Meet Imani-Kelai

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Imani-Kelai. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Imani-Kelai below.

Imani-Kelai, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
My confidence has always come from feeling and being well prepared. I remember being nervous for school presentations and early on I recognized that the nervousness was not from public speaking, but from feeling like I did not have the necessary information to speak on it easily. The same goes for performances. In my early days, I would not rehearse, I would just sing the song a few times before it was time to hit the stage. Now, when I take the time to think about how I want my performance to look and the energy I want to give the audience, I find that I feel more confident in myself and in my show. I rehearse to have peace of mind in my actions so I am not tasked with trying to make something up on the spot! It has definitely given me some peace of mind.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am super excited to announce that I released my fourth single called “Close To You” on March 20th! That song is my favorite song that I have made thus far! It would mean a lot to me if you all gave it a listen added it to your playlists! It’s an upbeat afrobeat song about dancing the night away with a cutie you met in the club! At this point in my career, I am focused on building my catalog of songs so when opportunities to perform arrive, I have options that I can cater to the occasion and so that I am continuously putting myself into the world! Ultimately, I believe that I can relate to many people of all ages because the content I put out is inspiring and refreshing.

I am also a makeup LOVER. I do different looks combining eyeshadow and eyeliner to create fun, whimsical, and seasonal looks. I have gotten so many compliments and questions asking me if I am a professional makeup artist. So much so, that I am seriously considering taking classes and being mentored to BECOME a professional makeup artist. It is a world that I never thought I would find myself in but now that I am here, I cannot imagine NOT doing makeup. I truly brings me joy and allows me to be creative with my expression in a different way. Once I get up and running, keep an eye out for me!

I have also found love for martial arts! It seems like a random development in my life but it was birthed out of the desire to feel safe as a petite woman moving freely in the world. I do an art called Kajukenbo – Karate, Judo/Jiu Jitsu, Kenpo, and Chinese boxing and Kung Fu. Joining that gym was the best decision I’ve ever made. I have pushed myself physically in ways that I hadn’t before and I’ve made new friends throughout the process. I joined in May of 2022, so I’m coming up on my second year in this program. I’m testing for my blue belt, the 5th belt, at the end of this month. Wish me luck! Although I am not worried at all. They’ve recently reactivated their point sparring competition team and I made the team! We had our first competition of the year on April 6th and I am proud to say that I placed 1st in all of my events! I’m even prouder to say that our team swept the competition and we all had top placements. It is great to see how hard work pays off and to taste victory! The next competition is on April 27th and I’m sure we will sweep again!

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Look, I’ll give you one quality, one skill, and one area of knowledge.

One quality that helped and currently helps me on this journey through life is honesty. When I went to Amazing Grace Conservatory – an amazing performing arts program run by the incomparable Wendy Raquel Robinson and her amazing team – one quote that Ms. Wendy said CONSTANTLY was “to thine own self be true.” That quote is ingrained into my brain. What I have found to be true for myself is that if I am not moving throughout life in an honest space, I will literally be uncomfortable in my own skin. Imagine walking around living a lie! It just seems like too much work. Regarding my artistry, I realized that my creativity gets blocked when I’m trying to write or create something that doesn’t resonate with me in a genuine way. Honesty is the best key, especially if you’re a creative.

One skill is problem solving. I think that’s cliché a bit because there will always be problems in life, however, the important part is how to not let those problems kill the ultimate dream or goal. Having ingenuity and being able to think outside the box can really come in handy especially when you have big budget dreams but small budget pockets. One thing the social media age has shown us is how much we can do with the different items around us. There is always an answer and if you can’t find it, you have to create it.

Lastly, an area of knowledge that is important is to always be a student. I guarantee that you don’t know everything about your craft. There is someone who has been doing what you’re doing way longer than you. When you are humble enough to be a student, you open yourself up to new ideas around your craft – things you couldn’t even fathom. There are so many people in the world with so many different perspectives, you never know which one will resonate with you. There’s always something to learn, even from the person who doesn’t practice your craft. There are just fundamental aspect about life that apply to all of life’s activities. You can draw inspiration and influence from anywhere. Never be arrogant enough to close that door.

My advice is only to keep doing what you love everyday. Your lessons come as you engage with your art. Everything you need to know will show itself to you as you encounter praise and obstacles. Just keep going.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
The first thing I do is take deep breaths. Another cliché but it does help. I sit with myself in silence because the only way to hear yourself is to quiet other distractions ie. your phone, television, etc. Once I’ve calmed down, I’ll go in my journal and write out my thoughts as they come to me. It’s like having a conversation with myself but on paper. Sometimes I’ll write something and then respond to it in the next sentence. After I feel like I’ve allowed my thoughts to flow, I begin to write an action plan. As I mentioned previously, I feel the most confident when I’m prepared. In this case, creating an action plan helps me create space between uncertainty and indecisiveness and become closer to being grounded and having confidence in my next steps.

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Image Credits
The photo in the green room with the leaves and with the half naked man – credit to Dakota Giovanni Instagram @kogio_

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