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WENDY SANTIANO: Filmmaker, photographer, writer, mom

Wednesday Conversations

FROM SARAH'S DESK: I am very excited about today's guest! Before I met her, Wendy and I both entered a photo contest for National Geographic and Hipstamatic. Our photos were both chosen as finalists. A mutual friend introduced us to each other (online...) and the rest is history! Not really. :) Even though I have not met Wendy in person (yet! I hope to someday!) I feel like I know her pretty well. And even though I may not really know her, she makes people around her feel that way. She is mega talented and uses her powers for good.

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TAG: When people ask you what you “do”, how do you answer?

W. SANTIANO: When people ask me what I do I tell them I am a writer and a mother, but really I am so much more. I write only to give my thoughts a home and do so much more than write. I think I should just start saying, I am a creator, because I live to create and that is what I do through various mediums.

TAG: Do you have a day job? What is it? What does it mean to you?

W. SANTIANO: My day job is mothering. I homeschool my kids but wouldn't call myself a teacher. They learn from the work around them. I'm simply there to love them and keep them from killing each other.

TAG: Tell me about your family. How do you manage your time? Art/work/kids/house balance? Does it balance? What are the struggles of having to do both? And what are the benefits?

W. SANTIANO: I have 6 kids. I take time in the morning to follow up with people and set the tone for the day in all my online avenues. I try to finish before the kids wake up, but that doesn't always happen. Most of the time we put on a show in the morning after reading the scriptures and praying. Then I finish up my morning tasks while they relax a little. The struggle is that there is always more to do than time. But I've taught the kids to be independent learners so that when they are occupied I can squeeze in some work. The biggest benefit to having the kids home while I work and toggling between the two is that the kids get to see and often be part of the process. They get to see me creating. But I never want them to feel it is more important than they are to me, and when there is a demanding project with a deadline, I am sure it can feel that way.

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TAG: Besides your art and design practice, are you involved in any other kind of work?

W. SANTIANO: Besides art and creating projects that inspire, I also work with a non-profit building their training program. It is called Parent Advocacy Council, where they train parents to be leaders and give them a voice and connections to make a difference in their communities.

TAG: How would you describe your subject matter or the content of your work?

W. SANTIANO: My subject matter seems to revolve around a few themes: self-empowerment through finding joy, self-esteem through learning to see yourself, and divine-empowerment through connecting to God, and community building by learning to connect to others. The subject matter of my work can be referred to as poignant and thought provoking.

TAG: What mediums do you work with?

W. SANTIANO:  I love using writing, photography and film. Working in both writing and photography and directing films, I think the variety helps me stay connected to different parts of my creative process.

TAG: Has there been a shift or change in your life or work that has led to what you’re making now? Do you see your work as autobiographical at all?

W. SANTIANO: That is an interesting question. I think I work in the themes that have always been a part of me and my belief system. I think a shift happened within me and ignited the need to create and motivate others to adopt these beliefs when I became a mother and noticed how many women didn't have these beliefs and were living so far below their potential and were so unhappy.

TAG: Is there something you are currently working on, or are excited about starting that you can tell us about?

W. SANTIANO: There are several that I am currently working on, but the one that will come out soonest is a beautiful piece on the testimony and love people have for Jesus Christ. This one is obviously spiritual in nature. It is patterned after our last film, 1000 Words: A Silent Interview on Self-Worth. It will again be a silent interview with questions about their relationship with Jesus Christ. It is filmed in Rembrandt style and the images look as beautiful as chocolate. That film, still untitled, will be released for Easter 2016.

(UPDATE!- Do You Believe?- A Silent Interview on Christ was released to widespread critical acclaim.)

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TAG: What are your biggest challenges to creating art and how do you deal with them? How do you navigate the art world?

W. SANTIANO: I think the biggest challenge for me has been knowing how to market my projects. People say that marketing is an art. But it is not one that I am good at. That said, I just attended a marketing class the other day that professed that the statement above is actually false. Marketing is a science, and not a very creative one. So I am going to put what I've learned to practice and see how it works!

