We recently connected with Kenjah and have shared our conversation below.

Kenjah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

The biggest risk I took was leaving behind my responsible established adult life in Maryland to pursue an uncertain career in entertainment again. The last time I pursued an entertainment career, I was a pre-teen in my parents’ safe stable home! As an adult, there I was, feeling unfulfilled, picking up and leaving my stable job in Public Health that I had for 4 years. Not knowing anyone in the industry to help me made this risk feel daunting. I didn’t tell anyone what I had really planned to do! However, before moving, I did plenty of research and had a plan. I learned what steps to take from successful actors and artists online. It was scary, but definitely paid off. Safe to say, I have no regrets and I’d do it again, ha!

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

I’m a Singer, Songwriter, Actress and Dancer. Making music and bringing a words like lyrics or a script to life is when I feel the most fulfilled. Creating is therapeutic and when people connect with someone’s art, it’s therapy for them too. Every hardship I’ve experienced – from watching my family struggle for years after my mom became mentally ill, to putting myself through college, sleeping on my best friend’s floor, getting my heart broken, having fruitless opportunities and dealing with fake friends, have all made me who I am and given me so much to share with others who can relate. You never know how your story or your fire to keep going can ignite someone else’s, so don’t dim your light.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I always thought everyone had big dreams like I did. A friend used to often ask me “Why do you want to sing in front of people? Why do you want to act on TV and film? My response of “…because I want to do what I love for a living” seemed like it was never enough for them. They asked because they really didn’t understand why someone would risk so much in life to pursue a dream like mine. At the time, it was so difficult to verbalize, but now it’s simple:
I believe when you have a gift and a passion or fire in you to do something, that’s your sign to share it with the world. Our creative gifts can heal or make a positive impact on the world. So it’s special when something in you won’t allow you to give up on it. You could change the world with one dream or your dream could give life to someone’s world-changing dream.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn that being humble doesn’t mean to dim your light. That being humble doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t feel like you deserve your opportunities and victories in life. I challenge the concept of “remain humble” as it means to maintain a low estimate of your own importance. Instead, I believe that we should consider ourselves and everyone else as highly important, however, no one person being more important than the other. We are all incredible because we’re humans with the ability to love and create.

In the past, being humble made me dim my light for many years because I didn’t want anyone to feel less important than me. I would feel guilty about my talent or opportunities because it made other people think I thought I was better than them. I realized that their feeling of inferiority is not my fault. It’s an insecurity they need to resolve within themselves to realize their own importance.
Now I know to shine bright and that what I have to say is important. Knowing you’re worthy and important doesn’t have to mean you’re ungrateful and that everyone else is beneath you. It just means you recognize your value.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.itskenjah.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/its_kenjah/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@its_kenjah?si=QyVu-4ZCDd5IPM_j
• Other: SoundCloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/eckxY Stay connected with me: https://tinyurl.com/2p99r8n4

Image Credits
Kenjah Alana Wester Brian Jones