Meet Meredith Mansfield | YouTuber

We had the good fortune of connecting with Meredith Mansfield and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Meredith, how do you think about risk?
Oof. I love this question.

My first major risk in life was taking a gap year in between high school and college — and going through that risk, at such a formative age, transformed the way that I thought about “risk” in general. And, it was easily the Jenga block that lead to all future potentially hazardous decisions (haha). Because instead of buying dorm room decorations and signing up for classes, I raised money to volunteer as a teacher at an international school in Japan, secretly worrying that taking this year and being behind in school would ruin my life. That being a Freshman, when everyone else my year was a Sophomore, would give me a severe case of FOMO that I couldn’t recover from.

And I was right. Freshman year was hard. I had FOMO. I felt behind.

But being in Japan for eight months? THAT was worth it.

I started to realize that with every “risk” I took, that the worst thing that could happen wasn’t actually that bad. And I started trusting myself more, taking bigger risks, and ultimately found my dream career and most fulfilling life experiences because of it.

I dropped out of college and moved to Nashville, to see if I wanted to be a songwriter. Then I realized that, I didn’t want to monetize songwriting after all, went back to school, and got a master’s in Film Production. I moved to Atlanta and started working on shows like Stranger Things and Black Panther, though it took me months to have a steady job in the film industry, and that was a risk in and of itself. And then realized on almost every show I worked on, that almost everyone around me felt as unfulfilled as I did.

So after some deep reflection, I decided to take another risk: drive across the country, stop in 23 cities (for the year 2023), practice getting outside of my comfort zone by doing different challenges based on rejection therapy, and document it all on YouTube.

It was the biggest risk I had taken so far. I lost a lot of money, wiped out my savings, got my car broken into twice, and have ruined my mental health at times. But, I’ve met so many amazing new friends, found so much purpose in sharing these stories, and have built something from the ground up that I’m really proud of. And I don’t regret a single part of it.

And it feels like this was the first real step of launching my career as a filmmaker.

And though I’m almost finished editing my “23 Days of Rejection” project, having just posted day 17 of 23, I can confidently say it’s the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done.

And if you’re ever worried that taking a risk might not be worth it in the end? I promise you. It’s worth it every time.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Has your fear of rejection ever held you back from a dream? From a friendship? From a romantic relationship?

Well, during the first week of 2023, I started a YouTube series on my channel called “23 Days of Rejection”, where I drove across the country, from Florida to California, and stopped in 23 cities seeking out rejection in each one.

And the truth is I took on this seemingly ridiculous quest for two reasons.

The first, because I was deeply inspired by a TedTalk on the premise of “rejection therapy”. And after experiencing a few months of unemployment in 2022, that knocked me off of my feet financially, I realized that I wanted nothing more than to go on a journey of desensitizing myself to rejection. It seemed like it could become some sort of superpower. And a gateway to living the most fulfilling life humanly possible.

The second reason, was because after working in the film industry in Atlanta for 2 years, I realized that almost everyone I met at the top of the game was unhappy. There’s no PTO, there’s long days, everyone is afraid of going on vacation, it’s hard to see your family, and I kept asking myself if I’d be happy climbing this kind of ladder. Or if there was another way, to take control of my own filmmaking career, and turn it into something adventurous. Something with a social impact.

Insert: my “23 Days of Rejection” project.

When I first came up with this idea, I thought that people who went to my film school, or people I worked with in the film industry, would see a pivot into YouTube as an embarrassing thing. And even more, I was technically building a brand around getting “rejected” — which is the most embarrassing thing I could think of to be identified with.

But instead? I not only built a more resilient character, had experiences I’ll never forget, met people in every industry that I now call dear friends, but I’ve been able to use this project as a way to build on my film career too. I directed a music video in Los Angeles that is singlehandedly my most proud piece of directing work yet. I met up with a producer in LA who wants to turn this idea into a TV show (stay tuned!). I honed a lot of my storytelling abilities being the solo editor and I was even on a talk show in Colorado.

But most importantly, I realized that through putting myself through this many rejections, I can pull back on the curtain on such a normalized fear and show people just how kind, generous, and giving humanity really is. How it’s often more likely to get a “yes” than to get rejected.

How I had a stranger teach me to sail. How I worked in the kitchen of one of the best restaurants in America. How I got a matching tattoo with a stranger. How one of my photos is not hanging in a prestigious art gallery.

And I really truly believe, after all of this, that anything is possible. If you’re just willing to push past your fear of rejection.

But, I also can’t lie. This has been the most difficult year of my life. I’ve had my car broken into (twice). I had my car break down in the middle of Texas, where I knew absolutely no one. I slept in my car more times than I’d like to admit. I ran out of money. And a dozen other disastrous things that will probably be in a book some day.

And yet, it’s hands down been the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done.

Yes, as a filmmaker. But also, as a human.

I’ve never been more proud of myself. Proud of this message. Or proud of what I’ve learned by giving something like this my all.

So thank you, Shoutout LA, for letting me share my story with you! And I hope you check out my YouTube channel! Please don’t reject me (haha), I really think you’ll like it! 🙂

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My favorite day in LA would look like catching sunrise on a hike to the Griffith Observatory, grabbing a coffee at Intelligentsia off of Abbott Kinney (my favorite coffeeshop in LA) before longboarding from Venice beach to the Santa Monica pier, and then ending the day watching a band play somewhere on Sunset — or even watching a movie at The Grove!

But if I had a whole WEEK? Add in taking a tour of Paramount, going to Disneyland, taking photos at the LACMA (you know, those giant rows of white lamps you see in every movie), hiking up in Malibu, sailing in Newport beach, and trying to find someone’s YouTube video to be in (haha).

Dayglow and Go Get ‘Em Tiger are some of my favorite coffeeshops too! So definitely would hit up both of those, grab some food and people watch at Erewhon (the most luxurious grocery store on the planet??) and enjoy some ice cream at Salt and Straw one night (or maybe two, or three, or 7). There’s honestly too many things to recommend!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d love to dedicate my shoutout to my parents, Cristi and Ken Mansfield. They’ve been my number 1 supporters in every aspect of my life, raised me to be resilient and brave, and have always encouraged me to never play it safe. I think I would’ve been a completely different person if it weren’t for their belief in me. And they deserve all of the recognition in the world for that!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meredithjmansfield/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MeredithJMansfield

Image Credits
I am the photographer for 4 of the photos! Photographer: Meredith Mansfield (me) For the photo of me directing the music video, Photographer: Jared Bouland There are 3 iPhone photos that are not professional, and not taken by me, that are on here too. I’m assuming these photos do not apply for needing credits!