Chealsy Reaves, Director, Writer, Creative

00:00
You saying that, I don't know what just happened, but I was just like, oh wow, I do have a premiere coming up.

00:13
Welcome to another episode of Chewing the Fat. I'm your host, Big Robb. Thank you so much for tuning in, downloading the podcast. I certainly do appreciate that. Thanks to Christina B for buying me a few coffees at chewingthefatbr.com. I really, really appreciate that. And such a sweet note. Thank you so much for getting something out of the podcast. That's why it's created, it's to tell these beautiful, messy human stories. And I've got another great storyteller with me here today. Please welcome a friend I met.

00:41
while working in retail, it's Chealsy Reaves. Chealsy. Hey. Welcome to the show. Chealsy is not just someone I just met working in retail. She's also a great storyteller, a filmmaker, director, writer, I mean, just a Renaissance woman.

01:00
Yeah, you know what? That's a good one. That's a good one. Yeah, I like that. I'm going to put that on my bio. Yeah, I'm like, you know what? Yep. I'm in the process of just kind of creating a website and I'm like, I'm going to add that to the bio. I'm going to add that. So Chealsy, are you from the Augusta area? No. So my family, they're actually from South Carolina. Okay. So I mean.

01:21
Augusta is so close to South Carolina, so I made it to whatever, but they're from Charleston area and they're from a small town called Monk's Corner South Carolina. Yeah. Monk's Corner, where's that site? Near Goose Creek and all that good stuff. So, yeah, we migrated here, I guess. My dad's in the military. He was. He's retired now. This was his retiring spot. And I, you know, was born in Germany. And from there, we had spent some time there.

01:48
quite a few tours in Germany actually, and then came back to the States briefly. Always been in Georgia, Savannah area was like the first stop. And then we went back to Germany. So from there, that was like, okay, did miss the middle school years, did some high school, most of high school. And then my last year we moved here to Augusta, Georgia. So that was like a big transition for me. Yeah.

02:15
It was pretty challenging, but yeah, pretty much that's kind of where my family's from and how we got here to Georgia, or Augusta, Georgia. Do you speak any German? I wish. I could say some cuss words. That's about it. I mean, a good talk. Those are the important ones, right? Exactly. That's about it. I wish I could. I took Spanish and I can't even speak Spanish, so now I'm like, I should have invested a little bit more in the German. It's okay.

02:44
No, that's perfect. Fine, I was just curious. I was just curious. So when you were growing up and doing, and throughout all those travels, like I said, I found your passion for filmmaking, working alongside of you, of course, myself being involved in like the Black Cat Picture Show Film Festival and things like that. Was that something that you've always had all your life? Like even from a small child?

03:14
Just the interest in storytelling and things like that. You know, that's actually, that's a great question because I was thinking about this the other day. Um, to be honest with you, I've always told myself stories. Like, as a child, I remember vividly, like, the small stories I would tell myself. Um, whether it was about, like, I was always that kid that was like, I'm gonna get my big house.

03:37
and it's gonna be me and y'all can't come. Kind of thing with my family. I don't know why I would do that, but I just would always do that. But I remember when I first saw a movie by Gina Prispleifwood, Love and Basketball, I watched that movie over and over and over and over. And that was where it first was kind of like birthed and like, hmm, I like.

04:03
I don't know what I like about this, but I like the images for sure. That's what appealed to me first. But there's something else that I like here that I'm still discovering, but I like the idea of being able to write yourself in, being able to tell whatever story you wanna tell and nobody necessarily has to, like you don't have to please people. You can just literally write whatever you wanna write. So that I remember.

04:32
very young, very young doing that. And I've always been a very curious child. So as a child, I would always ask my parents why. They would tell me something, I'd be like, why? And they would stop and they would just, like I would vividly remember my mom, cause my dad, he did three tours overseas, I mean in Afghanistan and stuff like that. But, and so it was really my mom kind of raising me and my older sister by herself. And every time I would ask her, she would tell me to do something, I'd be like, well, why?

05:02
she would get so frustrated because she would be like, I need you to just do it at this moment. And I didn't know that now. Like now I think back, I'm like, she probably had a lot going on. Like she needed me to just do it, but I needed, I was that kid that needed that explanation. I needed to know, hey, this feels chaotic. Why is this chaotic right now? Like, could we have planned better? What's going on? So.

05:27
That's when the storytelling in me was really birthed. Was in those years of just being always a curious person. Yeah, now you tell yourself stories, was that just something that you did like just internally, that kind of internal monologue type stuff, or did you ever write those stories down, or try to find another outlet for that stuff? So it started at a teen center in Germany. That's where, I mean, there was places you could go that weren't.

05:57
a teen center, but I mean, people may not have spoke English or whatever the case may be. So the teen center was one place that was on the base that I would go. And there was a guy there named Mike. He owned literally all this equipment that you have in here. And he let us get in the studio and he let us just make songs. And that was like the first time. So I would actually, I used to rap. That sounds so crazy. I'm saying it right now, but I wrote a rap song for my mom.

06:28
for Mother's Day. And that was like my first time like pinning something down. I'm like, hey, like I was like, mom, I had a guy, he used to sing or he still sings now, but he sung the hook. I wrote my verses and I played it in church for Mother's Day. And that was like the first moment or my first time like actually writing something down in that way. So I would say like the raps, the poetry, a little bit there and it never got on the stage. But.

