Today we’d like to introduce you to Clarke Williams.
Hi Clarke, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Growing up in Baltimore, I never doubted the world was mine. Not in an arrogant way, but in how I’ve felt my divine anointing and power from the beginning. Nothing I’ve accomplished in my short 26 years has been accomplished alone or without intention.
As a child, I often dabbled in the adventure to be creative. Whether it was dancing, singing, painting, orating, or staring at my ceiling for hours after the grown world went to sleep, I was always dreaming of how to transform my wildest imagination into more tangible things others could see and feel. I began taking strides as an undergrad at the illustrious Howard University, where my political science path was disrupted after a perspective-shifting experience interning in LinkedIn’s San Francisco office. While there, my life’s purpose to tell stories, and its coinciding purpose to operate in love for the betterment of others married gloriously. It wasn’t easy, though, as you might imagine. I met adversity due to the company’s DEI&B blind spots. However, this is not a sad story! That experience encouraged me to forge my own path forward to find my power and ignite other creatives who looked like me as a necessary byproduct to our collective rise in creative fields.
The same year I could legally have a drink, I co-founded a tech company at the intersection of creativity, community, and diverse hiring called Brij. Through the experience with my first company, I found great success. I’ve raised upwards of half a million dollars to bring mentorship and opportunity to marginalized creatives. I am a published author, a DC Inno’s 25 Under 25 honoree, and a Techstars Music alumna, and I have given keynotes and workshops at a few HBCUs across the country on entrepreneurship and the power of storytelling.
I am now in the process of starting my second business, VILLAJ. Our mission is to normalize grief through storytelling and creative expression to build resilience. All in all, my north star has been clear since my awakening in California, and I will literally never stop raising the bar for myself in a way that brings underrepresented innovation and ingenuity to light.
In between my world-building, I enjoy tapping into the 6-year-old Clarke. I write poetry and make music to heal myself and heal others. I am the lead artist of Rey and the Shines, a genre-bending sonic experience. My first song, BORN TO, is available on every streaming platform now, and I exist constantly in a state between dreaming and doing. It’s how I started, It’s how I’ve carried on.
It’s where I am going.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Here’s where things get interesting.
I experienced substantial sexual trauma and grief at a young age. Baltimore forced me to see the world through a particular lens. From an early age, I realized art wasn’t my hobby but my duty. Creating is the only way I can make sense of a world of such horrors and magic (word to Toni Morrison.)
I stand today, a proud creator with disabilities and superpowers tangled together. I’ve endured them both for so long that I’m no longer sure which is which. All I’m sure of is that everything I’ve experienced works for my good. And will continue to do so.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Work is a fact of my life, and my life is a bundle of innovation, so I’m blessed that work never feels like a chore. That’s for the best, though, because I do so much of it! Here are some of the ways my mind is stretching as of late:
1. I hold a traditional role at the Ad Council, where I work in campaign development to bring social good campaigns for suicide prevention and Type 2 diabetes awareness to light. Here, I specialize in project management and client management. This job has become so much more than a side gig (if that makes any sense.) I usually prioritize working for and by myself, but this college entrepreneur has been finding great joy in working with larger teams for the good of our society.
2. I own a small social media consulting agency with my younger sister, where I bring my passion for storytelling to incredible clients who need a co-creator and facilitator.
3. I own a business sharing personalized poetry with people looking for special home decor additions or precious gifts for their loved ones. I plan to pursue a more profound career in poetry and writing soon. Stay tuned!
4. I created a grief support community called VILLAJ. Our mission is to normalize grief to build resilience, and I eventually plan to roll out products that will help folks around the world support each other in moments of loss.
5. LAST BUT NOT LEAST (and I’m sure I’m forgetting something), I am the lead artist of Rey and the Shines. Rey and the Shines is a multi-genre music experiment breaking boundaries with a unique blend of rap, house, gospel, and singer/songwriter styles. Made in Baltimore, I draw from diverse musical influences to craft a sound that is both deeply personal and universally relatable. From soulful melodies to hard-hitting beats, my music reflects a journey of faith, resilience, and self-expression. Whether it’s a modern spiritual or an electrifying house anthem, Rey and the Shines captivate listeners with honest storytelling and genre-bending artistry. As I carve out a space in the industry, I aim to inspire healing, joy, and connection through my music.
I am most proud of my artistic endeavors and the consistent thread through my work that seeks to build communities that care and CREATE. It’s not even important for me to sit here and list my honors and awards. If I’m not known for lifting US up, I don’t want to be known for anything.
How do you think about luck?
I don’t believe in luck, but I do believe in favor.
God’s favor has brought me into rooms that were never meant for me. How awesome is that? My Creator created me to do right and kill everything. He allows me to do so daily, and I’m eternally grateful.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @byclarkesamantha
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/byclarkesamantha/
- Other: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/reyandtheshines/born-to
