We were lucky to catch up with Lenora Grace recently and have shared our conversation below.
Lenora, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
In my journey towards gaining confidence and self-esteem, I discovered that it wasn’t a sudden realization but rather a series of small steps and self-reflections that led me there. Initially, I struggled with self-doubt and insecurities, constantly comparing myself to others and feeling inadequate. However, as I began to prioritize self-care and personal growth, I started to recognize my own worth and value. Setting small, achievable goals allowed me to celebrate my accomplishments, no matter how minor they seemed. I started to take myself out on dates to celebrate my wins and hard work, which has also boosted my confidence. Through perseverance and a commitment to self-improvement, I gradually developed a stronger sense of self-assurance and belief in myself and my abilities. Doing the things that scare me, in the end gives me confidence to do it again. especially when I exceeded the thing, I was scared to do. Embracing my uniqueness and learning to love myself for who I am, have been the cornerstone of my journey towards confidence and self-esteem.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am so grateful to be an actor. The art of storytelling continues to heal me. I have been able to discover so many different things about myself through various characters that I have played thus far. Acting is very therapeutic for me and continues to teach me how to run a business. Storytelling branches out into modeling as well. As a fashion model I’m able to tell beautiful stories through various poses with the clothes being my co-star, and we become one to bring light to so many designers, brands etc. resulting in a cinematic masterpiece with great eye-catching photographers who are the cream of the crop at what they do. I never want to do anything that isn’t multi-hyphenated, because I never want to box myself in, and I am so protective over my creativity I follow it when it calls me to something. Which has allowed me to bring my vocal instrument to new heights. not only as a singer songwriter, but as a voice over artist who brings a very wide variety of vocal range capabilities to your ears. This beautiful business keeps me on my toes and continues to challenge me into doing more which has enticed me to create my own content leading to being a producer and has poured into others to the point I am producing on 2 feature films in development. i am so grateful for every opportunity GOD continues to bless me with. I dropped out of nursing school and moved to Atlanta with 700 dollars in my pocket( let that sink in haha). Since doing so, I’ve been in a number of short films, voiced animation characters who are full of spunk and life, made my runway debut as a fashion model, worked with Universal twice, features, and 2 web series. Like what!??!? I’m so eager for more. Like I said before, the focus is honing my craft, and staying close to GOD every step of the way. One event that holds a special place in my heart coming up, is guest speaking in my city Houston, Texas at Deblin concepts to discuss mental health which is extremely important to me. It makes me happy that mental health isn’t as taboo as it used to be, but we have so much work to do ensuring that people get the help that they need.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
There are a number of factors that are continuously helping me steer the wheel on my journey, so it’s hard to pick three, but what I’ll say first is what the legend Denzel Washington said himself: “put GOD first in everything you do”!
Next, it doesn’t matter if you’re just started, or how long you’ve been doing this, never ever let anyone tell you what you can or cannot do. The only difference between those we look up to or wherever level you see yourself going is experience. Work smart and be strategic. Understand that this is a business and often we as creatives tend to forget that, or not see ourselves as a business. This is showbusiness! Probably like 10 or 12 percent is us actually doing the art we love to do, and the rest is business. When I moved to Atlanta, I made a promise to myself to focus on me, myself, and I personally, because it pours into every area of my life. In doing so, I created a map and I stick to it! Everything I want to do, every level I want to achieve I write it all out and make time multiple times throughout the day to research what I don’t know, and practice! There are some areas that I am not at yet, and that’s okay. Write it all out into a business plan and start at point A. Sometimes I hop around on my blueprint at times, because I came across an opportunity or GOD sent someone my way, and the connection helped that goal bloom into completion. Anything that you want to do even if you’re not there yet, research and figure out how you can. Lastly, prepare yourself! You never know what GOD is conjuring up for you. Preparation + opportunity=Boom!
We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
Well, I feel that embracing our strengths is a straight shot to success. For me, going all in on our strengths may seem counterintuitive. but honestly, investing in our strengths is a powerful strategy for personal and professional growth.
When we choose to focus on our strengths, we are not just playing to our natural talents and abilities; we are also leveraging our passion and fueling our creative motivation. Directing our energy towards things that we excel at and enjoy; we tend to experience a state of creative flow—where time seems to just fly by and we’re locked in. Next thing you know it’s 12 am in the morning and we have to be up at 5am ha-ha.
Guarding my focus has taught me to have tunnel vision to continuously hone my strengths which lead me to massive results and success in many endeavors thus far I thought were not possible for me to obtain at one-point in my life. When a creative in the industry asks someone of a certain level of expertise “How can I stand out from the rest” that’s how you do it. You differentiate yourself by getting to an expert level at what you feel you do best. I won’t say “perfect” because nothing in this world will ever be perfect, but you can get pretty darn close. Next thing you know you’ve attracted supporters and collaborators, that ultimately lead to greater fulfillment and satisfaction in your craft on a professional scale.
On the other hand, constantly fixating on our weaknesses and not feeding our curiosity can be demoralizing and draining. While it is important to be aware of areas where we can improve, trying to turn our weaknesses into strengths is something that doesn’t need to be put to the back burner completely. I think it’s strategic to work on your weakness on the low while honing your strengths in the forefront. I do this myself. Like I mentioned earlier with my map that I created. It would bother the heck out of me not to dive into other areas that spark my interest in the entertainment world. There is so much that I will do, and as I climb up and X marks the spot more off my map, I’ll have everything I manifested. Behind the scenes I practice, research, study, plan, edit the plan if need be etc. to set myself up for success for future endeavors. It’s just a matter of when for me.
Little short story, when I first started in this industry on a professional level there was so much information being thrown at me from all angles. I was seeing and hearing things on the internet left and right. I began to swim in the pool of comparison because I came into the industry later than most. Which led me to start creating and doing a collective of things all at one time due to feeling behind from my peers. Which made me feel overwhelmed, and not finishing tasks. Which tumbled into unneeded anxiety, and to be honest depression. I was putting out projects that were finished, but it wasn’t triple checked for errors. I developed a serious case of negative self-judgment and thoughts of “what are others going to think about this or that” which led to procrastination and then a shut down. I am high-key a perfectionist, and I hold myself to a very high standard, and always will. I remember distancing myself from people who would tell me “It’s just you’re first this or that it’s okay. The next will be better”, because that wasn’t good enough for me, Like I only want to produce excellence! I know that is a lot to put on myself, but I was stuck in a really bad place for years before entering the industry. When I finally saw the light shine through the darkness, I made the decision to hold myself to a high standard, so that I would never go back there again. I am just being fully transparent here. That may seem overboard, but I believe in me. Watching my work bloom is the best addictive feeling in the world. Nonetheless, I digress.
In conclusion, I was reminded by my spouse who is my biggest cheerleader that there is so much that intertwines into the acting world. Modeling, singing, dancing, composing music, voice overs, editing, content creating, producing, writing, etc. You can do more than one thing in this industry. That’s why we have the word “multi-hyphenated” in the first place! It’s been proven by those who have come before me, and my peers currently killing it that it can be done, but there needs to be a plan of action.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @phases-of_nora
- Twitter: @lenoragraceofficial
- Youtube: @phases-of-nora
Image Credits
Joe Funk Photography SlingShots Photography