06:57
I did a little bit of that and then it turned into just honestly in my mind, which is kind of scary now that I think about that. I mean later on when I first went to college it was voice messages. So I have right now so many voice messages of just me like talking. And not necessarily like a story. It's just like those.

07:23
me having a human experience in whatever moment that was, I was expressing it out. So if it was anxiety, I was expressing that. If it was just confusion or I just don't know, I was expressing that. Or honestly, if it was just me crying, I have some of that on there, which is when I think about it now, I'm like, ooh. But that's how random and chaotic it kinda is.

07:47
Yeah, but I mean, but it was a way for you to kind of get those emotions, those feelings outside of yourself too. It's like, you know, I tell people all the time, you know, wouldn't you creating art and people may not think, well, I just love myself a voice, a positive voice message or a message about what I was thinking about. That's not necessarily art. You're right. And not necessarily art, but when you have things that are inside you and they are struggling to get out, find a way to, you know, find a, find a positive.

08:13
way to get them out. You know, like I said, leave yourself a voice message or grab a piece of clay and make something or grab a camera and take pictures or just ways, a pen and a paper, just ways to kind of get that stuff that's on the inside out because it can be very cathartic and help you in like, man, I was feeling this thing. I did this and I felt better afterwards. But then also, now you've created a journal that you can go back to.

08:42
you specifically with the voicemail, you can go back and listen to, it's like, man, I remember when I was down in that point and I never thought that I was gonna be anywhere. And then you look at it compared to where you are now and you're like, man, I wish I could go back and tell that version of myself, hey, it's gonna be okay. It is gonna be okay. So I think that's great. I think that's great. And then those things that we go through, especially as an actor,

09:11
director, someone who's gonna make a visual medium, or even writing stories. Those things dictate the stories that we then write. That's where we draw from. When you go through those things, that's where you draw that inspiration from, because you find out that other people have those same times and they can relate, even though it may not be exactly one-to-one relating, but they're like, I was in something similar. I can see myself in this story. And you mentioned

09:41
I love a basketball. Did you see yourself in that story or was it just the nature of the storytelling? Honestly, I was an athlete growing up. My mom traveled all over Europe with me just playing basketball because I played AAU out there and then I just played during the regular season. And I ran track and I played volleyball. So I was just like that kid who just played, wanted to do everything.

10:08
So, love and basketball connected to my first love, which was basketball. Gotcha. I always wanted to play in college. I don't know why I never took it, I think had I took it a little bit more serious, and I like, yeah, my parents put me in AAU, but when I moved to the States, I then understood that it was on another level. Like I needed a little more, like I was good, but it was people who were great, far more. They were taller, there were some people who were taller, they just had different things.

10:38
I always tell people, you know, when you play sports in general, a lot of things have to go well for you. Like you got to stay out of injury. You got, you know, there's you got to eat right. But some of those things I do have, but still when I look back on it, I don't know that that was really my path. Like it was not my path for me to go down in that way. I think. Yeah. So when I watched the film, it made me see a woman be able to like.

11:05
have her get her full dream because she in the film, you know, for anyone who's never seen love and basketball I'm sorry. I'm kind of spoiling it but still watch it. Uh-huh Pretty seen about now. I mean, right I'm gonna say this came out like the 90s like or actually I think early 2000s I think so but uh in in the film she's going on a journey. Yes. There's some love there. She's you know, there's some toxicity there We're not gonna talk about that. But the basketball in the career part like she was able to not only get

11:32
the love that she wanted, but the career that she wanted. And that was important for me. Now I know that that was important for me because I talk to my mom very often about the career and even her own career. Like she put a lot of things on hold because my dad, he was gone. You know, he was in the military. That's a different type of lifestyle. So she had to essentially put some of her dreams on hold, right, because she had us. So not that she regrets that, but...

12:01
It's a reality. It's kind of like a harsh reality in a way. So for me, I now know like I, I truly truly want to be able to say like I can have the career, I can have the love, whatever it is. But yeah, to kind of answer your question again, for me, it was seeing her get the career that she wanted and all the other things kind of fell in place. So when you were in, when you're in college,

12:29
And did you take like fine arts classes? Did you take filmmaking? Did you take screenwriting or anything like that? Oh yeah, so my first, so I dropped out of college. Okay, I mean that's fine. First, because I was doing pre-nursing. I don't know why I was doing that. But I was just doing whatever. Apparently you figured out that it was not for you. I figured it out so quick that I just stopped going to the classes.

12:57
My dad was so upset with me, he made me pay the bunny back. He was like, listen, I don't know what you're doing, but this can't be it. So I took a year off and I was just working at Walmart. And from there, I understood, I just was seeing people who, there's nothing wrong with working at Walmart, but I was seeing people who never really went after their dream. Yeah. They sort of settled in. And I was like, oh no. Again, I started telling myself a story. And I stumbled upon the...

13:27
I think it was an ad for the Art Institute of Atlanta, which is an art school. It's now closed down, but it was that school I applied, and I got in. And I ended up studying video production. In video production, I got to learn everything about media, news, broadcasting, narrative work, commercials. And I gravitated to, who's now my mentor,

13:56
taught directing and writing for narrative work. Her name is Althea Sumter. She just took me under her wing because I was doing different things, learning, editing, and all of those things were cool. I loved the entire process but it was directing and writing that really sparked me the most when I took that class and she tasked everyone to create a short film and you had to, you know, do the whole process, casting, you know.

