Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Arnay Marshall. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Arnay, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

The people you have surrounding you is most important when starting a new creative project. I struggled often in my childhood with feeling stable emotionally. When I got to highschool, it was difficult because of financial constraints but I was able to explore myself from a new perspective. My mother empowered me in many ways growing up. No dream was ever too big and that gave more the confidence to explore the unknown sides of myself. What I felt my mother did the best was creating a safe place for me to explore creative side. She put me in dance classes, art camps, and theatre clubs while also encouraging me to be ambitious in my athletic career. I always felt encouraged to grow, to take those experiences and apply them to new ones.

When I started my magazine, Charm City Lifestyle I feared a lot of people wouldn’t see the vision or understand the purpose of creating it. My mom was the first to fully encourage me to do it. She asks about the process, the aesthetic, and offered to assist me and anyway she could. She bought every issue, marketed to her friends and made sure to emphasize how proud of me she was for following my dream. In all honesty, it probably would have been much more difficult without her consistent support. My mother is the reason I can be free-spirited and ambitious with my life and career goals. She opened me up to the world and gave me the freedom to choose my path.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I would describe myself as a creative consultant. I’m a photographer and marketing specialist with a interest in career and business branding. I often work on creative teams or with individual creatives on projects they are planning. Whether it be pre or post production, I’m there to assist artists in any way I can be of service.

Most recently I joined YMC Ant management team as Head of Operations. In the couple of months working with Tru Sound Entertainment, I coordinated and organized a listening party for Ant’s critically acclaimed album, “Sincerely from Ant” that was a success. I also work on the team as art director for videos and social media content.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to learn is that only one way to communicate on a creative team. You need to be honest and encouraging when speaking to people about their work. Before I was stuck in doing things and communicating with people in the way I was comfortable. I never faced any issues til I was surrounded by people who did not have the same thought process as me. When I joined this team in the beginning, I struggled with expressing myself and my ideas. I was respected but I didn’t know how communicate my creative self. This caused many delays and frustration but I persevered through and learned how to have direct and clear communication even when difficult and I was given the opportunity to disagree with colleagues without conflict. We were able to accommodate each other creative needs and learn to accept our differences because an environment of understanding and sharing was created.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

My favorite book, All About Love by Bell Hooks has had an significant impact on my thinking. I always thought it was important to put love into everything you do. However, if you don’t have an understanding of what love is, your mindset and boundaries are centered around what seems too unclear to define. We all deserve healthy love and my hope is that people feel the sincerity of my love for their projects and my own. It’s important to love things fully and be consistent with your commitment to it. I try to operate from a place of compassion. It doesn’t excuse bad behavior or dismiss negative thought patterns but allows grace through those periods of chaos we in our lives. It’s important that artist feel supported and truly loved for the work that they do. This book allows me to study my own relationship with love and how to be on the receiving side as much as the giving. Incorporating this book into my career has helped me with creating and establishing long lasting connections with artists and creatives alike.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: cclnayy

Image Credits
personal photo @rome.bino