Voyage ATL Talks w/ [Blaque] Bird On Music, Acting, & Business

Today we’d like to introduce you to Caranita ‘Bird’ Harrelson. Hi Caranita ‘Bird’, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I believe that I was born to entertain. As a little girl, I would often get cast in plays and small productions. I wrote songs and stories and sketched most of my teenage years. I was 13 when I told my mother I wanted to be a professional artist. I have a gift that I wanted so badly to be used. So I started with music with the drive to be this artist (stage name [Blaque] Bird) and from there, it blossomed into full on entertainer. At 17 years old, I was already an audio engineer at a music studio in Greensboro, NC. I learned how to move as a business with the lessons learned in that space. I realized that I preferred to move to beat of my own drum and through that experience, it opened up a world to me of which I could cultivate my art on a grander scale. With every little dream, there came a bigger picture and being a perfectionist I had to learn how to become of a master of entertainment. I had to learn how to master being myself and what that meant as it pertained to my artistry. Currently, I have an EP entitled Alpha Luvah available on ALL streaming platforms. I also have a few movies and series appearances under my belt that can be seen on TubiTV, Amazon Prime, Vimeo and Google Play.

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?
My goodness, I could write a whole book series on the lessons and challenges that come with walking in your purpose. I struggled with my own insecurities and would often doubt myself in times where there was no rhyme or reason to do so because I possess every single tool necessary to get exactly what I needed to achieve. Definitely struggled learning how to separate business from personal as I wanted to bring a lot of people with me that didn’t hold my best interest at heart in the slightest. I’ve had a lot of humbling experiences, even today, of which you learn that all opportunities may not be the best opportunities. The journey of learning myself and being comfortable in that right while navigating through an industry that likes to dictate who you are, takes a lot of self-confidence and resilience. Find your “good enough” and then beat that. I wouldn’t be the person I am if it wasn’t for the experiences that I’ve had to endure. I’ve lost so called friends/family, money, time and after a while you can get overwhelmed with the losses that you don’t recognize the gains which were plenty. At the end of the day, every last experience was the catalyst to overcoming those challenges and making the necessary sacrifices to get to life I ultimately wanted.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am the first lady of AMASLife, a multimedia business that is lead by my brother and partner, Caktuz. I am also the CEO/Founder of Eye Iz Right Pictures, of which specializes in advanced film editing/post-production. I design apparel as well, with the successful soft launch of DIYrupt under AMASLife merchandise. I am a walking and talking entertainment enterprise which was a goal that was set subconsciously as a teenager. I really dived into acting and filming as of 2017. Up until that point, I had been all about music and performing. Entertainment has always and continues to be my passion and there was an understanding early on that I was really good at making people feel good. The audience can really get into the characters that I present as well as enjoy the music. I’m very proud of the films that I have out now, Concealment (TubiTV), The Assistant (TubiTV), Entanglement (Amazon Prime), He Say She Say (TubiTV), just to name a few as it over ten productions that I’m involved in. I set these goals and one by one, I surpassed them. This year, I will be dropping a single or two that really round out who I am as an Artist. I have quite a few other films releasing this year that I’m very excited about and people really get to see my range with my acting.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Have patience with yourself and be kind. You WILL fail, though that fact is inevitable, it’s part of the process. Your journey is your journey, so keep your eyes on the road. You will slow yourself down comparing your progress to someone else’s, even with those you admire. Take your time with regards to learning yourself and know that you are enough and you’re the perfect person for the life you want to live. If you go to sleep thinking about it and wake up thinking about it, that’s a destiny. There will be loved ones that will try to deter you from your purpose because the purpose is not theirs. Love those people anyway and continue to walk in your destiny again everybody will not make it with you. Stand on it, if you believe it but don’t be so prideful to not evolve because even on your best day, in your best light, you can still be better. SOURCE