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

Imani, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

The ability to earn a full time living from creative work is the hardest part of the creative entrepreneur journey. You have to stay faithful to the journey, you really have to be okay with knowing at moments things will be overwhelmingly hard and some moments you will be overwhelmed with the amount of success. There are so many highs and lows of being full time in this industry. From day one I just knew that I had to really hustle to make it happen and remain hungry for it at all times, and throughout that process I have really had to make sure that my mental was just as strong if not stronger than my determination to win, because it can get you down at times if you stop trusting the path you’re on. You have to be okay struggling for the end goal and the ultimate purpose and I’ve endured a lot of that, I’ve had to really prioritize things in my life when it comes to making a living, it’s not a option for me to be reckless with spending because whether or not I pay bills and eat all depends on me, and that in itself can weigh a lot on you especially when you are doing it solely through your creative passions. I just try to remain faithful because at the end of the struggle is the gratification of knowing how hard I worked for my success.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Imani Brown, I am from a very small town in southwest Michigan called Cassopolis. I am a fashion/editorial and print model and I have been doing this professionally for the last 3.5 years. I moved to Atlanta after leaving college at Alabama A&M to pursue a career as a model, and I started out by really just putting myself out there to photographers. I followed people who I had seen create high levels of work that I thought would be able to give me a great start and introduction into not only the industry but the way of life out here in Atlanta and it honestly just grew from there. I worked extremely hard to really perfect my craft and to become a master at it, I would and still do spend hours in the mirror just practicing posing and my walk, how to show and evoke different emotions. I think that is the main example of what has now set me apart from most people, I have really studied the art of modeling and taken the time to develop before just jumping in and saying I’m a “model” and I think that is extremely important not only if you want to be taken serious in this business but if you’re looking for longevity you have got to put in the background work. I think I am most proud of my dedication to my growth and the resilience I have shown in moments when I may have wanted to give up because of the hardships that inevitably occur. I am most proud of knowing that my work inspires other people and aspiring models and creatives to just go for it. I just always want people to know that I did not bend on myself to achieve anything. I have remained humble and stood 10 toes down in who I am and my morals, I’ve never swayed from that just to open doors for me and that at times makes the journey feel a bit longer than one would hope, but it has in turn given me the biggest opportunities because people are able to see me for who I truly am, no façade, no games…I am who I am. I want people to know they can achieve anything they set their mind to, I hope that when people see my journey whether that be where I am now or when Im at the highest heights that’s what they take from it, that you can become your dreams, the things you’ve dreamt can become a reality, but you’ve got to be ready for that marathon.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I would say that for me the most rewarding aspect of this creative artist life is knowing that people are really impacted by my work and by my journey that I am taking. It is when people come up to me and thank me for choosing myself, or they say how seeing my work made them feel. It is the having little brown girls like my little sister tell me how they can’t wait to go for their dreams like me, and how they look up to me. That is the most rewarding for me, take away the public success and accolades..knowing that I inspired someone to go for what makes them happy whether that be at 6 or 46 it gives me the strength to just keep going, keep working hard and pushing the envelope.

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

My main goal or mission if I had to pin point is just creating a life that fulfills me in every way and knowing that I did it without compromising Imani. I want to have it all..the success, the family life, the thriving spiritual relationship. I want to be at the top of this game but by doing it my way.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: __manisworld

Image Credits
@bavoa @shawnhannaofficial @leylastefani