to protect my mom. I dealt with mental health issues and lost out almost six months of my high school career being stuck in an inpatient or outpatient program. These are some of the things that had built up and followed me to college. Many times, during my four years at Emory I had felt less than and not worthy of. But I kept pushing. That’s all I could do…just move forward until somehow, I break the surface.

Even now, filmmaking and writing are not easy career choices. My partner and I have been lied to and cheated. It’s interesting to see how the two of us are treated when it comes to asking for investments or support vs. some of our other counterparts in the industry.

But despite these obstacles, we have seen great support from family and friends. It’s through the hard times that you learn who truly sticks by your side. That is one of the biggest lessons I’m learning as I continue pushing forward.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a writer and a filmmaker. Through Anchored Lens Productions, my first feature film, Trinket Box, that I co-wrote and co-directed with Acoryé White will be releasing on March 31, 2023. It’s a horror/drama that tackles the topic of interracial relationships through the lens of horror and paranormal activity.

I am also continuing to write and plan on filming a pilot episode based on my life later this summer. This pilot will be a proof of concept for a larger TV series I’m working on, and I hope to use the pilot to pitch it to networks and enter film festivals. Concurrently, Acoryé and I are working on another script together, this time more of a comedy/romance drama. Additionally, we have a few other scripts lined up that we are hoping to get moving on as quickly as possible after the release of our debut film.

While all of that is happening, I am also working on my novel, something I’ve been putting aside but am finally digging into, aiming to have the first manuscript done by this fall.

On top of all that writing and filmmaking, I am also an artist. I love to paint and sketch and have several works I’m putting together for a larger collection.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I hope that everyone has the opportunity to take a moment and really think about themselves. Not in a selfish way, but just to truly reflect on what you want and what drives you. It’s not easy and I’m still figuring it all out, but even if you’re simply crossing things off your list, you’re one step closer to learning what really drives you. We only have one life. Do what makes you happy.

Contact Info:

• Website: anchoredlensproductions.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patrycjakepa_sr/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patrycja.kepa.336/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrycja-kepa-46aa94143
• Movie Site: https://www.trinketboxfilm.com/
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/PrettyMotivatedShop?ref=shop_sugg_market