Article by Jen Bush

For Ambra Ferraris, her art is all about communication.  She feels that there is a message to relay through all forms of artistic interpretation.  “I see art as a language, it might sound complicated to people who don’t understand it, sometimes it sounds beautiful, sometimes it sounds harsh, but the point of any language is to communicate something. As an artist, I am a communicator.” Ideally the audience will be able to see the performance through the eyes of Ms. Ferraris.  “The ultimate goal is to make you see what I can see, make you feel what I feel. Whether I dance, sing, or act, I am always communicating something. I feel like I am a successful artist when I reach people to their souls when they truly understand the message I am conveying through my art.”

Ms. Ferraris’ goals aligned with the kinds of opportunities that were available in America.  She wanted to be among likeminded people with similar aspirations.  “The U.S. might not be the land of opportunities as it was in the beginning, but it still draws people with the kind of mindset that is necessary to succeed. People that are hardworking, resilient, strong-willed, and still capable of believing in dreams. Sometimes I feel like people in Europe have lost the ability to dream. They label dreamers as losers, just because they have a vision they cannot understand. I came to the US because I wanted something more, I needed an environment that could inspire me, and stimulate me, and I found it.”

Ms. Ferraris was in the profession of Law and Order and now you might see her pop up on an episode of Law and Order.  She stopped taking depositions and started going on auditions when she switched careers from law to the performing arts.  The people in her life were surprised to say the least.   The creative arts were her true passion and she never looked back.  “I actually think I was crazy when I enrolled in law school being such a creative, soulful, enthusiastic person. That was me going against the grain to follow the rules of society. A society where I never fit. I pretended to fit, and I succeeded at it, but my inner artist was suffering. I shushed it for too long, it was like wearing a mask and not being able to be my true self. It was thanks to a book, The Artist’s Way, that I finally freed myselfand found the courage to follow my vocation.”

Ms. Ferraris recognizes that there are multiple opportunities available in the performing arts.  Acting is just the tip of the iceberg, and she is going to dip her toe in the big pond of creativity including writing.  “I am a storyteller. I’ve always loved fairy tales and myths since I was a child. When I was 6 years old my biggest dream was to become a writer. Then at 13, I discovered theater and I fell in love with acting.”  The lockdown altered the trajectory of her studies, but she landed in a good spot.  “When I came to L.A. my plan was to study acting but, after the first lockdown, with UCLA going fully online, I decided to change the subject (acting online lacks human interaction), I started taking classes in screenwriting, cinematography, producing and directing. I ended up graduating in Entertainment Studies and I found out I had quite a talent for putting people together and organizing the work.”  Ms. Ferraris found she had natural leadership skills going beck to her tender years.  “Looking back, I could see myself being a showrunner for the five years of elementary school without even knowing what that was. I remember there was this tv show I loved, Sailor Moon, and during recess, every day my schoolmates and I were acting all the episodes and I was already casting people in their roles, holding auditions, choosing the content of the episode and acting in it. Of course, back then I called it playing but now I realize I was already made for the Entertainment Industry.” 

The entertainment industry is lucky to have such a talented and dedicated individual with stories to tell and dreams to be realized.