Today we’d like to introduce you to Dee’Anna Bradford.
Hi Dee’Anna, 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?
My name is Dee’Anna Alyse and I was born in Fayetteville, NC and raised in NC and England (for two years). I come from a very focused family of doctors and educators but my mom and her father were who I knew to be the creatives. I grew up with my mom who was an english teacher by day and a singer by late afternoon. Watching her create music was so inspiring and got me into storytelling through singing and performing. I also spent a lot of time with my grandparents, and my Mimi introduced me to the world of fashion. So I’ve been singing since I was four and I started taking modeling seriously around the age of 17. By the time I graduated high school, I was ready to move away from home and start pursuing my dream. I went to St. John’s University in Queens for Psychology, but ended up becoming absolutely enamored with the city and finding my footing in the creative community. I was too nervous to start modeling my first year in New York, so I spent most of my time making music with friends and finding events to photograph. I ended up bombing my freshman year in more way than one and ultimately decided to drop out and start working in the real world: retail.
While navigating this new world, I had a revelation that I was exactly where I needed to be in order to be the creative I saw myself becoming. So I started seriously building my model portfolio. I was also taking improv classes at UCB to enhance my performing ability as an actress and budding comedienne and I was creating music with my roommate on a very sporadic basis. From 2017-2019, I spent every free moment working towards the dream of becoming a top model in the industry. And unfortunately, it led to some very unhealthy habits that ultimately pushed me to have to move back home.
I thought coming home was going to be a temporary thing, but then the pandemic hit and life as I knew it shifted again. I found myself uninterested in public perception. I stopped posting as much and gave myself the space to just exist without feeling the need to showcase that on a public platform.
I also went through some really rough moments upon moving back home and I lost my drive a bit. So now, I’m rebuilding my passion and refining how I show up as a creative in the world on my terms and on my time.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not at all. Financial and emotional stability has been my primary issue. I experienced homeless, being ostracized from family, and not having consistent access to creative spaces and opportunities that would allow me to show up the way I want to show up.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m currently unemployed but working on becoming a luxury travel agent.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I honestly have no idea at this point. With the introduction and what feels like constant force of ai down our throats, I think the possibilities are endless.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsdeeannaalyse/