14:26
finding locations, you had to do everything. I put together a team and show it at the end. And I think that actually, when I took that class, I was about to graduate. Because I only did a two year degree, because I was trying to see if I would like it. I didn't want to go full in. And if I didn't like it, I didn't leave it. It was four years. So pretty much in that class, she took me under her wing. She taught me the importance of

14:54
pulling emotions out of actors, but in the most safest space, like, you know, no, you're not trying to manipulate them or have them do anything that's not right, but you're fostering an environment for them to be and to play and to be free. And for some people, they're going to be healed. And I didn't understand that at that time. I...

15:17
I was anxious, you know, at that time I realized that I had like general based anxiety. I'd never heard that in my family ever. So I was like, why am I sweating? Why am I palms sweating? Why am I having panic attacks? So when I went on set for that production alone, I was just, I had so much anxiety that it was not pleasant. It was not pleasant for me to like for people to work with me on that set. Like, just to be honest, like it was just not because

15:44
I saw something, again, telling yourself the stories in the head. What I saw in my mind, I was like, wait, this doesn't look like what I see in my mind. And I don't know that I have the tools to pull it out. You know, I was so inexperienced with working with like the director of photography and the cinematographer. And I didn't understand the journey of it and how, no, you're not going to make one thing and it just be the thing. Like, no, it's it's really in.

16:13
hundreds of things or whatever. And through that, each project you do, you take something away and then you say, hey, this is what I'm gonna work on to make better for the next. Oh, I'm taking this to work. But it's still great work. I fell in love with that process though, to say the least. And I was just like, you know what? I may not stick with it right now. I still wasn't sure. But I do know that there's a spark here because I was able to pull some very beautiful emotions out of the actor in.

16:43
allow her to play and there was a safe space, but I need to learn how to collaborate better. And that's kind of what I learned in that journey. And I was afraid of that. I was afraid of like, really just being honest with myself and saying like, I don't know that you know how to collaborate. It's not just you and the actors, it's everyone else. And everyone is pulling from the director's vision. And you gotta be able to fully clearly state what it is you want.

17:10
and allow other people to add their flavor as well. So that it's a great project. So yeah. To go back to the educator, Ms. Althea, do you feel like you would have been as impassioned about it if she hadn't taken the extra time and taken you under the wing to really? Oh man, yeah. Cause I mean, I think that's the great thing about educators when they see potential.

17:37
and they have this mystic ability that other people don't to see potential and to say, you know what, I'm gonna spend more time with this person because I see that they have the ability to do more than what maybe they're showing at the time. So I mean, if she hadn't done that, would we be here talking? Gosh, that's a great question because, you know, I don't know that I would be. I don't know that I would be here because she...

18:05
was able to connect my lineage, you know, because, you know, from Ghaleghichi, she's from South Carolina as well, so like she was able to connect all of what I didn't understand about myself to the dream and how it can be, how I can really make it a reality. So no, I don't know that I would be, I probably would be, I may have would have gave up or something, like I don't know, like, you know, I'm not a person that usually gives up on things, but maybe I would have.

18:33
chosen to focus on editing or something else. There's other parts. And there was a teacher who told me, you're really organized. You're really disciplined. Maybe you should think about doing some PA work or doing this or working at a production house where you have a desk job. And I knew that that didn't connect with me that well. But then it was always Althea saying, listen, what you wrote on this paper and how you described to me.

19:00
This is it. This is what you need to be focusing on. And you just have to understand how to be confident and show up as yourself and not allow the thoughts that our mind is gonna tell us so many different thoughts. You know what I'm saying? But feelings aren't facts. So you have to just understand that if this is your gift, because it is, it's ebbs and flows of that. And that's okay.

19:29
Be okay with the ebbs and flows. Yeah. I love that. Shout out to Ms. Althea, thank you. Yeah, shout out. I love you. Yeah. So we go through that and you've created your student project. What's the next step for you? What happened then? Oh man, and this is where the plot thickens now. So yeah, I created that short. There were some challenges, meaning, you know,

19:58
Collaboration in art school is so fickle because you're kind of collaborating with people but then there's assignments that you're responsible of doing, you know what I'm saying? So you're not really supposed to be collaborating on them projects, you know, cause that would be considered cheating, I guess. You know, you're getting someone to do your work and there was a piece of a project that I had someone, I mean, I'm not a, he was an animator, I'm not an animator, you know, and I needed help in at the time.

20:28
before I graduated, like right before the graduation date and I shot that project, a piece of it needed, it was a trailer, like a trailer piece. And a vision I had was like animation, but I didn't really know what to do. I'm not an animator again. I don't know what that is. I don't know the softwares. So I met a guy in school who, he had also did some storyboards for me for...

20:52
Pre-production for when we were on you know about to go on set and so had a teacher It was supposed to be like a free class where you work on, you know, whatever projects But he had so many students in there that honestly we never really like touch-based enough And so I had the guy do it for me and I almost I almost didn't graduate because of that because Essentially again, I had someone else do it even though I had did all of this work it didn't really matter like the principal is the principal right and

21:22
I should have been bold enough to say, hey, I need help. Like, can you help me with this? Like to the teacher, instead of just going and doing whatever I wanna do. So he had a conversation with me. He said, hey, listen, in life, you gotta work for everything that you get, or you do. There's no cheat codes. There's no shortcuts. There's no back doors. And I'm gonna let you go this time because I wasn't as present enough as I should have been.

