Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Robyn.
Hi Courtney, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
From a young age I always had a mind for story telling, creating, business and singing. From writing stories of a caterpillars journey to turn into a butterfly, singing “Jesus take the wheel” on my grandparents fireplace, or creating a restaurant in my drive way and stealing from my mom’s kitchen to serve my neighborhood, entrepreneurship and creativity has always been in my blood. People ask me how long I’ve been acting and I tell them I have been playing pretending games with my sister since I was old enough to walk and talk.
I was born in California then got moved to Oklahoma with my mom and her new husband. Upon my arrival, I did not fit in there like I did in California, and that is where I began to lose myself, my creativity, and my drive for uniqueness. I desperately tried to fit in, tried to be liked, so much so that I left theater and played tennis instead. Although I love tennis, it wasn’t where I belonged, because where I belong is where little me always wanted to be, singing, dancing, acting, and being creative. When I turned 18, God found me and I discovered the amazing way that I had been created by Him to do such amazing things in the entertainment and business world. Now, being 22, I am daily driven, to be myself, express love to others boldly, and change lives through art. I also live my life seeking to inspire others to live a full life. I love now with an awareness that my kindness can reach further than I could ever possibly know. Because of the drive on my life to use my creativity, boldness, and uniqueness to share love into the world, I have gotten to see many people go from stuck and on the edge of death, to living a life filled with purpose, and this is what matters more to me than any amount of success in any industry.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. We all have the obvious doubts and fears, that we aren’t good enough, that God won’t bless us, that the doors will close, I carried those but something deeper hindered me. The pain from my past, step parents who were unstable, moving around, being bullied at school, drove me into addiction to alcohol, as well as a need for validation from others. This was/is probably my hardest mountain to overcome.
I had to learn to move and take chances without permission, I had to learn that even if the whole room disapproves, that doesn’t mean I’m wrong. Sometimes everyone is too scared and you have to pave the path of boldness for others to be able to walk boldly too.
I learned that even if you are told no, don’t, or discouraged in any direction, that does not mean those people are right.
I had to learn to sing anyways and make music, whether others thought I could or not.
When it came to substances, they became my escape instead of poetry, singing, or something else that I truly loved. I fight this, continually, with filling my time with building, instead of wandering around in mindsets or habits that tare me down. Learning to love myself has been a hard journey. When people would say “Love yourself” I would always say to myself “I don’t even know what that means”.
Now, I can say, self love is an action, not a feeling. Self love is me choosing to say no to things that harm me, self love is treating me how I would treat a best friend, it’s giving myself permission to feel, create, and express without judgment.
It is not always easy to love yourself, but a start is knowing that God thinks you are worth dying for, that’s ought to mean something profound about your value.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
What I do is multi-fasciated, I am currently in the process of making my first song album. The songs feature R&B, Jazz, Funk, and Ethereal tones, my artist name being ‘Courtney Robyn’. What sets me apart here is my versatility, I come with many different styles but they are all uniquely me. I also am a photographer, I love doing creative shoots, brand shoots, family portraits, personal portraits, and headshots!
I also am an actress, I love acting, putting on different characters, I have been able to act in some short films, vertical films, and I have an upcoming lead role in a feature film that I am super excited for!
Me and my husband are a creative team, we make films together, and have started our own media marketing business. We discovered an affinity with social media by becoming content creators ourselves.
We have been pursuing the entertainment industry in film, writing, acting, directing, and producing. I also have been pursuing the music industry through producing my own beats and writing my own songs with close help of my Dad and uncle who are both musical geniuses. Then finally we have our own content channels where I discuss faith based ideas and societal issues.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Talent is a given, but uniqueness is a quality that I value more than anything. I believe people need a little bit of salt in the earth, a little bit of something different to see that it’s possible to be unique and be strange. My hope is that my uniqueness will inspire others to be their wonderful unique self. I hope people can see themselves in me, whether it is that younger self longing to break free from performance masks and pressure or its just being ok to be seen, that what is seen in them is wonderful and valuable, whether they believe it or not. Finally, the most important thing for me to carry, and my mission if you will is to radically love those who I come into contact with, deeply, genuinely, I hope to inspire everyone to take a chance on themselves even if the odds are against them and I hope to share the love God has given me, to help others become rooted in identity and love.
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