Today we’d like to introduce you to Celena Marie.
Hi Celena, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
For a long time, I felt that I couldn’t bring anything to the world or that I wasn’t essential to this world. My family and friends have always encouraged me. But I had to realize the path I wanted to take for myself. At a pertinent time in my life when I was supposed to be maturing and discovering myself, the pandemic forced me into isolation and feelings of anger. As an only child, my room, which was a place of comfort, started to feel constrained. Recognizing my struggles, I was challenged and provided space to explore my passions. I began questioning how my passions could benefit me and others around me. That exploration led to an awakening that we all have so much to bring into the world—even me. That awakening grew into a vision. My mom made it a reality and invested in me by establishing Celena Marie LLC, my own business. As I surround myself with other professionals, my confidence and drive continue to grow. I am an entrepreneur and continue exploring my purpose, developing myself, and serving my community.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I spent many nights researching the best path to start my business. I reached out to photographers to persuade them to work with me and take me seriously. Despite my efforts and professional approach, I was still a 15-year-old, a kid in high school. I continued to hear “no” and “I don’t work with children.” Not being taken seriously made me start to feel discouraged. There was a time when my social media was boosted because a TikTok went viral, but everything died down after I wasn’t giving them what they wanted constantly. I tried to give it all up because the number of followers and engagement needed to increase, and the stress didn’t feel worth it. But the people closest to me encourage me to continue my journey and the opportunities like this, working with brands and photographers, etc. After achieving my 2022 goal of getting published, I knew my dreams had come true. I continued to put forth my best self and best work, and I enjoy what I’m doing. I’ve seen many big influencers talk about it being slow for a while, but I will get to where I want to be.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As I opened gifts during my sweet sixteen celebrations, I tore open an envelope in fear and excitement. In it was a sheet of paper that read: “Dear boss lady, Congratulations! You are a business owner! Love, Momager.” Celena Marie LLC was now officially open for business. At age 16, I began building a brand that taught me financial management, communication, negotiation, problem-solving, and leadership skills. My website has over 200 visits daily, and my social media platforms have risen to over 3,000 followers. In addition, I have collaborated with talented artists and have been featured in two magazines. I specialize in modeling and creative directing my shoots and a few other models’ shoots. Although I don’t specialize in makeup, it’s a hobby I’ve begun to enjoy genuinely, so I do most of my makeup looks for shoots. It comes in handy when you don’t have to depend on other people, but sometimes a lot of stress comes with doing things on your own and not having help, so in those times, I do book a makeup artist. Lastly, I specialize in creating content for people to learn from and enjoy and for brands. My video/photo editing skills and social media and website management have grown dramatically. So many models, entrepreneurs, makeup artists, and creative directors set me back from knowing that. But only so many teens in the DMV (specifically Maryland) have made it to where I am or even know they can at this age.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I want to be in a better place with business. This includes a bigger audience, daily engagement, content, brand emails/DMS, work trips, weekly model gigs, and better fashion looks. And to know more/bigger creatives to network with. My content creation will look and be better than it is today. I want to grow in all aspects. I want to be known as Celena Marie and help teenagers get themselves out there because you’re never too young.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.celenamarie.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/misscelenamarie
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@misscelenamarie/featured
- Other: www.tiktok.com/@celenamarie_
Image Credits
Tyrell @itsjustrell_ Summer @shotbysummer (last photo)
