Meet Merissa Ware

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

Merissa, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?

One way that I keep my creativity alive is by allowing myself to find inspiration. Whether it is watching a really good TV show, reflecting on my life experiences or going to a filmmaking event, I find inspiration by being observational. Also, my creativity is the most alive when my mind isn’t cluttered. When I am busy and I have a lot of things on my mind, it is more challenging for me to be creative. Tapping into my inner child is another great way to keep my creativity alive. As a child, I was so imaginative and I loved creating stories. Knowing that I am still that little girl, just all grown up, is helpful for keeping my creativity alive because it truly never left.

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

I am the founder of The CAMS Collective. The CAMS Collective is a community and resource for storytellers. CAMS stands for Creatives, Artists, Makers, and Storytellers. My company provides hard working and passionate storytellers with a platform and a community. We host annual events where creatives come to together, get inspired, and showcase their work. Last year we had a indie film screening and networking event. This August, we are having a panel discussion and showcase event. In the fall, we will be filming a live action short film as a part of THE CAMS Collective. God gave this assignment to me and I am grateful that He chose me to be the vessel.

I am also the creator of Midnight Ocean Animations. Midnight Ocean Animations is my animation studio where I create short and relatable animated clips. I originally created Midnight Ocean Comix when I was in high school. At that time, they were comics that I drew in my sketchbook. After graduating college in May 2025, I decided to take my animations seriously and post them. Midnight Ocean Animation’s first animated short film will be coming out in the fall.

My media company, Merissa Media Network, is the parent company of all of my media creations. As a multimedia storyteller, I create live action short films, animations, documentaries, spec commercials, and more. My work can be found on my YouTube Channel, Merissa Ware, and on instagram @merissamedianetwork.

I am a published children’s book author. My book, Yes I Will, is about a young girl with big dreams. She faces adversity along the way, however she is not afraid to be herself when it comes to her passion of music. Yes I Will is available on Amazon.

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?

The three most important qualities that were most impactful on my journey were discipline, faith, and passion. Having discipline is key because there will be days when you don’t feel like working on your craft. Motivation is fleeting. So when there are times that you don’t feel motivated, discipline is what will keep you consistent. Faith is crucial. When you are putting in the work, but not seeing the results as quickly as you thought, faith is the hope that keeps you going. Passion is your why for what you’re doing. When you’re passionate about something, you’re going to give it your all. My advice for people that are early in their journey that want to improve on these things is to write their vision and have it somewhere where you can always see it as a constant reminder. A common way that people do this is with a vision board. I have a vision board on my tablet’s lock screen, so when I open my tablet to work, I see my vision board. I also have a whiteboard that is on the wall in front of my desk. I write down my agenda for the day and other encouraging things that I need to see in front of me.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

The number one challenge that I currently face is being distracted. There are so many distractions and it can be very easy to lose focus on the task at hand. Social media and being lost in thoughts are common distractions that I’ve struggled with. What I do to overcome this challenge is realize that I am being distracted and bring myself back to what I am doing.

Contact Info:

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Highlighter Series
Is the public version of you the real you?

We all think we’re being real—whether in public or in private—but the deeper challenge is

Highlighter Series
Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?

We asked some of the most interesting entrepreneurs and creatives to open up about recent

Highlighter Series
What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?

Coffee? Workouts? Hitting the snooze button 14 times? Everyone has their morning ritual and we