Meet Briana V. Clemmons

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Briana V. Clemmons a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Briana V., we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

The making of my confidence and self-esteem has consisted of a lifelong refining process of reflection and acceptance. Nobody likes being told what to do or how they should change in this way or that but for someone who doesn’t mind self-improvement, these reoccurring instances may be met with an open mind, rather, and a guarded heart. For starters, remembering ‘whose you are’ is the most important; that alone will have one defaulting to a basic level of confidence simply because of who/what one represents and the validation that comes with that credential. From there, it’s constant growing and learning.

I step into the world each day with an idea of who I am and where I want to be which Is wherever God needs me to be to carry out His will. Since I literally do not know what that is, all I can do is make both feet my best foot forward. Everything I do is executed with the best of my ability; successes are inevitable, and mistakes will be made. My focus is to be unwavering in my persistency and more consistent in my execution; in my persistency to get where I want to go and in my execution of showing how I’m earning my way to where I want to be. Is what one has to offer palatable for the table one is trying to sit at? Sometimes yes, and sometime one may make their own table.

I do sing, model, and dance though I’m primarily modeling and Latin dancing at the moment. Each audition or casting is a new opportunity to prove why one deserves to be there. Everyone shows up for their own reason, each person has been practicing their own craft, everybody feels they should be granted the opportunity because they’re the One who has “what it takes.” That is the life-changing question, do You have what it takes to be the One for said opportunity? As confident as one may be when they enter the world each day, when they enter the environment they are fighting to be in, that is when confidence, self-esteem, and character is truly tested.

Have you done the basic work that sets you apart from those who claim to do your craft versus those who already execute in your field of interest? When you receive feedback, whether or not constructive, are you able to revise the information in a way that better refines what you are already doing? This is where being in any industry can make or break an individual; is this constant reflection and refinement of oneself worth it? For me, it is worth it because aside from my goals, I am always working on bettering myself and regarding my goals, I intentionally put the authenticity of ‘me’ in everything I do. Yes, another person may be great at what I do but the difference is they cannot exude the energy or connection that I transmit in the way that I do so. The experience with me walking down the runway, dancing in front of or with a crowd, or a having photoshoot session, etc will be remembered differently in comparison to whoever because of who I am and who I am working to be on purpose.

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 sing, model, and dance. Being a 90’s baby, I heavily trained my voice after the likes of Beyonce, Yolanda Adams, and the Clark Sisters. Singing is like immersive therapy to me as I can escape to the reality of what’s being played and sang and those are the emotions I become in tuned with. Much like disappearing in a book, it allows my literal self to participate in storytelling and simultaneously experience the picture being painted via the lyrics.

Dancing has always been just as much part of the set of talents as singing has. Having been trained in the fundamentals of ballet/pointe, jazz, modern, contemporary, and liturgical that clarified my love for rhythmic expression with or without music. I am absolutely my happiest when dancing whether social dancing or being paid to perform, the joy it brings me is truly unmatched.

Modeling came later in life though as a kid I was signed up to audition for different commercials and tv opportunities. As a young adult here and there, I would often be asked if I were a model. Never wanting to say no and not wanting to paint a picture that wasn’t true, I would always answer yes and that is what catapulted me into being a print and runway model. I started off doing runway as a participant in a charity show and quickly got into print once I decided to take this version of me seriously.

My goal for all three talents is to make it professionally in their respective fields. No, I am not a Beyonce, a Yolanda Adams but I have what I bring to the table and there is always a demand for what one has to offer. Am I a specific category of dancer? No, but I do know that I am a fluid, natural dancer who can quickly pick up a new genre and easily execute it. Have I been crowned the world’s top model? No, but I know about how to gauge my technique based off the models who have been accredited. I am not close to where I want to be but the journey I’ve traveled from where I began to where I am now is active fuel for me to continue moving on the path I am on. Being able to reflect is a blessing and I do not take the ability to improve for granted.

Keeping up with me is keeping up with my journey – celebrating my successes and me learning from my mistakes. The learning process is the real joy of it all. If we knew everything, we could bypass the journey altogether, but it is essential to our growth. It is essential to who we are once we get there, once we have made it.

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?

Three areas of knowledge that have been most impactful in my journey are
1. constantly reviewing and refining “why” I’m doing something ie is this fruitful; how is this impactful?
2. who I naturally am as a person and who I genuinely want to be – are my interests actively aligning?
3. Not hesitating to put myself around people who may be better or further in something I may want to do.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

I am always open to working with other open-minded and ambitious creatives who want to make fluid, timeless art via limitless mediums like song and vocals, dance and theatre, live art collage – the possibilities are endless on the right project with the right people. For me that looks like makeup artists, hair stylists, choreographers, vocal team, producers, directors, showrunners, and among others who come together to birth the execution of a project.
The best way to contact me is via email for inquiries, to book or hire me, to request I audition for a casting, etc.
You may also message by connecting with me on various platforms such as Google, Alignable, LinkedIn by name and through social media.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

1. Chase Portraits www.chaseportraits.com | IG chase_portraits
1. Ana Fatima
[email protected] | IG @eyeoffatima___
2. Kevin Corey LeSure
3. Tim Temple Imagery
Templeimagery.com | IG
@templeimagery
4. Jade
https://thevi-videxperience.com/book-now | IG thevividexperience
5. N/A the dance photo
6. IG: theWoodshedNash
7. Oluwaseun Asade (Images By Comfesta Photographers )
Website: www.Imagesbycomfesta.com | IG: Awesomeafrican1
8. Olu ^ same as #7

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