| With the video for her latest single, Nashville singer-songwriter Paola Proctor has managed to turn the story of an emotionally fraught breakup into an opportunity to advocate for the importance of mental health awareness. The “How Can I?” music video made its premiere on Digital Journal today. The single was released last month and is now available on all digital and download streaming platforms.
Video Link: https://youtu.be/rQjLqx_TIMA
Listening Link: https://www.publicitynation.com/paolaproctor
Smart Link: https://ffm.to/howcani
The video is a simple depiction of two lovers in the midst of a face-to-face confrontation. In one continuous take, Proctor and co-star Caleb Sprinkle take viewers on an emotional journey using nothing more than the power of their body language and facial expressions.
Proctor’s experience as an actress comes through right from the beginning. As the flamenco-inspired nylon guitar intro plays, it’s clear that she is preparing to have a very difficult conversation with a lover who’s scorned her. Her portrayal of internal conflict here perfectly reflects her real-life struggle with embracing vulnerability. Proctor credits the research of Dr. Brene Brown with bolstering her ability to be open about her emotions.
“Her research and work on vulnerability has completely reshaped my idea of what strength looks like. It has enabled me to lean into my vulnerability because I now see it as a sign of strength where I used to think showing emotion was a sign of weakness.” – Paola Proctor
Proctor puts her money where her mouth is with her expressive delivery later on in the video. As the chorus begins, the brave face Proctor put on for the first verse begins to crack. By the second verse, we see her becoming physical with her partner, grasping for his shirt and pressing down on his knees. This anger gives way to a tearful breakdown upon the arrival of the second chorus. After briefly regaining her composure in the final pre-chorus, Proctor falls into a state of despair once again. Her body language begins to mirror the uncomfortable fidgeting Sprinkle has been displaying throughout the video, as if to suggest she feels as ashamed of her conflicted reaction as her boyfriend might be of his unfaithfulness.
In case Proctor’s emotional performance wasn’t adequately conveying her suffering, we hear her muffled sobbing as Sprinkle looks helplessly into the camera and the video fades to black. What follows is a brief message from Proctor on the value of therapy. Fans can rest assured that her call to reframe the discussion around mental health is sincere. Mental health awareness has always been a cause near and dear to Proctor’s heart.
“I’m very passionate about making mental health practices a normal part of society. I want it to be completely normal for people to talk about going to therapy or group sessions, or whatever helps them cope with the inevitable curve balls that life will throw.” – Paola Proctor
On what she wants to accomplish with her career in music, Proctor elaborates: “I hope to be an example of personal development and I hope to break the stigma surrounding mental health.”
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