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

Hi Deanna, thanks for joining 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.

When I was 18 years old, coming out of high school and not fully understanding what I wanted to do in life but I knew I wanted to entertain people. Being in front of a camera or an audience and being able to play as many different people as I wanted to was the only thing that made me feel whole. A lot of people told me I should go into other fields of work after high school, fields they said would guarantee me work and money but they didn’t understand that there is more to life than just money. You have to have a passion for something, something that makes your heart sing. I realized early that that passion for me was entertaining people and at that moment I didn’t care if other people thought I was delusional for wanting to pursue entertainment as a career. At the first chance I got, I jumped to audition for a performing arts school in LA, and I got so many hesitant questions about if it’s really worth it, and if I’m sure I want to go down this path. I talked to my aunt and she told me, “people don’t always understand what it’s like to have a dream and see it come true, and if you want something in life you sometimes have to break doors down to get to it and it’ll be the risk of a lifetime. I want you to always take the risk!” So I did, I made it into the school and packed up everything and moved across the country from Atlanta to California for college and to start my career as an entertainer, and it has been the best decision of my life! Being able to go between Atlanta and California doing what I love now, totally made that first risk worth it! Taking risks can be really scary especially if other people around you are pointing out every little “flaw” in your plan and telling you that it’s a dream that just can’t happen. While I was in California there’s a quote that read, “what if it doesn’t happen, ah but what if it does?” And that has stuck and will continue to stick with me until the end of time.

Deanna, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Deanna Elise, and I am an actor and a model. Having came from a very creative background, thanks to my parents and the village as a whole, I found a love for performing very young. I attended performing arts schools from elementary through college, where I was in dance, singing and acting classes and developed deeper passions within the arts and decided this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. Since graduating from the American Music and Dramatic Academy in Los Angeles I have moved back to Atlanta, where I am a full time actress and model; having been on many shows such as “Step Up: Highwater and “First Kill”, and now working on a new series called “Elementals: Battle of the Gods”. At only 24 years old I’ve done things I never knew were possible for myself and I’m excited to see where life takes me!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Hands down the most rewarding aspect of being a creative for me is talking to kids once they see a project I was able to be a part of. Seeing their faces light up when they see the character they just grew to adore on screen standing in front of them, is one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. I remember growing up in dance class as a little ballerina thinking, “I have to do good, the big kids are watching” and now it’s crazy how everything flipped and sit and say to myself, “I have to do good the little kids are watching.” Being able to put a smile on their faces and helping them understand that nothing is impossible for them no matter how crazy someone tells them it is, is the best feeling in the world.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

The best way for society to support artists and creatives is to be open minded and give everything a chance. If you see new short films have come out go watch them, tell other people about them. If you know someone who is an aspiring photographer and they want to take photos of you, if you’re comfortable being in front of the camera, do it. Tell others about it. Word of mouth is a concept that could make the difference for someone. Also understanding that creatives take a lot of time planning and making works of art, and it means so much to know when someone else really likes it. If you see something you like let that artist know that you like it, because sometimes we can get so nervous putting our art on the table for the world to see and we feel like we actually did something right when we can see how excited other people get about a project we put our heart and soul into.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @iamdeannaelise
• Youtube: IamDeannaElise
• TikTok: @iamdeannaelise98

Image Credits
Hendrixx Liz T. Howard Blair Devereaux David Owens