A few weeks ago I was catching up with my girlfriend Sierra, who I met on the show last year. She recently sent me her new song and then followed up with a call and a crazy idea! When we hopped on the phone to play catch up, she asked if I would be interested in shooting her very first music video. I’ll be honest, I was apprehensive. Flattered? Yes, but uncertain, nonetheless. I know almost nothing about shooting a music video, sometimes I wonder how I’ve even made it this far as a videographer in the wedding industry… Joking... Well kind of. Let me explain…

I want this blog post to highlight Sierra, her talent, her new relationship and all that she has to offer but I wanted to take this opportunity to share a little bit about why it’s so important to just go for things, even when it’s scary! You see growing up I had this massive fear of failure. If I wasn’t naturally good at something, I would avoid trying or I would find a way to make a joke out of it. It was my way of protecting myself from being bullied for looking stupid or trying too hard. Throughout my time in high school, I desperately leaned into my self-deprecating humor to take the piss out of anything that I felt could make me look dumb or weak. As I gained life experience and knowledge in general, I started to realize that this was actually a MASSIVE hindrance to my own personal self growth. 

This was a habit I didn’t break overnight but instead, I’ve worked on throughout the entirety of my 20’s to overcome. It was quite the task unlearning this behavior that had served as protection for a majority of my teenage years. In my early 20’s I battled with myself to adopt a growth mindset. I had to learn to fail publicly. I had to learn that it’s okay to not know where to start but to start anyways. I read books about failure and success and I slowly started to adopt the mentality that allowed me to genuinely see my failures as stepping stones to my success. I started to try new things more frequently. I opened my mind to the idea of stepping outside my expertise and comfort zone to do things that peak my interest - even at the risk of not appearing smart, strong or skilled. 

My world started to transform as I adopted this mentality. I found a new passion in jiu jitsu, I took a backpacking trip through Europe by myself,  I started my own video business with the last $100 to my name in 2020, I even sang the national anthem at a few local sporting events… Okay I’m not going to lie, I actually hated singing the national anthem in public but at least I tried and now I know! But the point of all of this is that when Sierra first asked me to shoot this music video, I considered not doing it. I considered not taking the trip to Dallas to spend time with my friend. I considered staying in my lane in wedding videography without trying something new. Thankfully my growth mentality overrode that little fear inside that questioned if I should try something new and instead said, let’s create something together!

Besides, these are the kind of friendships I live for. I have been forcing my childhood friends to act as actors in my scary movies from the time I was in middle school. The Bachelor world, along with my short career at Disney has opened my world to creative friends that want to experiment and create together. This is what I have dreamt of my whole life, I would be crazy not to take her up on the chance to shoot my very first music video. 

We brainstormed two ideas for the music video before my arrival. My first day there we both had a work from home day in her apartment and had music videos playing in the background on her TV in the background. We both felt drawn to this John Legend music video. It felt like a montage of his love for his wife, it was elegant and simple. Despite the fact that we had two story lines to choose between, we threw it all out the window and wanted to do something entirely different for her video. I have to laugh because this is actually so on brand for me. After getting to know Sierra’s new man, Keeton the week prior in LA, it makes sense that she wanted to celebrate their love in the music video. But before I give too much more away, I will pass it over to Sierra to fill you guys in, for her to tell you more about herself, her music, her relationship and what we can expect from her in the future! 

My interview with Sierra

Susie: SIERRA!! Thank you so much for agreeing to let me highlight your music video on my blog and inviting me to come to Dallas to shoot it in the first place! Do you want to do the honor to explain to the readers how this happened in the first place?! How did we make this happen? 

Sierra: Gosh! Well firstly, thank you so much for having me as part of your blog and for making your way out to Dallas in the first place! I could not have created this video without your assistance and insight! I know how much you love videography and that you primarily focus on weddings at the moment. So, I thought who better to help me with this video project about a love song than someone who films love on a regular basis! I felt like I would be less nervous and more comfortable filming my first music video with you than a total stranger and could also create time for us to see each other since we are always so busy and live in different states.

Absolutely! I love that we were able to just enjoy our time together in Dallas and get creative on a project in a way that neither of us have tried before! I was blown away when I first heard your voice and it got me curious if you had any music idols growing up or now that inspire your musical style? 

When it comes to the inspiration of my music today, I was highly influenced by Amy Winehouse, Rihanna, Billie Eilish, Destiny’s Child, and Adele. I wanted to learn how to control my voice the way these women do while not being confined to one specific sound or genre. I also wanted to express myself and emotions in a way that was timeless and less of a trend.  

I can totally see that - I feel like your musical style definitely has a timeless vibe. Did you grow up singing or is this something you’ve gotten into as an adult? 

Growing up I LOVED singing Disney princess songs. I have a naturally high singing voice and would always sing ‘A Whole New World’ LOL. As I got older, I found my voice and sound that I wanted to be. A sound that felt most like who I am as a woman.

