Today we’d like to introduce you to Breezy Sharp.
Hi Breezy, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
When it came time to pick a career straight out of high school, I was so lost. So I did the calculated thing. I looked up the top growing careers.
First was computer systems analyst and I thought….how boring. At this time, I was talking to a guy who was thinking of being a real estate agent. So I thought I could do architecture. Architecture led to interior design. I liked it enough to go in that direction. Also, since computers were definitely growing in importance, I searched how I could combine the two and came across Computer Aided Drafting and Design.
I was only a few classes away from graduating when I got a job in my field. So I left college, lol. In between my previous office job and this one, I was also a brand ambassador and I used to find some of those and other small gigs on Craigslist (I am dating myself with this, lol). I came across a casting call for a short film. Booked it. Said one line. Had TONS of fun. Made $50 for 30 minutes of work. I was sold.
The second casting call I went on though was a disaster meaning I was horrible. But I’m glad I did it because that’s how I found my life-changer: my first acting coach, Cindy Hogan. To this day, I haven’t taken the time to fully articulate just how much she’s meant to me and my career. She believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself and set me out on this crazy, creative path.
Jump forward a few years, tax incentives left Florida and so did my acting coach. I thought to myself, Breezy, if you’re really going to take this seriously, it might be time to move. I already had my agent here, Gerra Avery of Avery Sisters Ent, thanks to my agent in Florida, Maria Pulliam of Premier Talent. So that was already solved. I was willing to give up my pipe design career of 9 years for the elusive path of acting. Fortunately, I didn’t have to though. My employer and I came up with an agreement to subcontract some projects to me. The alignment was too perfect to ignore. So in 2016, I started my own company, Sharply Creative Enterprises, packed up myself and my dog, and headed to Atlanta. Since then, I’ve been so honored to be a part of several local indies, a few commercials, and some award-nominated shows.
I’ve also had some of the best coaches. I started under Angela Davis who is now the owner of her own acting studio, ActHer. I went through a Meisner intensive at Rob Mello Studio and have had numerous teachers thanks to him. I jumped happily into the world of improv by learning at Highwire Comedy and then Dad’s Garage. I was taking singing lessons with the awesome Nikki Hollins of Tara Simon Studios. I was able to take some voice, diction, and breathwork lessons with the incomparable Deborah Bowman of MamaBama Records. And, because of COVID, I’ve even had the chance to learn from Robin Meyers with Margie Haber Studios in Los Angeles (and she just branched out on her own as well.)
It’s been a wild, adventurous ride so far and I’ve loved every minute of it.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Oh, definitely not. Nothing in life is always smooth.
But I’m very fortunate that my struggles haven’t been as hard as they could have been.
Though I came to Atlanta with a job in tow, I still had moments when I wasn’t sure how I was going to pay my rent because of not being responsible with money at the time and having to wait on getting the ball rolling with my new income and job title.
Then there’s the ever present rejection that comes with being in the acting industry. You want so bad to make it your primary source of income but that takes 1) more time than you think it will, 2) more work than you think it will, and 3) wayyy more rejection than you think it will lol.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
To satisfy my right brain lol, I’m a proud actress. I’ve been a part of several commercials (where I got my start) and a few television shows. I’m known for a Purdue Global social media ad that’s been running for the past two years. I’m most proud of my recurring costar role on the Emmy and Golden Globe nominated show Better Call Saul. That credit got me my SAG-AFTRA card!
To satisfy my left brain, I am a mechanical and plumbing pipe designer. I’ve worked on mostly commercial buildings and some industrial ones located all over the southeastern United States. I’m most proud of drawing the entire underground plumbing for the Duval County courthouse and also the central energy plant of Baptist Medical in my hometown. It took a minute but I found an old picture of me on a job site visit from WAY back in the day (see below) lol.
What sets me apart from others is my contagious and insatiable zest for life. I enjoy finding the magic in everyday, mundane things. Also, I love helping others see the best in themselves and finding their silver linings.
There are a few other things I’m very proud of as well.
Recently, I released my first poetry book entitled A Life Well Loved (pic below). A life well-lived is a life well-loved. The ups and downs matter none. You can find it on Amazon and my pen name is Butterfly Rain. I put it out as part of an online poetry challenge and it’s just a few pages of some of my life experiences. My hope is that if a soul happens to come across it, they can feel a bit less alone knowing another soul is out here going through similar experiences.
Also, I’ve recently jumped into the world of e-commerce with my clothing company geared towards introverts, Vigour Clothing Co. VIGOUR helps you go out into the world with confidence by being subtly bold, just the precise amount of boldness needed, to get your thoughts across without having to say a word. So each t-shirt/hoodie/hat that we sell has a limited edition phrase embroidered on it. I made sure to include a few pictures.
The main mission of VIGOUR is to give a voice to those who are not able or aren’t as inclined to use theirs freely. So, Vigour Clothing Co. partners with Pledge.to to make sure that a portion of all proceeds goes to helping victims of human trafficking, those who don’t have the use of that ability as freely as we do, all across the globe.
What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is bringing value to everyone I interact with and every life I have the pleasure of meeting. I think that’s the introvert in me, not saying anything unless it’s got some substance. What I didn’t fully understand until recently though is that I can just be myself and I’ll still always be of value no matter the situation. So I want to make sure that everyone that I know knows this about themselves as well.
It’s so easy to get lost in the whirlwind of who we are “supposed to be” at the age or stage in life that we’re “supposed to be” it. But those constraints are just not true and add a lot of unnecessary stress to our lives at times. As simple of a concept as it may seem, just living is enough. Just being is enough.
Pricing:
- VIGOUR T-Shirts from $31
- VIGOUR Hoodies from $57
- VIGOUR Hats from $28
- VIGOUR Mugs from $16
Contact Info:
- Email: breezy@breezysharp.com
- Website: www.breezysharp.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/breezysharp
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/breezysharp
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/breezysharp
- Other: www.vigourclothing.com
Image Credits
Headshot by Barbara Beneville of Benvil Photography
