No individual can be defined by a single facet of their life, made evident by the multi-talented force of a woman, Shanti Lowry. Actress, producer, singer, and dancer, Shanti’s career spans a wide array of entertainment performances, from television roles in “NYPD Blue” and “The Game” to dancing with legends like Chaka Khan, N*SYNC, and Earth, Wind, and Fire. Yet, beyond the spotlight, Shanti’s journey is a profound testament to resilience and hope. Her journey to success was paved with challenges, having escaped abuse and poverty as a child. In this candid conversation, Shanti Lowry opens up about using acting as a form of mental escapism, embracing self-love, and the power of manifestation in shaping a better life. With a mission to inspire others navigating similar struggles, she shares about life on-screen and off-screen, with insights on finding balance, prioritizing self-care, and creating opportunities for underrepresented voices in Hollywood.

You came here with a purpose, so let’s dive right into it. Tell us about your journey, how it led you to where you are today, and what you want others to know.

Professionally, I call myself a creative, most often. I’m an actress, producer, and creator. But I’m also a wife and mom to a 2-year-old daughter and a 5-year-old dog daughter. 

And I’m also a survivor. I’ve escaped abuse and poverty as a child, and I want to use that history to bring light and inspiration to others enduring a heavy shared experience.

I think a lot of people in difficult circumstances understand the idea of mental escapism. 

I used acting and dancing to escape the unfriendly real world around me. When I was playing a character, I wasn’t the little girl with no friends and no heat at home. I was the cool girl in school. Or maybe I was a homeless girl who would love the mattress on the floor where I actually slept. It was an escape from the stress of feeling like I was in the wrong life. 

It’s hard for me to give advice to others about this though, because we’re all going through such different experiences. Ultimately, I would say try to find the life that fits you. Perfectly. Don’t settle. 

And it’s never too late.

How did the experience of pretending to be other people become a source of solace for you during challenging times?

Strangely, pretending to be other people helped me find myself. For example, costuming is one of the first things I do to build a character, personally. Putting on the clothes and walking around in a character’s ‘world’ is an excellent tool to discover them within yourself.

And becoming comfortable with all walks of life, and all ways of thinking, allowed me room to be myself. No judgment. 

I can’t be a good actor if I don’t love my characters. And if I can love some of the characters I’ve played, how can I not love myself? 

Self-love is not a passing fad. It’s really important stuff.

Let’s get into the mindset you’ve cultivated to achieve that ‘perfectly suited-to-you’ life — from opening the Billboard Music Awards to touring with Chaka Khan to producing your own film, Persona. I know you’ve used manifestation since the beginning. Can you elaborate on your technique and how it can benefit others facing similar challenges?

I’m such a big believer in manifestation — for two totally different reasons. 

One is that I believe it really works. Whether that’s because when creating and then hanging a vision board that you look at daily, reminds you to keep a look-out for opportunities and stay motivated — or because there are actual laws of attraction bringing opportunity — doesn’t really matter to me. Knowing what we want is half the battle. Being big into manifesting means constantly checking in with that side of yourself. 

The second reason is that we live quite a bit of our lives in our own heads. I try to make my headspace as uncluttered and inspiring a place as it can be. When I’m manifesting a beautiful life, I feel unlimited creativity and peace. I absolutely manifested every bit of my new movie, ‘Persona.’ 

Manifestation is really just planning and then believing that you can succeed in that plan. And then thinking about and visualizing every angle of how that plan will go, and how it will feel when you’re executing it. 

It’s just planning. And believing. 

So hopefully, if you’re in a difficult situation, you can step-by-step manifest a different life for yourself. And hopefully, while you’re doing it, you can escape from your difficult mental space for a while.

As a busy, multi-hyphenate woman, how do you find time to sit down and plan? It can be such a struggle to balance self-care amidst a hectic schedule.

I wish I had an awesome answer for this. It’s just about priorities. 

It’s about scheduling time for myself. And knowing that time is not wasted, but truly valuable to me and my whole family. 

I’m not embarrassed or shy about finding time for myself every day. 

