We recently connected with Carlie Raymond and have shared our conversation below.
Carlie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
In 2019 I worked on the Emmy-Award-winning talk show Black Women OWN the Conversation. I was privy to intimate conversations with thought leaders and celebrities as we discussed important issues with 100 black women. Love and relationships, motherhood, beauty, and mind, body, and soul were among the topics we delved deep into, acknowledging and exposing harmful practices and beliefs plaguing the community. Unifying and sharing visions and action plans for a better future was inspiring and thought-provoking when our nation needed to hear from our Daughters, Mothers, Sisters, and neighbors. I shared many of those titles and similar experiences with these women. These women helped me remember I have a story worth telling. They revitalize the motivation I once had to create and amplify the stories of others. Working on the show made me open to nursing my inner child wounds.
Carlie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I grew up in Haiti, and I lived in my head often. I loved to walk barefoot, crack open tropical almonds after eating its sweet fruit, and daydream all day. I am a Screenwriter and Film & Tv Director. I have had a passion for storytelling since I can remember sitting by the feet of my grandmothers and hearing them recount Haitian folklore on a wooden straw chair. Moving to the States was a big adjustment, and taking pen to paper was a form of therapy. Whether it was short stories, poetry, or rap lyrics, being a writer was a vehicle that helped me escape grief and depression. My introduction to Film & TV production began in high school. I assisted with broadcasting content for the local access channel and recorded state Division I games. I received a Bachelor’s degree in Entertainment Mangenent at Baystate College in Boston, MA, and minored in Audio Production. Shortly after, I moved to Atlanta with my partner, and at the time, I was pregnant with my third son. I was unsure if I wanted to pursue a career in music or film, so I interned at recording studios and worked on set as a production assistant. In production, we rarely film in order. I enjoyed the challenge of piecing a story like a puzzle, so gravitating toward a position as Script Supervisor felt natural. I taught myself the craft, and being a Script Supervisor allowed me to learn the art of storytelling by learning film and television production’s creative and technical side. As I gained more self-confidence and worked on my self-esteem, I took a leap of faith and pursued a career as a Film and TV Director. The most significant learning curve for me was finding my tribe and voice; I had to make peace knowing this would be an ongoing journey of self-exploration. That’s the beauty in storytelling because you get to embark on this journey with your characters and people in various stages in their careers. Storytelling is about perspective; the best position to be is in another person’s shoes and sharing a lens with them. Despite being a mother of five beautiful “Suns” with little to no job security, I am most proud of not giving up. I am fortunate to have a supportive partner despite so many uncertainties. It certainly would have been easier to move back to Boston, where it would have had support from our families. Serving the community is so important to me; I am launching a non-profit organization, Jupirer Arts Center, where I can provide parents with childcare options while children with financial insecurities engage in the arts. I am a big dreamer, and I encourage others to be bigger dreamers. When we consciously try to engage with the creation of others, we see the infinite possibilities the world has to offer. It starts with access and being receptive to other cultures and social issues.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I believe by creating, a person invites others to enter a space or world unique to them. The most rewarding aspect of being a creator is releasing my art and watching it blossom into its own entity. I think everyone is here for a purpose, no matter how big or small that purpose is. In all the ways we are interconnected, no matter who you are, you will impact somebody someday. Every creator has an opportunity to reshape the future through their own form of expression. Creating can be physical, spiritual, emotional, and or technical. Regardless of the medium, know that creators provide Hope, Strength, Healing, and Productivity for future generations.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A person’s heart is a sacred space, and I had to unlearn harboring shame and guilt from familial and societal expectations. I had to learn to celebrate who I am and where I am. I had to learn how to heal my inner child from shame and guilt with more grace and fewer limitations. Growing up, I had a vivid imagination and loved the arts, but I often heard, “Who does she think she is?” among my peers. Who I am, a quirky Haitian girl, didn’t fit that mold of what pop culture looked like. I had to tell myself it is perfectly ok if I don’t know who I am in my journey toward self-discovery because there’s no limit to who I can be. 
Contact Info:
- Website: www.carlieraymond.com
- Instagram: @carlie_raymond_
Image Credits
Rahmir Murphy, Gneiss Vibe