21:52
but I just wanna let you know, moving forward in your life, don't do that again. That's pretty much what he was telling me, like don't do that again. I appreciate him for that because that's another lesson of like, hey, like speak up, raise your hand when you need help. Why are you so prideful? Just like you need help. I think that's just the ego in me, the pride in me, the independent whatever, like the independent woman in me.

22:18
Well, I mean, because there's some time there's pressure. As a woman to be like, oh, I don't want to show weakness because I'm asking for help. So it has a negative connotation, whereas if it had been necessarily a man asking for help, that it'd be like, oh, he's just looking for some help. He needs some help. Whereas you don't want there to be a perception of weakness because you're asking for help, or that you're not up to the task or intelligent enough to do this just because you're asking for help. So I think, I mean, that's a, you know.

22:47
I see it as a difficult road to navigate sometimes because there's just other perceptions. And you don't want to be thought of as that way. So you're like, all right, well, I'm gonna make it work how I need to make it work. Yeah, no, 100%. I'm a person that like, hey, we gotta get the job done. Like, how can we? Yeah, I wanna do it in the most genuine way. I'm never gonna do anything that goes against my values and my code. But in this particular situation,

23:15
I saw it as a collaboration moment. But again, the assignment was assigned to me, not my friend, you know what I'm saying? So it doesn't really matter at the end of the day. So I had to take responsibility for that. He did give me a pass though. So shout out to him. And I did graduate. And my film actually won best of show in our student film presentations or whatever the case may be. But the crazy thing is I never showed anyone the film. What?

23:45
What? I mean, you still have it? I still have the film, but I would never show it. Why? Why would you never show it? So that's the problem. My mind, after I graduated from the Art Institute, I should be on a high because the film, for where I was at, the level I was at, it was a good film. Like you took something, you took some people, and you carried them all the way to the finish line. But I was so hard on myself.

24:13
I felt like it wasn't that good. I felt like it wasn't shot the way that I wanted. I felt like I just had all of this, it wasn't in my mind. And I just could not appreciate what I had done. So, yeah, I'd literally just hit a stopping point on my kind of filmmaking, I mean, not on my filmmaking journey, I guess so in a way, because really I should have have.

24:38
I should have put that film in some film festivals, just to kind of, yeah, I mean, that's what you do, right? This isn't about praise. I wasn't looking for praise, but this is just a natural progression of things that you do when you wanna do this work full-time at some point. So instead, I moved back here to Augusta, Georgia, and moved back in with my parents, and I was...

25:02
went to University of South Carolina to then get like a full four-year degree because I had already kind of did two years. So I went there and I got a degree in communications and digital arts and a minor in studio arts. So I got to step into some other forms of art. I still felt empty in ways like half glass empty I think is what they say because I wasn't really doing like

25:32
filmmaking like that. Like I was shooting some smaller stuff for school projects and for assignments, but it wasn't the thing. I wasn't being filled at all by doing that. But I did want a four year degree. Also, like my mom, she always says like, all my kids, you guys, please get a four year degree because she wasn't able to do that. So I also wanted to do that as well, fulfill that. So.

26:01
I just sort of, honestly, I spent, from the time I graduated, which I think was 2017, at our institute, I spent a couple years, 18, 19, and 20, three years, just journeying along, just experiencing, you know, from romantic relationships to just coming into my body. That sounds so weird, but like...

26:26
I was just like coming into my body, coming into like realization of who I am. And trying to figure out how can I actually connect myself to filmmaking. Yeah. Again, even though I'm connected, but I'm not stopped. Right. You know, I was too hard on myself. No one's gonna wanna work with me. Like, you know, like that was the things that I told myself. Yeah. But you've obviously you've...

26:55
figured that out and how to be true to yourself. Because now you have a three-part series, right? Yeah, yeah, four-part, four-part. Four-part, four-part series, excuse me. Four-part series, you're going to be having a premiere of this project coming up this fall, correct? Yeah, October 3rd, yeah. Yeah, yeah. So what's that been like from figuring out, that figuring out who you are to...

27:25
Now you're getting ready for a premiere. Yeah, that's, you saying that, I don't know what just happened, but I was just like, oh wow, I do have a premiere coming up. Yeah, you do. It just hit me, like I've known obviously, cause we've been planning and doing all this stuff, but like it just hit me in the moment, like you're about to share something. Yeah, that piece that you wouldn't put out there, you know, a few years ago, now you're.

27:53
gonna put something in one piece, in two pieces, it's four. It's a four part series. So from my time of me figuring out who I am and coming into myself and learning more about the world, learning more about people, learning more about the random chaotic, chaoticness that connects to the human experience, I had essentially in the past,

28:23
So those three years from when I graduated the Art Institutes, from then when I graduated University of South Carolina, I had essentially just was dating. Like I was just dating and trying to figure out, because I was never a person in school. Like when I was in grade school, I was never really into dating. Like I didn't really care. Like I just wanted to play sports to be honest. I just went to school to play sports. That was it.

28:50
I was like in this new space where I wanted to like date, I'm queer, so like I'm trying to figure that out and what that looks like. And I essentially spent those three years figuring that out. Seeing not only, okay, I've now come into who I am. Now I'm trying to date and figure out how this works, how people work and...