I also was a Disney princess song fan. But I’ll only sing them out now after a few drinks at karaoke. I admire you for pursuing music so fearlessly. Was there an original inspiration for the song and did that change at all when it came time to shoot the music video? 

Believe it or not, this song was first written as a sad song. The original story was about being in love with someone who makes you feel like no matter what you do, you aren’t good enough. It was about the toxic ups and downs and how easy it is to forget the pain of the low times when they begin to lovebomb you again. The story is being manipulated into anxious love. Trying to be the best you can be for someone, forgetting that this cycle, this pattern, will lead to being hurt like you had been before. 

As I began recording ‘Better’ in the studio, my producer kept making me sing lines over again because he couldn't feel the lyrics. He told me I needed to “sing with emotion, from the heart”. When we began recording again, I found myself thinking about my current partner, how he inspires me to be a better woman and provides a space so safe that it makes me feel like I can be as vulnerable as I was before knowing the pain of heartbreak.

I am actually shocked that it wasn’t just a love story to start but I LOVE that it transformed and took the form that it did. Tell me about finding love on reality TV? What were your biggest personal takeaways and did any of them help you find love in the real world?

The journey of publicly searching for love is what allowed me to be in a relationship today. I have more takeaways than I want to admit. The biggest learnings I took from the experience was KNOWING that I am ready for a serious committed relationship, realizing the type of woman I am and having the confidence/trust within myself to stick to decisions/feelings I have, learning how to put fully put myself out there again despite the chances of things not working out, and learning how to care about me and my partner's feelings/opinions more than the people that surround us. Sometimes we want things and aren’t quite ready for what we want even when we think we are. We can sometimes enter relationships when we don't have the tools to navigate them properly. We may also allow the perspectives of others to influence our emotions towards someone, withhold with fear of being hurt, or not trust ourselves and our judgment. When we do this, we only cheat ourselves from genuine experiences and allow our chances of love to be dictated by others. 

Tell me how finding love in the real world differed from your experience in the show. 

Finding love in the real world differs by having special, organic moments that are sacred between just us. We were allowed to not rush any of our conversations or have awkward interruptions. We were able to get lost in time. Fall asleep talking and wake up together to get coffee. The little things. We also avoided having the added stress or pressure during the already difficult beginning stages of getting to know each other. 

What have you learned in this new found love with your man?!

LOL - well, I’ve learned a few more areas I need to work on within myself to be the future wife, mother, and woman I want to be! I have learned how to be more empathetic, more patient, and more flexible in life. I have also learned that the “flaws” that I do have are also the same reasons why my partner loves me. So they aren’t good or bad. I just have to work on balancing these traits. 

I love that! It’s so healthy to be able to reflect on yourself and where you need growth so that both partners can bring their best self to the table. If you had to give one piece of relationship advice to anyone reading this what would it be? 

My one piece of relationship advice would be: Trust yourself and trust your judgment. If you ever do need insight, ask friends/family that are in/were in relationships you admire and handle/handled them in a healthy way. You could even speak with your therapist if you have one. DO NOT ask people in relationships that are failing, not admirable, or questionable for whatever reason. Though the advice may be good, it can come from a perspective of someone who may want your relationship to fail, does not personally like your partner, may have interest in you personally, may be jealous of your relationship, may be emotionally immature/selfish and not in a place to give advice for something they themselves are unable to obtain/maintain, or they may be pushing the narrative/struggles of their strained relationship onto yours. 

Okay okay, before we wrap this up I want to know what is next for Sierra Jackson?! What can we expect to see from you in 2023? Will there be more music? Are you staying in Dallas? Tell us everything!

I plan to stay in Dallas for the next year, after that I may find myself in another state. Who knows! I do know that 2023 will DEF have more music being released. I plan to drop a new song on Valentine's day (so make sure to subscribe to all the channels and follow along) and I also want to release another music video. I’m taking it day by day, month by month!

And finally where can people find you and your music? 

My songs will be released through Apple music, Spotify, Youtube, and a few other streaming platforms as well. It’s best to follow me on social media to stay up to date on any future releases and a little fashion inspo as well! Xo

I hope you guys enjoyed the video and learning more about this very talented woman I call my friend. I have to give a shout out to my friend and second shooter in VA, Miguel, who took on the task of editing this project together. I think we all felt good knowing that as young creatives just getting started in our careers/passions, we supported each other through this process. I often wish that I had the guts to have started earlier in pursuit of my passions. I sometimes dream about where I’d be and what I’d know if I took these chances on myself in my early 20’s. All that said, I feel grateful knowing that I don’t live in fear of trying something new any longer and I have the courage to believe in myself to try something new. 

I love that this blog is a space for me to be vulnerable and share my heart with you all but I also want to hear about how you’ve pursued your dreams and passions and the risks you’ve taken (or maybe wish you’d taken) along the way! Consider this your invitation to join my community here and be a part of the conversation!