We were lucky to catch up with Anisa Carty recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Anisa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

A big risk that I have taken is completing switching my career path. Although I have always been passionate about performing arts and media/entertainment, I chose to go to school for a degree in education to become a teacher. Coming from a family background of educators, I decided to pursue this area of study because it was familiar, even though I knew deep down that it wasn’t really for me. I have always been passionate about creativity and self-expression in any given form. Whether it’s through digital storytelling, dance, art, photography, videography, etc, I always feel in alignment when I help inspire people through these art forms. While going to school for education, I never knew that it was possible for someone like me to make a career out of my passions and hobbies. So I chose the safer route which was to go to school to become a teacher and a dance educator. After graduating college and working one year as a full-time teacher I realized that education wasn’t for me. During that year I consistently felt called to keep pursuing content creation because it was something that brought me fulfillment, joy, and inspiration. After having the courage to leave my job and start over, I had to figure out what industry aligns the most with me at this point in my life. That industry was media. So for someone who did not have any professional media experience, I had to learn and gain new experience to successfully transition my career. I started off by creating content and connecting with other creatives in the community which led to so many opportunities. I was able to work part-time with a start-up social media business, work as a camera op for live production events, and build my personal brand on social media. I was really eager to learn and expand my experience in the world of media and entertainment. After a year of learning and freelancing, I applied to multiple full-time positions and received an offer from one of the top media companies in the country! I now work full-time as a media professional and I love what I do in my career.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a multi-faceted creative. I am a content creator, model, dancer, entrepreneur, and media professional. I love creating stories that inspire people and make them feel seen and understood. Creativity has always been my outlet for self-expression so I’m very passionate about helping others find themselves through these spaces. I first originally got my start as a dancer. I took classes for dance in a studio for a couple of years then went into competitive dance. After competing and graduating from high school, I got accepted into the dance minor program at the University of Central Florida. After college, I danced professionally and worked with local artists in the Orlando area. I started my youtube channel back in 2017 and have been documenting my life over the years. I enjoy creating content for my travel adventures, my day-to-day life, and my overall lifestyle. I also enjoy incorporating dance and modeling projects on my platforms as well. As a black woman with kinky curly hair, I and so many other women like me were not educated properly on how to take care of our hair. During my journey of self-discovery, I made it my mission to learn more about myself and my hair type. During that process, I documented and shared my story on social media and so many women were able to connect with me about finding ways to care for our hair. I was able to create a community and be a part of other communities that focused on educating each other on natural hair. From there I’ve been so fortunate to work with some amazing natural hair companies to showcase and create content to help women find products that work best for their hair type. In 2021 I started modeling as a fun way to collaborate with a friend who is a photographer to help build their portfolio. At the time I didn’t have any goals to come out of it. I was just genuinely having fun finding new ways to express myself through photography. Shortly after, other photographers started to reach out to me and I began to start collaborating on more shoots. In 2022 I was published in Vous Magazine for their spring fashion issue.

My overall mission with my platform is to entertain, motivate, and inspire my community to become the best versions of themselves. I believe what sets me apart from others is my courage to pivot. I don’t believe in remaining stagnant in any area of my life. I am a lifelong learner and I find joy in finding new things to be passionate about. I’m most proud of having the courage to go after what my heart truly desires. Sometimes taking big leaps into the unknown is scary, but I’m proud that I put myself out there and held to my faith throughout this journey.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson that I had to unlearn is the narrative that going after your dreams and becoming successful in life will be a long and hard journey. For me, I always thought that if I wasn’t struggling or hustling then I wouldn’t get to where I wanted to be. What I’m now learning is that when you’re in alignment with what you’re supposed to do then things will come to you with ease. When you’re doing what you love, working hard doesn’t feel like work. Once I stopped stressing over reaching specific goals in my career and just continued to do what I love, doors and opportunities started flowing my way.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Maintaining my spiritual relationship with God is the foundation for everything in my life. I also enjoy listening to personal development podcasts, reading Law of Attraction books, and consuming media that is committed to self-growth. Some of my favorite resources are Abraham Hicks’s Teachings, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, Atomic Habits by James Clear, and The Introvert Entrepreneur by Beth L. Buelow. Changing my internal world and my mindset was the first step that helped me get to where I am today. Identifying my limiting beliefs and creating new stories allowed me to grow into a higher version of myself.    

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/Anisacarty
• Instagram: @nissy_x3
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anisa-carty/
• Twitter: @nissy0825
• Youtube: @anisacarty

Image Credits
IG: @jjjosh_w IG: @shootvincentshoot IG: @iamdwillz82