29:13
what is the problem? Like what's not the thing? What's good? What's not? How to balance the good in the heart, essentially. And this series came about in the beginning of 2022, which is crazy because, you know, now that I think about it, I'm thinking through it as I'm talking. And yeah, it's 2022. I had...

29:37
got out of a relationship and kind of just still dating along, dating along. I felt like a serial dater. Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm like, gosh, you probably should have just sat down somewhere like at some point. But queer people, we hide so much that we don't get to be. So those normal experiences that, you know, people who aren't queer have in high school, middle school, like I didn't have those experiences.

30:05
Because I was hiding who I was right so now I'm trying to have all these experiences in a span of three years Are you trying to play catch up? Literally, I'm playing catch up. So you know I have all these experiences and I realized that I don't know my self-worth Hmm. I don't really know I'm not showing up. I'm not showing up as confident as I know that I am, you know, I'm not saying my affirmations I'm just letting things just be and I'm also not

30:34
doing well by people. Like, you know, I'm not, there's some moments where I'm not being trustworthy. There's moments where I'm not being honest. You know, whatever it is, like there's just moments. And that sort of sparked the first iteration of the Unpacking series, which is that's what the series is called. And from that past relationship, I had pinned down like the first episode at that time. What I thought was just a short film.

31:04
was just the first episode. And it was, I'd wrote it, it was literally a love letter to myself. And I wasn't gonna do anything with it. I just wrote it. And I went and did a photo shoot with Jenny, Jenny, who I love, Jenny from the block. Jenny Green, shout out. Yeah, definitely. So I went and did a photo shoot with her. And the photo shoot was just about me being, tapping into my inner child.

31:33
Just me being free, I had never done a photo shoot before, but it also connected to like vulnerability, different colors of emotions like sadness, happiness, grief, like all of these emotions, I was just playing around. We booked a studio to just play around in. And from that, her and I had a conversation. We were at her house, we were just kind of vibing out and we had a conversation about our relationships and how when you're in relationships, like,

32:02
There is a distinct different how people deal with their emotions. If that makes sense. Like, I might deal with it, I might be on the floor crying, I might be doing this, but somebody else might be out chilling. Like, you might not see that physically on their face, or then they go home and they have a breakdown moment, or they have a panic attack, or you know, they're meeting with their friends and they're really just sitting there and their friends are talking and nobody even is paying attention to them and they're like,

32:31
Nobody sees it, I'm not okay. Like, you know what I'm saying? So from that conversation with Jenny, I then pinned the second episode, which doesn't have any dialogue. It's just about, it's just emotions. It's just you seeing someone just let go and get to the end of themselves because they keep repeating a pattern. And...

32:59
You know, the year 2022 ends and the top of 2023 comes and I'm like, okay, woof, oh, you know, I've been doing too much. I've been in the same pattern, I had realized that and part of my vision board that in the top of 2023 was just like, it's time to let go. Like you need to let go of all of what you think you are, all of what you think you want, and you need to just be.

33:28
So we're not doing no dating right now, we're not doing that. We just need to focus on myself. And so from there, I had connected back with two of my favorite people from film school, the Art Institute, and tapped them on, one as a producer, one he directed episode three, Devante. And I told them the vision, and I had already wrote two episodes, and I was like, hey, I'm working on episode three and four. I want to shoot this in June.

33:56
I was like, listen, I know we're in February right now, is when we first started talking, but I'm shooting this in June. And this is the date. And they were like, okay, like that's just vibe. And then I think they knew how serious I was because I created a group chat and I would be sending them stuff and they would be sending me stuff. And we were just all excited to like be back to what we all love to do. And then I wrote.

34:24
episode three and four, you know, sent it over to them. We were like, hey, like, this does not have to be perfect. We're like, I just wanted to just do the thing. Like it wasn't about like having, I guess, all of these different critiques, like, how am I gonna send this person and this person? It's like, no, like once I have some cohesiveness and get some feedback from like, you know, them and certain friends and even family. And then once we brought the actors in, you know, seeing their feedback as well, like, hey, like, I like this, but I don't understand this. Can we...

34:51
partner here or whatever the case may be. I was like, oh, this is happening. So now I'm like, this is collaboration. This is what collaboration looks like. And we went on set June. We shot four episodes and four days. I don't know if I would ever do that again. I don't know. I don't, I don't, I wouldn't recommend that. That was the, that's probably the hardest I've worked ever. And it was, and I didn't feel like I was working. But

35:21
I was stretched to like, I was stretched from, I mean, we had locations drop out on us at last minute. We had to drive to Atlanta all the way in the mountains and I had the producer cussing me out. He's driving up the mountain. He's like, listen, I don't know what the, he's just going off on me. He's like, yo, I'm still not there. Where do you have me going? I'm like, I'm sorry, I didn't even come check the location out because this was last minute. But he still drove up there.

35:51
Yeah, we shot at a getaway house and then we came to Augusta where, you know, I never thought it would mean so much to me. You know, I certainly don't see myself spending the rest of my life here. You know, I want to move to a city, but I have such a more of appreciation for Augusta because the other three locations were shot here. And um...

36:16
the owners of these companies were just so gracious. They just were so open and so giving. And yeah, like it's so, I tell people when people ask me about the series, this is a love letter to myself. Like this is, I never intended to, for it to be, for me to put it out to anybody. Like it was always like, no, like this is like a love letter to myself. Like this is me telling myself like, you're more, you are love, you are all of these things and you don't have to settle.

