We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Clemesha Pruitt a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Clemesha 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.

Taking a risk is something that heightens your anxiety due to the unexpected. I recently took a risk just a few short months ago and quit my government job. I have a degree in criminal justice and was working for a courthouse near my home for almost two and a half years but worked in my field for three. During my time frame of working in my field without disclosing the location of where I worked or who I worked for, I was at my worse. Meaning, I was not living up to my full potential, I was hindered, depressed, limited to my craft due to my mental etc. A work place supposed to make you feel welcomed and appreciated not overwhelmed and fed up with the establishment. As a creative everyone is in fact eager to quit working a 9-5, but we all know life has to get taken care of until your able to reach that point in your career. I was placed on medication for tension headaches from being overwhelmed and stressed plus so much more. Luckily, I have a supportive mother who knows her daughter and knows when her daughter has had enough. She told me, “baby quit that job.” So guess what I did, I quit that job. I walked away from four years of college stress, achievements, long hours and hard work for my happiness and to pursue my real dream job. Becoming an actress full time! Since quitting, I shared my story on social media and went viral. I had no idea so many others could relate so well to me that it’s quite sad honestly. I went back into retail with less travel time than the drive I was making to my government job. I have a schedule and manger that works with me because I am an actress. I am smiling, I am happy and I am thriving all because of that risk. I now have an agent which was one of my new year goals, because of that risk. I am closer that I have been in the past three years to my dream job because of that risk. Pray about it and trust God.

Clemesha, 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 am you! Someone who once had a dream as a child and decided I wanted that dream to become my reality. Hi, for those of you who have not read about me before my name is Clemesha Pruitt and I am an East Saint Louis, IL native that now resides in Atlanta, GA. I was born and raised in one of the highest crime rated cities in the United States where poverty and crimes is the everyday norm. I grew up in the hood surrounded by friends and family enjoying what would be considered little to higher class people but big and dear to us. I was raised with my two older brothers by my amazing and strong widowed mother after our father committed the heartening act of self inflicted suicide when I was just a year old. Despite my upbringing and the narrative of where I am from. My upbringing did not stir me off the path God set for me. I was a very happy child and much enjoyed the outdoors running barefoot through my neighborhood, Golden Garden in Centreville, IL. I ate what we call, “Icy Cups” cool-aid pickles, bags of frooties etc that the neighborhood corner store lady would have in the projects. I still can still remember all those times searching for twenty-five cents just to get me a red icy cup. I grew up playing on the rusted monkey bars located on the abandoned school ground across the street from our double wide trailer home. That same playground is where I spent most of my time drawing, creating, dancing and entertaining my uncles and aunts by acting out my favorite movie scenes while they hand washed their cars. I knew then at seven years old I wanted to become an actress. So from that point until now at the age of twenty-eight I participated in choir, dance classes, drama club, modeling etc. Before content creating had a label which all became bigger during the pandemic, I kind of had already been doing this. So I perfected my craft and studied the game even harder. I eventually started to combine content creating and acting which benefited me in the best way. To anyone who wants to become a creative, do what works for you and do not feel pressured by bigger influencers. The best part about you is the creative ideas that comes out of your mind. I don’t have a niche, I am the creator ! I create whatever I want! Take something that you remember from your childhood and use that as motivation. Mine was those red icy cups and the abandoned school parking lot where I use to act out scenes. Little me would be proud.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

God did! God did! God did! He is the driving force in my life. He is the reason I am where I am today and where I am headed for my future. I give all thanks and praises to him. My life could have been completely different or shifted majorly. I could literally have had everything stripped from me, but I constantly prayed for him to control and take the wheel of my life. Because of him I have an amazing mother who raised me right. An amazing mother who did not give up and kept her faith in him strong. My relationship with God is unlike no other in life. God is good is truly good to me and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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 I had to unlearn was thinking I had to stay the same in order to be accepted after moving away from my hometown. I hear people say it a lot and have heard it many times in the past stating, “you’ve changed or you think your better than everyone now.” Honestly, no that’s what you think about me. You feel I am better than you and that is a personal trigger that has nothing to do with me. I had to spend nights crying wanting to be accepted by people I grew up with, friends and family. It broke my heart that people who’ve known me my whole life could look at me differently because I chose to live a better life for me and my family. Break the cycle and shift the narrative is all I wanted to do. I had to break down that old sensitive wall I had built around me because I always cared about what those closest to me thought about me. I hate to say I don’t care anymore as it can sound harsh and cliche to belittle others feelings, but when it comes down to mine only I can uplift them. I did not move away to stay the same. If I wanted to stay in my old ways and not evolve, I would have stayed back in East Saint Louis. I always knew I was bigger than where I am from. That’s not me saying that I think I am better than anyone, that is me saying my mindset and the life I wanted is untouchable there. The reality of it all is that the world is bigger than your hometown. How could you ever discover a better version of yourself if you are too scared of change.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://clemeshapruittofficial.my.canva.site/
• Instagram: Misspruittofficial_
• Facebook: Clemesha Pruitt
• Youtube: Misspruittofficial_
• Other: Lemon8: OnlyMissPruitt
  Tik Tok: Misspruittofficial_

Image Credits

Instagram: Hollywood Headshots