Do you know who Felicia Pride is?
I didn’t either until I had the pleasure of interviewing her for the April 2020 edition of Sistah’s Place magazine and she is absolutely amazing!! I fell in love with her creative spirit while conducting my pre-interview research.
Felicia is the epitome of creativity. She’s a TV and film writer, producer, director, and author. Previously, she’s worked as an entertainment journalist, blogger and columnist. She also launched and managed her own consultancy, worked as a film distribution executive and even taught freshman composition.
Clearly, writing and creating is who she is, so how could she not write and create?
A few years ago she fell into a creative rut and did what she calls a fateful error: “I stopped writing and got a job.” While this is not totally a bad thing, she stopped writing completely for seven years.
Felicia’s admission of staying away from her creative self for so long planted a seed of admiration for me because of her transparency. When creators don’t create, they lose a part of themselves, literally and figuratively.
But here’s what really made me want to give Felicia a hug, this pinned tweet here:
Can you feel her authenticity and honesty? Who could not appreciate the statement: “Another way for me to hide & deny myself the opportunity to grow…? She’s referring to a lie she told herself out of fear.
- Are you denying your calling, gifts or talents because of fear?
- Are you hiding from something because of fear?
- Are you playing small in some area of your life because of fear?
If you answered “yes” to any of the above questions, here are a few more questions to ponder.
- What are you afraid of?
- What lies are you telling yourself that are stopping you from growing to the next level?
- How do you feel about not doing what you want and like to do?
When Felicia was not creating, she was “feeling creatively empty….being very burnt out… doing stuff that really wasn’t what my heart was burning to do.” She did something about it. She took a leap of faith and moved to Los Angeles with a goal of writing for both film and TV.
What are you going to do to jump start your dream?
When Felicia got to L.A., she got a job working as a film distribution executive by day while writing screenplays at night. Essentially, she was doing what she had to do so she could do what she wanted to do.
When you’re on a path, whether it’s positive or negative, the Universe responds. In October 2017, Felicia was blessed to be laid off from her job. Why was it a blessing? All barriers had been removed which left no room for excuses or procrastination. And she had to make a decision: To create or not to create. Felicia decided to pursue her creative passion.
What would you do if you had the opportunity to work your dreams without worrying about paying your bills? Would you go for it or continue to make excuses?
One last question to ponder. Year ago, someone posted this tweet that I’ll never forget: If you could have anything you want, would you?
Feel free to tell us what you would do (or have done) to pursue your dream in the comment box below.
Wait…Before you go. Read how Felicia re-established her relationship with her writing on Sistah’s Place blog. Also, learn more about the Felicia Pride and her creative journey, read our article in the April 2020 Edition of Sistah’s Place magazine.