36:46
You don't have to feel like you have to move faster. You just need to be. Yeah. That's amazing. And when's the premiere happening? October 3rd at Le Chat Noir. Yeah, okay. Let's go. Yeah, no, and Rob's so gracious too because he's a producer on the project. I mean, he helped us with location. He helped us with getting this theater to even screen in. So like that alone too, like seeing the journey of our relationship and how

37:15
Literally when I was telling you about it, you're like, no, it sounds cool. Like you just need to do it. You just need to do it and everything is going to fall in place. Just, just keep going. Just keep going. And you've always been the person who's like, I mean, it's just, this is just kind of how it is like there's challenges, whatever, just keep going. Like, you know, that's, that's the ebbs and flows of it. Yeah. I mean, and, and you talked about the locations and that, you know, that fourth location was supposed to be in, I guess it too, but that person kind of.

37:44
got a little squirrely on us, but you pivoted and you're like, nope, we're not changing the shoot schedule. We just find a new place and get it done. But yeah, I think it's amazing and I can't wait to see the finished product. I've seen little bits and pieces here, as we've collaborated and talk about that process, that back-end process, like editing and things like that. But so I'm excited to see the whole thing coming up in October. So aside from your...

38:13
your filmmaking and the love of basketball. What else you got going on? What is bringing you joy right now? Oh man. Right now what's bringing me joy is the human experience. That sounds so weird for me to say, but I just recently...

38:42
I've been reading Bell Hook's All About Love book, and I didn't realize how much I just love watching people just have a human experience. It can be random, it can be chaotic, it can be sad, grief, it can be that. It's crazy as that sounds, that's what's bringing me joy right now. And you know...

39:10
Hobbies too. I'm trying to figure out right now how I can learn how to Develop film. So like I want to you know, I'm moving soon. So I want to Hopefully I'll be able to create like a little dark room kind of vibe You know like learn how to develop film because I love film photography So I recently also got an opportunity to shoot I don't shoot weddings but my friend like begged me to come on and shoot her wedding because it was like an intimate vibe and

39:39
She wanted it to be shot like a home video. So I recently did that and that was really fun. That really brought me a lot of joy of like, because I'm a person that loves nostalgic vibes. If you see me, you're like, oh, okay, I get it. People who meet me, they're like, okay, no, you really do love nostalgia. So those are the things that are really bringing me joy right now. That's what I'm doing. I am working on my next project.

40:08
which is gonna be shooting this fall. So that's crazy for me to say that I'm like pausing and glitching because I'm like having like a real like response to that emotion. But yeah, I'm shooting my next project this fall and it's connected to the human experience. It's connected to grief specifically. And you know, how we experienced that.

40:34
And we experience it differently. And I got an opportunity to meet somebody a year ago who had told me their story, and now we're using it as inspiration to create this other thing. And so I'm super excited about that. And we're shooting it in Virginia Beach. So I'm like, gosh, this is never been to Virginia. So this is gonna be my first time out there, but I'm excited about that. That's awesome. Yeah. That's awesome.

41:02
And I know we talked about the premiere, was that the name of the series is? Unpacking. If folks wanna find out more about that and get tickets to the premiere and things like that. It's actually free. It's free, okay. So all I really need for people to do is just pull up. Just show up. Yeah, just show up. It's gonna be at 6.30. 6.30 at Le Chat Noir in Augusta. Yep. Come check out this four part series. It's gonna be amazing, I know that.

41:32
I know that's gonna be amazing. Yeah, they got a bar. You can buy some drinks. If you want to vibe out, I think we have like, our signature drink is like a lemon drop. So like we know the girl, he loved the lemon drops. So well, you know, you could buy that there as well. And then we'll have a surprise there as well. Meaning, so we'll have some other things that we've been working on with the series. So I'm excited about that. Cause again, it's all in collaboration. Like, so you guys get to see.

42:01
but we've been with you.

42:07
All right, Chealsy, this is the second segment of the show. This is where we dive a little bit deeper into your mental health journey. As someone myself who deals with anxiety and days of depression, depression wants to tell you you're alone. And so I think the more that we talk about these things, the easier it is for all of us to get through these because we realize we're not alone. So for you, how do you keep the darkness at bay? Wow. For me,

42:35
There's a couple of different things. It's levels for me. I started two years ago posting sticky notes of affirmations. And that is what got me out of like a dark space, cloudy mind, like that, like just saying those affirmations. So I would post them sticky notes everywhere over my room. And then I would say them in the mirror. So I would just...

43:03
just to try to build that muscle of like, hey, like I am this, I am that, I am rest. Like so many times I've heard people tell me that I'm all of the other things and being able to reinforce and like solidify, know I am this despite the experience I have, despite my mistake, despite whatever, this is what I am and I'm standing on that. So for me, it's been affirmations to keep myself out of like the darkness and like my mind wondering so many times.

43:33
And then meditation. So I started therapy two years ago, three years ago, somewhere around there. And my first therapist had introduced me to an app called Insight Timer. And it's a meditation app. It has all kinds of curations of different meditation teachers. And I started meditating. I would just, first it was just me sitting there, breathing. Then it became me just.

44:02
being able to do other things and also in a meditation kind of state, if that makes sense. And then now it's just more, it has moved into prayer, you know, I pray, read the Bible, scriptures and things like that, that connect, just so that I can... For me, it's always been levels, like it's never...