TAG: What are you most proud of?

W. SANTIANO: I think what I am most proud of is the depth at which my art connects with others. It hasn't had the breadth I've hoped for, but it has touched people and helped them shift their perspective and create change in their lives.

TAG: What advice has influenced you?

W. SANTIANO: The advice of a friend who helped me see that being creative was more than painting was the best advice I've ever received. She helped me to see that God is the most creative being in the universe and that we are all supposed to be like him, meaning that, we too need to be creative. She taught me that it is a priority, not just a hobby for when everything else is done.

TAG: What do you want your work to do?

W. SANTIANO: I want my work to pivot and challenge mundane ways of thinking and living life. I want it to shift people and the way they live to be more open, honest and authentic. I hope that it inspires others to create their art from a most open and honest place. They see me with my 6 kids, homeschooling, and still creating. I want to inspire others to go after their passions and create art themselves or to just live their dreams and goals. To know that it is a priority in life and they can do it!

TAG: What are you presently inspired by— are there particular things you are reading, listening to or looking at to fuel your work?

W. SANTIANO: Currently I am reading The Artist Way. It is a 12 chapter book on reconnecting to your creative self and I am part of a group who reads it a chapter a month. But I don't know that it has fueled my creativity. I think my desire to connect with others is the motivator and to help them connect to each other. But I really do love music and that inspires me to write creative fiction.

TAG: What does having a physical space mean for your process, and how do you make your space work for you?

W. SANTIANO: Having a physical space is super important to me, but I don't have one. I often retreat into the space in my mind and seem to not be present in life. I thrive off of horizons that extend beyond physical reach. I also love windows that bring in overpowering natural light. I drive to get that kind of space and take my kids on long field trips to just let my mind expand as far as so can see.

TAG: Do you see your work as relating to any current movement or direction in culture?

W. SANTIANO: I think my work does reflect the climate of our culture. In a day and age where we are constantly on a screen, we are starved for connection. I am still using a screen to get my message across, but try to find opportunities to show them in groups so that we can discuss what we felt during the films.

TAG: Are you involved in any upcoming shows or events? Where and when?

W. SANTIANO: My last film, 1000 Words will be featured at the LDS Film Festival on March 5, 2016 in the short film competition.

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TAG: Does personal history work its way into your practice? How might who you are be reflected in your current work?

W. SANTIANO: Personal history really does make it into my art, although I am never in the front of the process myself. I'll write a guide but be careful to not make it about my story and I am never in front of the camera. But I have always had a good sense of self and love for self and I think that comes through in my work and what I fight for. That isn't to say I don't experience moments of heavy doubt in myself. That is when I can fully empathize and that helps me to connect with others on a deeper level.

TAG: What risks have you taken in your work, and what has been at stake?

W. SANTIANO: I take the daily risk of spending time with my kids or taking time for myself. I never know if it will backfire or not. I also created this new genre of the silent film for my projects. I wasn't sure if it would work. My husband, who films all my projects, actually told me it wouldn't work, then he bawled while editing it together. I don't feel like much more than reputation is at stake for me. Money isn't a huge dilemma, although I do sacrifice much. I do worry that if I put something out there that isn't received well, that it might crush me. I fight against negative beliefs all the time, self-doubt is one I fight every day and push through to create my best work.

TAG: Do you have a motto?

W. SANTIANO: "Every day is a good day. Some days are just better than others." You just keep putting one foot in front of the other. There are no bad days if there was even one small moment of good in it. To be bad, it has to be all bad. That never happens.

Wendy is social media savvy! You can find more of her work and her writing, and follow her online on

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and at her websites. :)

Check them out and share!

Wendy Santiano

SaintsandSisters.com

@Saints_Sisters Twitter

@SaintsandSisters Instagram

https://www.facebook.com/saintsandsisters/

 Wendysantiano.com (She is about to redesign this one! Stay tuned.)

Bedheadmom.com (That is where you will find 1000 Words.)