Today we’d like to introduce you to Devin Marie.
Devin, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Self-expression and much of my self-identity were acknowledged, explored and challenged in areas related to art.
When I was three I twirled into my first ballet class, by the age of seven I was introduced to poetry for the first time and never learned to put the pen down, by the time I was in high school I was a seasoned chorus member and theatre kid who was always doodling and sketching during lecture. I sort of fell into modeling as my inspiration gravitated towards other black or petite models; compelling me to practice walking one foot in front of the other religiously in between class periods.
On a personal level, I truly believe God gave me art in its many facets to build my confidence and exercise my peace learning to freely be myself. I struggled with my identity as many adolescents do. However, I felt it in a deeper sense having been repeatedly bullied and harassed through most of my academic career. I can’t remember a time I wasn’t “dealing with the repercussions of feeling like I never belonged.”
Great, 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?
To be quite frank; the road is never easy. I do my best to project as much positivity and the highs of my career to showcase the possibility of a girl who may look like me wanting to pursue her dreams. It’s important to see yourselves in such platforms.
As I reflect on my seven years being a model/actress and pursuing writing as a full-time career, I can attest to experiencing more closed doors and flat out rejections than I do wins. We do well to romanticize entrepreneurship, and not going the “traditional route,” but it is far from easy. You are responsible for your failures as much as you are your own successes and it’s important you learn to learn and grow from both.
I appreciate the journey and the challenges of being both a woman of color in a predominately white- male-dominated industry, as well as being a woman of faith and navigating my role as both a Christian and an artist. These are challenges I feel compelled to navigate out loud, I feel a greater purpose to call into question certain stereotypes and challenge an industry that has told me there weren’t roles or room for women like me.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
As much as modeling and acting have been positive assests to my life, the past three years, I have focused a lot of my time and energy in what I consider my “passion work.”
My blog www.write2herstory.com was founded by myself and a dear friend of mine in 2015. The premise of the blog was to help curate a safe space for other sexual assault survivors could learn, and heal from their trauma and abuse.
The blog has opened me to a greater connection to the female audience I hope to inspire through my work as a creative. I feel a deeper responsibility now as a creative knowing that my role on set carries influence into the real world.
I attribute that acknowledgment to my background in women and gender studies in college, but more importantly, through my personal experience of rape. I’m incredibly proud and inspired by the women I meet on set who have opened up to me about their struggles of trauma and abuses they’ve experienced.
Some in the very industry we work in. It is because of these brave individuals I feel obligated to not only use my story as a mirror to other people’s experiences, but it is also an opportunity to expose the prevalence of rape culture art often attributes to intentionally or not.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moments in my career aren’t always publicized; they are often very personal to me and have been sprinkled throughout my journey. The proudest moment wasn’t necessarily my first time walking in New York Fashion Week, or the first time being on set with an Oscar award-winning actress, the first time a stranger asked: “is that you.” When they saw my face in an ad or a tv show.
The proudest moments are felt when my younger cousins and nieces say “I look up to you,” when strangers I’ve never me say, ” I see you and respect your journey.” when a stylist or casting director specifically says “I know what you stand for, and we want you here because we believe in that too.” They are the moments before “the moment” is ever realized when someone is inspired by the process, the journey–that makes me the proudest.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.write2herstory.com/blog
- Instagram: @demarieluv
- Twitter: demarie_la
Image Credit:
Trokon, Ashly Byrd, Mark Gunter, Jasmine
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