44:27
It's never been one thing. I just feel like it's always been these combination of things that come together and maybe on certain days I have to pull more on affirmations than I pull from something else. But those are the things that really help me. And I know you mentioned in the previous segment about your voice messages and things like that. You know, when you talk about the sticky note affirmations. I think there's...

44:55
a great way to combine those things and just record those affirmations to yourself in a voice note on your phone or something. So that if you're not at home looking in the mirror, you've still got that with you and you're like, I need something and just go ahead and label it. Be like, affirmation for talent or creativity or whatever and just play it and hear yourself. Be like, giving it back to you like, hey, you are. Yeah, able to do that. I think that's.

45:25
I think that's something that as technology has come along, because you talk about the apps and things like that, that it makes it a little easier for us to kind of have those things at our fingertips. Literally. It's hard to say that you, which you don't have when we have so many things now. So also just gratitude. Somebody gifted me a gratitude book. So daily.

45:52
I didn't know how important daily gratitude is. I didn't really know that you should think about what you're thankful for each day. Even if it's one thing, you should, but then take the next step and write it down. I'm not good at journaling. I have tried so many times to like, okay, I'm gonna journal every day. I see people, it's so funny, I see people online, at the end of the year, they're flipping back and they're like, yeah, I finished all, I'm like, gosh. Four books full of stuff that I've written. Literally, and I'm like.

46:22
I want to be like you. I really do, but I'm just, I'm not that great at journaling. So, the daily gratitude or affirmation notebook helps me write in smaller chunks. So I don't feel like this is like a, has to be like this long journey or story. I don't know, it's weird. Well, I think something like that, when you look at it, when you talk about needing to start something, if you're already in a dark spot.

46:52
it's gonna feel overwhelming. You're like, I have to fill out this entire notebook on my feelings and stuff like that. And it's like, no, if you can write two words, like I'm sad, boom, they done. That's just, you know what I mean? And then you can start to answer those questions, ask yourself why. And then can start to unravel that stuff. And like you say, take it in smaller chunks so that it doesn't, cause you...

47:20
Like I said, if you're in a dark spot, you don't wanna add more darkness to it because you feel all this other pressure of something in this other inadequacy. And that's not what it's about. It's about being able to make sure that you can know that you're not alone in that and that you can find your way out. And there's people that want to help you find your way out. There's apps and things that can help you find your way out. And it just takes that first simple step. Yeah. And I, you know, it's crazy you say that too, because...

47:51
That's kind of what the voice messages started off as, is like just that thing of, I'm just gonna say this and be okay with it and move on. Even if I never go back and listen, I've recently went back and listened to some of the stuff back in like 2021 and 2020 and I'm like fascinated by not only how much I've grown, but just like just appreciating where I was. I struggle with enjoying the journey. Oh my gosh, like I...

48:19
I have to tell myself every single day, this is where you are and it is okay. This is where you are, and even though you don't wanna be here, it is okay. Like you are here for a reason and you're in this specific spot for a reason and it's not gonna move any faster if just because you don't wanna do it or whatever. So meditation has helped me stay in the moment more and pace myself.

48:49
Not trying to run past the moment like, no, like this is the moment. Sit in it. Yeah. It is what it is. You know what I'm saying? Um, feeling my emotions. I struggled with that. I still, there are days where I just want to be the person where I put my, the black hoodie on in the black shades and like, don't talk to me. Like, I'm still, I still struggle with those moments and, or, but I had a friend of mine told me like,

49:17
So they're like, sometimes I feel like you're just a person that like wants to be unknown. I'm like, I don't know. I think so. There are like, I really do. I struggle with being the mystery. Like a lot of my friends say like, you're like a mystery. And I didn't know how like bad that was in the sense that in order to have community, you have to open up. And that has been, I think, this particular year.

49:45
that has been more important to me than any other year in my life. I didn't understand that unique community. Yeah. I think it's okay to have those days where you want to put the black hoodie on the glasses and not talk to anyone, you know, or whatever. You know, there's those days you want to stand in the hot shower and let the water just hit you, you know what I mean? And that's it.

50:11
And part of that can be a mindfulness journey, being present in that, recognizing the darkness. Because I've had several people say, sometimes I gotta sit in it. And yeah, you do. But if you sit in a contemplative state, not a destructive type state, and you recognize that you're there, you know what I mean? That can then help you get through that in a positive type way. And I don't think there's anything wrong with being in the mystery.

50:41
You know, I mean, as long as you're not a mystery to yourself, I think that's when the danger comes, is if you're a mystery to yourself, you know, it's okay. And you can then have that inner circle that knows Chealsy, but to everybody outside is the mystery and the mystique. And they're like, oh, this film director, Chealsy Reaves, it's like, well, what is she all about? I don't know. It's like, well, she's got this like...

51:06
inner circle of like five people that know who she is and that's it. I just have so many nerves around like, I love meeting people. I mean, I've moved around my entire life. I've never been stayed in a place. This is the longest place that I have that my family has been in. So it's that too. Like I just, I've been a frequent flyer. You know what I'm saying?

51:31
And I'm now learning how to settle in a little bit more and enjoy and not feeling like I'm about to just take a sprint off or whatever this may be. So that's a part of it for me. It's just learning to, or just being OK with being here in the moment, settle in. No one's going to hurt you. That's my anxiety of, wait, I don't know. Are they trying to do something to me? Are they like?

