Meet Camille Simone Thomas

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Camille Simone Thomas. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Camille Simone below.

Hi Camille, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
As a 5th generation Detroiter my resilience is ancestral. I was born and raised in a city that has resilience built in its bones. Even before it became “Motown” the place known for birthing some of the best music in the United States or “Motorcity” the heart of the American auto industry, in the 1800’s it was known as the final spot on the Underground Railroad before achieving freedom in Canada. Detroit bore the weight of the hopes of my ancestors with grace. The Detroit River was a liminal space between no longer enslaved but not yet free. Those who decided to cross the river believed they were resilient enough to be able to start a new life in a new country. I respect and honor their decision. Those who decided to stay in Detroit believed they were resilient enough to build a better home in a country that had subjugated them. They believed that this could become a place of safety. I respect and honor their decision as well. They have taught me that my resilience should be fluid.

While I am African-American on my father’s side I am Jamaican on my mother’s side and my resilience stems from her as well. Celia Thomas immigrated from Jamaica to Michigan to take care of her younger cousin after his mother passed away and to go to college and she did both of those things excellently. She earned her bachelors in her 20’s, her masters in her 30’s and her Doctorate in her 50’s. She is the embodiment of the Jamaican phrase “Wi likkle but we tallawah” and has imbued me with that same resilient spirit.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
As a multi hyphenate creative I see myself as a storyteller and a healer. I’m playing with a methodology that I’m creating called “See, Say, Do”. I realized that as an arts practitioner/ teacher, I want to activate my audience/collaborators to “See, Say, Do”

See –
What do you (S)ee in yourself that needs healing?
What do you see in your (E)nvironment that needs attention?
What do you need to (E)ducate yourself on?

Say –
What do you need to say for your current (S)elf?
What do you need to say to your (A)audience?
What do you want to say to your (Y) ounger self?

Do – No clever acronym here. What are you going to do about it?

Upcoming for me as a playwright is the NYC premiere of my play “Mud; or when things get messy and how we live with it” with SheNYC’s theatre festival at the end of July/early August and my artistic research fellowship for my play “Sweetblood” with the Folger Library in DC in the fall.

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?
As a child I used to get stressed about everything that I wanted to do. So my dad shared these words of wisdom that he made up “Organize. Prioritize. Designate. Eliminate” and that knowledge has been essential in how I operate day to day. I think it’s essential to develop your organizing and prioritizing skills because this world will pull you in every direction if you are not clear on what matters to you and what you want to accomplish. It’s also necessary to develop boundaries in order to designate the time you need to accomplish everything you want to do and finally sometimes you just need to suck it up, stop procrastinating (I’m talking to myself here lol) eliminate and do the task no matter how much you don’t want to.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?
Yes yes yes I’m an aspiring TV writer so I’d love to collaborate with folks in the film and TV space. I also love working with folks who believe in putting people before the product but are also committed to a successful process and take pride in accomplishing a goal. You can connect with me via IG @Camille4Reel or my website https://www.camillesthomas.com/

If you’re interested in supporting me financially and would like to make a tax deductible donation you can donate at the link listed in “Other” below.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Photos in the red dress – Shelby Antel IG @Shelbyalaynephotos Photo in theatre wrapped in receipt paper – Tariq Allen IG @Photonycdot Broadway Advocacy Coalition yearbook photo – Jenny Anderson IG @Jennyandersonphoto

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