Today we’d like to introduce you to Clarissa Jane.
Hi Clarissa, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started performing at the ripe age of 4 years old! I come from a highly creative family where the arts were thankfully always put forth as a priority avenue of self-expression. By the time third grade came around, I auditioned for & started attending a fine arts training academy, where I spent the next 10 years honing in my craft. I always had a knack for theatre & fell in love with the intimacy & vulnerability of film acting by my junior year of high school. Before that, when I was 15, I was signed with my first agency for modeling! After taking a short break in college, I jumped right back into acting & modeling, so much so that I am excessively grateful to have made it my full-time job for the past year & a half! It’s taken a lot of work, courage, risky moves, & a whole lotta “nos” to get to where I’m at now; & it’s really all just beginning!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
As far as I know, “smooth” is rarely an active adjective when it comes to describing the act of chasing your dreams. A primary roadblock that I faced for quite some time was the fact that my father was ill with cancer. He has been my inspiration for going after the life I want since I was able to speak. When he was diagnosed, I was in high school & picking the best college to go to was primarily based on the accessibility I had to him. More than a choice of picking how far away to live from him, it was a very emotional roadblock for me. While he was constantly pushing me to take big risks & leaps of faith to go after my dreams, I possessed a lot of guilt being away from him. I ultimately chose to stay close by & I am forever grateful that I did. I lost him in the summer of 2022 & since then, I have been pursuing every possible opportunity I’ve been given or created for myself; on a mission to make him proud. Additionally, I have found that most of my struggles in going after the career I’ve wanted have been self-inflicted doubt & unintentional self-sabotage, learning the hard way through life. I lost myself in drugs & alcohol for a little bit, trying to run & escape from the reality I didn’t want to face & let plenty of unkind people with unkind intentions into my life because of it. My mental health had taken the backseat to everything else I was being faced with. After being numb for years, it took a little “ah-ha” moment & realization that launched me out of the darkest parts of my brain. The self-reflection & growth will never stop, but it’s the best kind of work we are all blessed with the opportunity of. After taking some really intense looks at my life comparatively to the life I ultimately wanted, I made some lasting changes that have proven effective thus far!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a model, actress, & a writer! Primarily, my day-to-day work is modeling for clients, brands, styled shoots, runway, & hired creative projects. What I’m known for most in what I do is having the capability to bring any vision, prompt, or idea to life. When I’m hired for a project, my job is to dive deep into what the director of the project is looking for, adding a level of my own touch. As a model, I get to be the catalyst for a team coming together to create something bigger than ourselves. Many people view modeling as simply looking good for a picture, but the reality of it is that you’re striving to tell a story through still pictures & evoke emotion by the viewer. Whether it’s an advertisement or a gallery piece, there’s always something more to the image than what meets the eye. I would say that is also the thing I’m most proud of & what sets me apart in the work that I do. Additionally, I bring the same attitude & drive to a script for roles that I get to play. When you’re given a script, that’s all you get to know about the character on paper. There was a world before & there will be a world after the closing scene & as the actor portraying that character, it’s your job to get to know them inside & out. Pulling out the reasons why they are the way that they are through every mannerism, quirk, every line they say & how they say it. There’s intention behind every word written & infinite routes to take when embodying them. It’s up to you & the creative team to create life for the character, which then dictates how the plot is told. It’s truly a magical thing to get to be a part of!
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
While my personal brand is outwardly focused on my modeling career, I also use multiple creative mediums for self-expression. I grew up in a fine arts-centered environment, so the arts as a whole have always been extremely important to me. This helped exponentially while I’ve been figuring out who I want to be in this world & the impact I hope to make. If modeling & acting were not my primary avenue, it would be focusing more on my art, my writing, or philanthropy work. What’s not wildly known is that I have been working on a novel for quite some time with hopes to turn it into a film or limited series. I also have a platform called Resilient Roots, a healing support network for victims or loved ones of victims of Domestic/Family Violence, & hereditary cancer in males. Within Resilient Roots is an anonymous testimonial resource called “The Healing Project”. It is designed for people to express the effects of their traumas anonymously as an outlet, as well as helping others feel less alone on their healing journeys! This is a particular subject that speaks very personally to me & my hope is to help others find their voice & the strength to continue growing for themselves.
Pricing:
- $100/hr for Modeling
Contact Info:
- Website: https://missclarissajane.wixsite.com/clarissajane
- Instagram: instagram.com/clarissajane_
Image Credits
Steve Ellinger
Evangelos Koutsavdis