Even if that’s just having coffee alone for ten minutes. I’m fortunate that my husband takes my daughter to start breakfast and gives me time to make some lists for the day. I love lists, and they make me feel really productive. There’s something about writing stuff down and then erasing it. 

I also incorporate my daughter into a lot of my routines so that she can learn about what I do, and I can also continue to live my life while still being with the ones I love.

I know you spend a lot of that ‘me time’ focused on physical health as well. Did that commitment come from your background as a professional dancer? 

Fitness is definitely a huge part of my mental and physical health. I worked out until the day before my daughter was born. And then I was back in dance after three weeks. And it has nothing to do with fitting into jeans. My whole spirit feels lifted when I’m being physically active. Whether that’s dance or CrossFit or martial arts. I definitely have an addiction to the way it feels to be in command of your own body. 

My advice to others is to find what works for you — and do it, daily. And then make sure to push yourself. The growth has to be part of the point. Maybe you’re not training to be the next star weightlifter, but you should be setting goals. It’s what makes you feel alive.

I’m glad you mentioned that — pushing yourself and setting goals, it all aligns with your on-screen and off-screen message of perseverance. I know you’re working on a really special project right now professionally too, one that took seven years to come to fruition. Can you share more about your film ‘Persona?’

‘Persona’ is really special, for so many reasons. It’s my favorite piece of art I’ve ever been associated with. It’s an incredibly suspenseful thriller about a woman who wakes up injured, with no memory, locked in a terrifying house. There are bars and wood covering the windows and locks on all the doors. 

The writer, Blyth Kemp, wrote the screenplay with me in mind. As soon as I read it, I knew I had to do it and I’d need to produce it myself. I wanted this script to be handled with the care it deserved. And if it was, I knew it would be special. So I optioned the script and then worked with Blyth on the deeply layered female characters until we both felt we had it right. 

Next, I decided to take a big leap and fund the project myself. Entirely. 

I wanted to be able to control not just the creative product, but also the set environment. Because when we began shooting, my daughter was just a year old and still breastfeeding. I didn’t want any dream of mine or any pursuit to take away from that special bond. So I needed to be sure that this would be a friendly environment, and being the boss makes that a sure thing. That meant doing the actual producing too though. The nitty-gritty stuff of ordering and paying for trailers and generators and water trucks. It was a huge undertaking. But it honestly felt like I had to do it in order to make the movie I wanted to make. I even took the step of moving my entire family, my husband, daughter, dog, and mom into my set trailer, so that I would have no commute. That meant more time with them while still getting my producing done at night. 

When I was making the first calls to build my team, I realized I had another golden opportunity: I could hire the talented women, and BIPOC crew that I so often saw struggling to gain traction in the industry. I decided this was going to be a main goal of my production as well — 50% female cast and crew every day was the first goal. After that, I wanted the other groups of people who struggle to be hired to be considered first for every job. At the end of production, this movie was 75% BIPOC every day and over 50% female.

When you give people the chance to shine, and you set them up for success, and you trust them, it turns out that’s a winning formula.

I wanted to make sure that the set was run in a way that was inviting to anyone and everyone, and it really made such a difference. Tons of these crewmembers were then also able to bring their families to set. We had a picnic area in a field and all ate lunch on blankets like a fairytale. And that’s what we needed because we were working with very difficult material. As it turns out, a wonderfully warm and inviting set can produce an even better product.

It sounds like, as mentioned earlier, you really knew what you wanted from that whole experience. You envisioned it all and how cool to finally watch it all happen in real time. What would you tell others in your industry who want to set similar goals and see out their own dreams?

Know who you are, and what you want out of it before you start. And reassess often. When you’re in the entertainment industry and have to play or act as different people, you have to make sure you know who you actually are. And when you are living in a land of dreams, you have to know which ones are yours, and which ones are other peoples.

And always continue to move forward. Challenges and setbacks are part of the journey. If we could see it all laid out before us, we would understand why we had to go down in order to go up. But we don’t have the privilege of that view. So just keep putting one foot in front of the other. 

And maybe make a vision board.

*This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

To keep up with Shanti Lowry, follow her on Instagram.

Credits:

Written by Carly Long |  @bycarlylong

Photography of Shanti Lowry by Birdie Thompson