Meet Cedric Moore

 

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cedric Moore a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Cedric, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

To understand how I found my purpose, it’s important to first understand the pain I experienced in my early adulthood. After graduating from North Carolina A&T State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science in 2016, I faced a period of intense depression. Despite numerous interviews and leveraging my network, I struggled to land a job in the tech field. During this challenging time, I turned to journaling, recording my thoughts, emotions, words of encouragement, and Bible verses. These entries helped me stay positive, and I kept them close, hoping that one day I could help someone else through their dark season.

A few months later, when I finally secured a position in corporate America, I felt a strong duty and desire to encourage others and help them find positivity. This led to the creation of my blog series, “Moore Ambition,” aimed at recent college graduates and young professionals. The blog provided guidance for navigating a turbulent and uncertain period as they ventured into a new world of possibilities.

This is where my purpose of encouraging others was born. As I matured, I sought various avenues to achieve this goal, which led to my interest in storytelling through film and media. I wanted to visually tell the stories of young adults facing post-grad struggles and adversity in corporate America, among other topics.

Now, I’m rediscovering an additional gift I hadn’t touched since childhood: art. After a 17-year hiatus, I picked up the pencil again to use my artistic talent to tell stories of empowerment and encouragement. This time, my canvas is my medium. Having been aware of my purpose for some time, the transition into this new arena felt seamless because I understand my “Why” when I draw and paint.

It’s amazing to see how my purpose of encouragement has manifested in multiple ways. From a blog series to film and now art, I had no idea that God would use so many different methods to accomplish His plan.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am an artist, filmmaker, motivational speaker, mental health advocate, philanthropist, voiceover actor, author, and former Cybersecurity engineer. In 2022, I took a leap of faith and left my full-time Cybersecurity job to pursue my purpose wholeheartedly. That same year, I founded DreamPower Media, a multimedia production company focused on relevant and impactful storytelling through documentary series. DreamPower Media aims to expand into animation, feature films, novels, and children’s book series, striving to lead the way in narrative change and innovation.

While film and media were my initial focus, I have recently rediscovered my passion for art, which has become my primary focus. I stopped drawing when I was 12 and started again at age 29 in October 2023, marking a 17-year hiatus. Now, I am fully committed to my art, especially after witnessing significant growth in just nine months. As a child, graphite portraits were my specialty, and they served as my segue back into art. Currently, I am enjoying creating figurative art and experimenting with different mediums such as charcoal, acrylic, and oil paints. Despite the long break, it feels like I am right where I am supposed to be.

As my skill set continues to evolve, so do my goals and aspirations as an artist. I am currently building my portfolio and creating art that moves my soul and excites me. Documenting my process and telling my story as an artist is crucial to me. Therefore, I am intertwining my film and art initiatives by visually documenting my art journey. This documentation will produce short films for a series titled “The BĀSMNT,” which DreamPower Media will launch in Summer 2024. The series will tell intriguing and thought-provoking stories around each painting I have created, providing my audience with insight and inspiration behind my artwork.

Animating children’s books and cartoons under DreamPower Media is another way I plan to seamlessly integrate film and art for my brand. Additionally, I aim to engage with the youth in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area, creating programs that offer alternatives to the various distractions in their environments, ultimately allowing them to express themselves through art. Mural art is another goal of mine; I am deeply inspired by large pieces of work I see throughout the city, and I aspire to have my own work displayed on the sides of buildings to inspire others. Collaborating with fashion brands to design unique clothing and shoes with my artistic designs, designing album covers for prominent musicians, and showcasing my work in popular museums are a few of my personal goals. Wherever my work goes, I hope it moves people in ways they haven’t experienced before, and I aim to achieve this on the biggest stages possible.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

The first quality that has been impactful on my journey is time management. As an entrepreneur, you have the freedom to create the life you desire, but this also means your results are directly tied to your actions. Without proper time management, including creating to-do lists, setting hard deadlines, and establishing monthly, quarterly, and yearly goals, it’s easy to waste time, become distracted, and lose track of progress. This can create the illusion that you’re not moving in the right direction, leading to discouragement.

Secondly, it’s crucial to journal your journey. It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks and constantly look ahead to the next goal, but it’s important to take a moment to acknowledge how far you’ve come. Celebrating small wins is essential, and journaling provides a tangible record of your progress. This allows you to look back and say, “I accomplished everything I set out to do; this deserves a celebration.”

Lastly, as an artist, I find it important to let inspiration find you. To do this, you must be open to being inspired by your surroundings. Spend time in environments that nurture you mentally, emotionally, and physically to keep your creativity sharp and flowing. For me, staying inspired involves being around other creatives, visiting local galleries, and taking vacations.

For those early in their journey, my advice is to prioritize time management, document your progress through journaling, and remain open to inspiration by immersing yourself in enriching environments.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

The most impactful thing my family did for me was support my decision to leave corporate America and pursue my purpose. Since my teenage years, they emphasized the importance of having a tech job in today’s economy due to the job security it provided. So when it was time to voice my desire to leave the tech field, I was extremely nervous about their reaction. Surprisingly, their response was the complete opposite of what I feared. They believed wholeheartedly that I knew exactly what I was doing and supported me 100%, even to this day.

Now that I am focused on art, this is the most supportive and engaged I have ever seen my parents. I believe my faith has inspired them to dream bigger and believe in greater possibilities. This journey isn’t just for me; it’s to inspire everyone around me, even those I don’t know, to realize that their purpose is worth living for.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Photography Credit:
IG @glammierllc /Steve Bennett

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