We were lucky to catch up with Judith Ingram recently and have shared our conversation below.

Judith, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I first knew I wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally when I was 3. I say this because when I was 3 I was told that I loved to sing and I always was trying to imitate mainstream singers. Also, my father was a singer, music teacher, songwriter, producer, and was able to play multiple instruments. His father played the guitar. That alone made me want to engage in music, it’s in my DNA.

Then, when I was 12 I fell in love with modeling. My mother introduced me to the art by enrolling me in modeling schools; she used to model herself.

Regarding acting, I always had a love and appreciation for movies and shows. I really started to believe that I could take acting more seriously once I relocated to Los Angeles in 2022. Once I moved to Los Angeles, I was able to land many acting roles and it is ongoing. There is a saying that whatever you wanted to do as a child is what you should focus on once you’re an adult.

So, for all 3 of my passions; singing, modeling, and acting, I can now say, at the ripe age of 37 that I am where I am where I’m supposed to be, and doing what I am supposed to be doing. When you know you know.

Judith, 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?

Born and raised in Akron Ohio, modeling for over 20 years now, I, Judith La-Deana Olivia Ingram, brand name “Ruby Starss” started out modeling solely because of my mother’s, “JoAnne Campbell Ingram” introduction into the industry. My mother was previously a fashion model and thought that getting me into modeling would be a good idea, and the rest was history. I found that modeling boosted my self-esteem and decided to pursue it even further. Being tall and slim while going to middle school and high school, you’re bound to get picked on and once I started modeling I saw a lot of people who looked like me, and it made me feel like I finally belonged somewhere.”

I’ve attended modeling/acting schools in Ohio, freelanced as a model for various businesses, won 1st place in “IMTA’s” jeans segment in 2008, walked in Fashion Weeks, and have IMDB credit. I am also a singer-songwriter and have been singing since I was 3 years old. When I was 7, I remember singing a solo in front of the church congregation and I loved it. I took a liking to music due to my late father, “James Harold Po Boy Ingram” who was a singer/songwriter, musician, and music teacher. As of now, I am engaged in acting gigs, music, and modeling gigs. I’m excited about the future and currently working hard to remain consistent and venture into more entertainment avenues.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

A story from my journey that illustrates my resilience is that, like most, I have experienced loss. In my life, I first endured losing a grandmother in 1994. I didn’t understand it, I was confused and hurt; this is what introduced me to loss and mourning. Then, I lost my father, a sister, and an uncle all in 2012. After that, I lost an aunt in 2014, a cousin in 2016, an aunt in 2018, a sister in 2023, and another uncle in 2023. Everyone has to experience loss. It can be very difficult to stay focused and passionate about anything after losing someone. Some examples of things that could be difficult to focus on is work, career goals, and dreams. With that being said, it has not been easy for me to stay resilient.

Knowing that death is a part of life, I feel I have to brace myself because this is only the beginning of my experiencing loss. Death is inevitable, your ability to cope all falls on your interpretation of losing someone. If you cannot shape the way you think you will remain stuck in your loss and destroy your present and your future. It is so vital to cope in healthy ways. Things I have done to remain resilient in my ventures were to surround myself with uplifting people by going to church, building new relationships, joining groups that aligned with my views and goals, I got a service dog, I stayed active and consistent as much as I could when it came to attending acting, modeling, and singing gigs. Lastly, I remain hopeful of the future and envision it every chance I can because if you can picture it, then, it can come to pass and give you that extra push to keep going.

Life is short and you only have 1 life. What are you going to do with the time you have left here on this earth? That is what I think about and what I’ve learned from losing people. I’ve also learned that it is up to you to not give up on you.

The loved ones you have lost would never want you to give up on you. They are in a better place and no longer have to worry about the troubles of the world. In the words of the late great singer “Mahalia Jackson,” “no more weeping and wailing.”

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

A time when I had to pivot my career and life was when I chose to relocate from Ypsilanti Michigan to Los Angeles California. In life, it was the best move I could have ever made. I just wish I could have gotten that strong urge to relocate there sooner. However, everything happens for a reason and I feel spiritually speaking, it was the perfect time for me to make that move. I chose to relocate because I wasn’t getting the recognition, treatment, or pay that I felt I deserved. At that time, I had been modeling and singing for over 20 years, though many entities would not pay me for my time or they felt my prices were too high.

I remember I worked with a national production company. They were based in Detroit Michigan. I drove regularly to fittings and rehearsals all for free. This was from Ypsilanti to Detroit, with no pay. Then, at one fitting, while standing only a few steps in front of me, I overheard the owner of the store in which the fittings were being held, he was also the owner of this national production company, he negatively gossiped about me and another model who was also present. He said “I don’t like her” referring to me. The person he was speaking to replied “ but I worked with her at a photoshoot recently and she did really well.” He preceded to say, I still don’t like her.” Then he said some negative things about my hair and what I was wearing. I was doing this national production company a favor by traveling nearly an hour for fittings, rehearsals, and shows on a routine basis so that I could help him and his team out by modeling at his events; and this is how I was treated.”

I have other stories of negative experiences with national production companies, models, musicians, talent agents, management groups, etc that should be shared. I might just come out with a tell-all book, because “professionals” need to practice being professional. In this world and especially in the line of work I do, you have to teach people how to treat you unfortunately. The negative experiences were all learning experiences and actually pushed me to the right people. So in a way, I thank all of the unprofessionals I have run into in life. Without knowing, they did not break me nor stop me, but taught me life-long lessons and led me to my people; people who see my worth. With that being said, if you may have to pivot in life due to unforeseen circumstances, remember, that lessons are being learned and there is still a future out there waiting for you.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruby_starss?igsh=YTQwZjQ0NmI0OA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/modeljruby?mibextid=eQY6cl
• Soundcloud: https://artists.spotify.com/c/artist/7pOiTyB8GXelXkbnLylIsT/profile/overview
• Other: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm13977626/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Image Credits

Thee Penguin Media

Deangelostudio