It’s easy to get caught up in the day to day, but it’s important to stop ask: what’s the end goal? Knowing where you are trying to go is step one in getting there and so we’ve asked some folks we admire to tell us their end goal and where they want to be by the end of their careers.

Cecily Dionne | Singer, Songwriter, Entrepreneur

I’m such a multifaceted person, so I desire to do so many things by the end of my career. One of my biggest goals is to open a performing arts school. It’s so many things that I wish I would have learned about the arts in school when I was younger. I feel like sometimes it’s really hard for creatives to thrive in the traditional learning environment. So, I desire to create a safe space where they will not only thrive but learn about the business of their craft from experts in the field doing the work. I want every single creative that walks through our doors to graduate ready to take this industry by storm. As a creative, you often feel misunderstood, and it’s hard to trust people in the industry. I want every student that comes to us to know we get it. Your dreams, your potential, and your gifts are safe with us. Aside from this, I see myself thriving in the beauty, fashion, and tech space as well. My industry is very male-dominated, and I desire to change that by paving the way for other women to win. Read more>>

Kiara Barnes | Filmmaker

By the end of my career, I will be owning and operating my production stages and hosting studios telling diverse stories from marginalized communities. Read more>>

Shantez Herrington | Cinematographer, Videographer, Content Creator & Multimedia Expert

The end goal is to have a streaming platform for all of the original that we produce. We see our audience growing more over the years to come, so we want to create a media outlet that provides them unlimited access to the content they want to see. We’re looking into partnerships with the right companies and campaigns to expand our brand along with genres of content that we create. We want to be a multi-faceted and multi-purpose production company. We want to take the brand international, we want to find story-tellers all around the world and have them work for us. Who knows, as we continue to grow the end goal may change, we know for a fact we want to work for us and tell the stories we want to tell for a living. Film Is Life. Read more>>

Auntie Loren | Caterer and Restaurant Owner

My end goal is to open a brick and mortar or. Food truck for both my catering business, and for my Wing and Waffle Factory business. It is very important for me to partake in ownership because I have never experienced what it’s like even though I’ve always dreamt of it. Read more>>

Yahrasiel Colbert | Agency Owner

The end goal for me is to own 4 agencies. I want two in Georgia, one in Tennessee and one in Florida. I also would like to have 16 staff members on the team. Read more>>

Marco B. | Electronic Musician & Mangaka

The end goal for my professional career is to be the owner of a global multi-media franchise, ITERA. Read more>>

Tiaralyn Meadows | Author | Life Coach | Motivational Speaker

Tiaralyn & Co. was birth as a result of helping a vast amount of women transition through the difficulties of life. The end goal remains the same as the beginning: Proving an avenue for life transformation and offering “A Sensible Shot At Success”. Read more>>

Ebony Jenae | Singer & Actress

Honestly, the end goal is to leave this Earth with zero untapped potential left inside of me. I want to accomplish ALL of what God has for me to do. Of course I have an idea of where I would like to be by the end of my career. The Grammy, Oscar, Emmy, and Best Selling Author status is what I hope to achieve if it’s in God’s plan for me. You see, I had to take a step back and start looking at my life, my gifts/talents, and my career through the lens of wanting to please God rather than my own desires. And not from a deep churchy standpoint, but from a simple “Am I fulfilling His purpose for my life?”. Because I know God’s plan for me is bigger than I could ever imagine, the end goal is always to fulfill that. I believe that when it’s finally time for me to check out of here, I will have accomplished all I set out to and more because of that choice. Read more>>

Ian-Alijah Bey | Filmmaker, Photographer, and Designer

Art has embedded itself so deep in how I view the world and my place in it throughout my life. I’m grateful that I’m able to create for a living while living to create. Sometimes I think it’s unfair to call it a career given its importance to culture, the advancement of it, and how much fucking fun it is. And while art as a commodity is now on the rise, it will always be more valuable than any dollar amount you could ever make from it in one lifetime when it’s truly observed. With that being, I hope my place in the art world never ends. I hope my art continues to grow with the people genuinely. I hope my art transcends me and goes on to further cultivate the creative community. That is my end goal. To die in peace while the world continues to spin, the art continues to inspire, and for the inspiration continue the cycle. Read more>>

Alysha Drummond | A Poet & Creative Writer

What is the end goal? To be successful. I have been a writer most of my life; mostly poetry. My main goal when I was younger, was to be a published author by the time I was 18. There were circumstances that prevented me from doing so. Through the years, I have lost faith in myself and even doubted if writing was worth it anymore. Professionally, I would like to be a well-known author. My goal is to become Internationally Known. Of course this is a challenging task and it takes time and dedication. I believe it is time to push myself and peruse my dreams in writing. So the end goal? To be an author with my own publishing company. Read more>>