Meet Clarise Simmons

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

Clarise , so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Imposter Syndrome is overcome one action at a time. The more I reach for my dreams the more I can feel like an imposter, especially when I get access to places and spaces that I don’t feel qualified for. But one thing that I remember as a Christian, is that I am here with a purpose and that is to fulfill the will of God in the earth. Once I make what I am doing about Him and not about me I overcome it!

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Dream Cultivation is my business! There are many things that I do and what I love about Dream Cultivation is that it’s a world that encompasses it all. First off when it comes to my creative work I am a professional model of over 13 years and I ABSOLUTELY love what I do! It brings me so much joy to be expressive in different garments and styles, telling a unique and cool story. Most of my shoots are produced and directed by myself, and I get to work along side some of the most amazing creatives including photographers, stylist, makeup artist, and my lovely assistant. I love to tell stories and pull creativity from movies and films that I watch, things that I do, or places that I’ve seen.

In addition to modeling I run a company called Dream Cultivation where I help you see your dreams come true. From conceptualization to guidance and then proper execution it is something I throughly enjoy. Seeing things go from paper to “product,” it’s the coolest thing!

Currently, I am working on a Hair Documentary where I’ll be hosting conversations about the black hair experience, less of the history aspect and more of what’s happening right here, right now. There’s a lot to say and a lot of conversations happening around our hair and our experiences with out hair that honors our history while also tackling current problems and struggles that people are facing, and I’m excited to continue to capture moments and conversations around it.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Trust God, that’s number one. I’ve done many things from learning how to create content, working in marketing for major brands, creating site, etc. All the while I had absolutely no idea that it would lead to the outcome of having my own company. It takes trust in God to endure the journey of life and the unknown with joy. You’ll rob yourself of the joy part if you lack trust in the Lord.

Second, keep good company around you! I can’t stress this enough but I’’ll do my absolute best to try here. Bad company corrupt good character (PERIOD). If and I repeat with all my might, if you are not even remotely inspired by the people around you, challenged by the people around you, corrected by the people around you, and love (real love – that shows up in actions and not just words) by the people around you, you need to be around new people!!!!!! I have went through great pain at times in being alone and going back to point number 1 trusting that God would send the right people my way. It was heart breaking and a very trying time but it was a great gift. I had more time on my hands so I got to work on me! My life has changed completely and I have been more productive in the last 5 months than I have been in the last 5 years partly because I changed my environment. I have less friends (at the moment) but I am so much more fulfilled and the happiest I have ever been since doing this. It’s not an easy start but you will be grateful you did it.

Lastly, discipline is key. I don’t believe that our decisions should be led solely off of our emotions. Our emotions are incredible at helping us identify how we feel and can lead to great self awareness when we examine them but please don’t live life led by them. If you really want to see change discipline is the game. Start with your mind. Perspective is a huge part of our life experience and when we discipline ourselves to look through the lens of gratitude life looks a whole lot brighter. I don’t always like to do things but the fact that I get to do them is a real blessings the others can’t. I find joy in spaces of gratitude. For me the Bible helps me with my mindset a lot and my attitude. A good start is to begin your day with giving God thanks. It’ll shift your perspective to look for things to be grateful for.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
No More Excuses: Mastering the Skills of Self-Discipline & Execution by Randolph “Randy” Simmons. This book met me where I was (in a very low place at the time) and helped me to get up, get rid of any excuses I had, and go again. One of the main points that really jumped out at me was this: Discipline is a form of self respect. At the time that I was reading this book, looking at my life I couldn’t say that I respected myself. I had the honor of reading this prior to its release so this was a few months before it came out. It was rough knowing that my decisions were a reflection of a lack of self respect and it showed in my environment, my business, and even some relationships. It was awful and I was terribly unhappy. But reading this book I had hope that things could change for the better and as I applied the instructions from the book to my world it did! There was another point that stuck out to me: Execution is my worship. This one hit me hard because I didn’t look at executing and taking action towards my dreams as a form of worship to God but it is! That really stirred things up in me and I really got to work. Since then I’ve really been focused on the fact that Dream Cultivation is a part of God’s plan for me and helping people see their dreams come true is being an assist in their worship unto the Lord. It’s honorable, it’s good work, it’s God’s work and I love it.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
First photo the opening one is photographed by: S. Bola Okoya @primosupremo The other 4 photos the ones that give me the option to upload 4-8 is photographed by Nagela Apollon @Capturedby.naj

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