52:00
why do they want to know all this information? You know, like someone just recently told me, like you're a conversationalist, but like you're not gonna like make the conversation. Like I'm not gonna be the person that necessarily always starts it type of thing. Like if you're talking to me, I want to talk back. I'm gonna give you all the great energy and you know, give you the authentic self, my genuine self, but I'm not necessarily gonna just like always go and be that person that's the talker or the apper or whatever the case may be, so.

52:29
I mean, even doing this podcast, you know, for the first time, you know, we scheduled it. I was like, I can't do it. You know, like, I was like, I don't know if I could do that because it's it's you're putting yourself out there. And I am now OK with like putting myself out there and just being.

52:50
Alright Chealsy, it's time now for the third segment of the show. It's time now for the Fast Five! The Fast Five! It's time now for the Fast Five! Fast Five! Sorry, I'm still working on theme song. I really should record that. I have to do it live every time. It's amazing. That was good. Fast Five is powered by Poddx. It's an app created by my friend Travis Brown. If you go to chewingthefatbr.com slash poddx, it'll take you to the link where you can download it on your favorite mobile device.

53:20
It's five random questions, no wrong answers. Just the first thing that comes off the top of your head. Okay? All right, you ready? I'm ready. All right, here we go. Question number one.

53:34
What's the best compliment you ever received?

53:40
that I'm calm, I'm a calming presence. Ooh, that you're a calming presence? Yeah. That's pretty dope, that's a dope comment. Yeah, that one got me, I was like, okay, yeah. Yeah, I mean, that's a good one, like in a world of chaos to be the calming presence. Yeah, they said I'm the calm in the, in the, and I was like, oh yeah, that's good. That's right, that's great. Question number two.

54:02
What would you like to accomplish in the next year? Ooh. I know you got a film that you're working on, but like, you know, in the next year, we come back in, you know. In the next year, so next year. No, like, yeah. Like a year from now. Like, if we sitting together again a year from now, what would you like to have accomplished?

54:26
Um, I would have wanted to accomplish my first, what's it called, my first community outreach event. Oh wow. Yeah, that's what I would want to accomplish next year for sure, 100%. Okay. Yeah. Okay, what type of community outreach are you wanting to do? I've been saying for a couple of years that I want to do an event where I give back to homeless people who are less fortunate.

54:55
and create like care packages. Oh wow. So I recently met someone who's supposed to help me like, you know, get it kind of off the ground. So yeah, that's 100%. I want to get that done. Oh, that's awesome. I love that. All right, question number three.

55:13
We talked about language earlier. If you could learn any language fluently, what would it be? German 100%. Yeah? Oh my, yes. Oh my gosh. Is there a little like German guilt in there because you lived there so long and didn't learn? My god mom is German. Oh, okay. Like what? You know what I'm saying? Like that just, I was born in Germany like that, yeah. It feels like something's wrong because you don't know enough German. Of course. I got you. That's a good answer. Let me.

55:41
There's an app out there called Duolingo. Maybe you could just like download it. You know what? And I'm just saying. You're right, you're right. I'm just trying to help. Question number four.

55:53
If someone made a movie about your life who would play you? man I'm gonna go who would play me. Oh my gosh. What's her name? She's from She was from Orange is the New Black. She played Poussey. Was that the name? Samira Wiley. Yeah, I think she definitely would play me. Okay Question number five

56:23
What is your greatest fear and how do you manage that fear? Oh my gosh, okay.

56:32
Yeah, my greatest fear is not becoming. Oh, wow. You know, I believe that we are all put here for a reason. We have a purpose, we have an intention, we have something that we are putting out into the world so that we know when we're gone, you know, we... Hopefully the world has moved in a better place. And I got to contribute to that. I got to contribute to it being better. I got to...

57:02
be the person that created a bridge for others to just walk freely through. Oh wow. So yeah, that's my greatest fear, yeah. That's awesome, I love that. Yeah. That's right, and I truly think that you are going to be, that you are gonna come into that. I received that, yeah. Absolutely, and that's our fifth question, that's our Fast Five, and that's the show, Chealsy. Thank you so much for being here. Oh my gosh, I did it. You did it, you did it. Folks wanna keep up with you and your.

57:31
journey and you know, the film coming out and all that stuff. What's the best way that I can keep up with everything? Oh man, so I actually, I'm in this huge transition right now, but if you want to kind of keep up with the film, flyers are coming out, different things like that, Instagram is going to be the place at Chealsy R. And my name is spelled a little different. So it is C-H-E-A-L-S-Y and then R. Or my production company page is Unpack Daily.

58:01
And then I'm gonna say this here, I'm nervous to say this, but my first YouTube video will be up September 1st. Okay. So you can kinda catch up with me on YouTube at, I believe it's Chealsy R. No, it's at Unpack Daily. So that's my YouTube channel, so yeah. Awesome, well I'll make sure that we put those links up in the show notes so the folks can find them and keep up with you,

58:31
have joy in your journey as well. So again, thank you so much for being here and I love you. I love what you're doing. I wish you nothing but success in the future. Thank you so much, man. I love you too, man. Robb has been one of my biggest mentors. So doing this, I'm glad we made it. Absolutely. Absolutely. And if you would like to support this podcast, I'd appreciate it if you bought me a coffee at chewingthefatbr.com. But until next time, I look forward to the chance we have to sit a spell and chew the fat.