Rising Stars: Meet Eman Nafisa

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eman Nafisa.

Hi Eman, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born in Springfield, Illinois to a father who immigrated to the US in the 1980s from Egypt and a mother who grew up in the South. My father moved to the USA in pursuit of the “American Dream” and worked as a CPA. While my mom worked as a policy and budget analyst for the Illinois Senate.

Therefore, my work ethic was instilled in me from a young age. Throughout my childhood, I was a pretty shy kid and was bullied. Being bullied during your formative years, makes you have a lot of self-doubts and affects your mental health. I followed my path and went to college and graduated with a degree in Biological Sciences with the intent to go to medical school. One day, I decided that wasn’t the path for me anymore and felt called to Nashville. I moved to Nashville with no job, no friends, and little money in my savings account. I worked as a nanny and biology tutor while getting a Master’s in Forensic Sciences. Once I finished my master’s program, I was in between jobs and a job with CMT fell right into my lap. I always said I would never work in the entertainment industry and it’s funny how life works out. I ended up falling in love with the industry and worked at CMT for a few years. During the pandemic, I decided to explore my creative outlets and decided to submit myself to modeling agencies, and signed a modeling contract. I currently work as a model and work as an artist relations manager for an independent entertainment company. It has been quite a journey but I love the place that I am in. I have the opportunity to meet so many great people, explore new cities, and work with artists such as Old Dominion, Sam Hunt, and Willie Nelson; to name a few.

Mental health awareness has always been a passion of mine and I recently started a sustainable merchandise brand called pearlie mae. to elevate happiness throughout the world, while supporting those impacted by mental health issues. I have always suffered from anxiety and believe a lot of it stems from being bullied as a child. Creative outlets such as painting, designing, and photography have helped me so much. The brand has definitely been an amazing outlet for me. There are so many people out there hurting. They just need to know that they aren’t alone and that there are others who are going through similar things. I see mental health issues in everyday life, modeling jobs, and on the road working with artists. My mission with my brand is to build a fun-loving community to give everyone the strength to be their authentic selves. Looking back I realize I wanted to go to medical school because I wanted to help people. Now, I realize there are so many ways to help people and one of the main things is just being kind to others.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Smooth road?! Never heard of her. Haha! My father died when I was 14 and that was extremely traumatic for me. It forced me to grow up at a young age and obviously affected my mental health. We are also told from a young age not to pursue the arts because it doesn’t pay the bills. Therefore, I think a lot of us just put our creative passions in a box and bury that box.

One of the biggest struggles was pursuing my creative passions when everyone is telling me not to. They want you to do something that is “safe”. With anything in life, there are a lot of no’s to get to your few yeses. The struggles are worth it when you are doing things you love. I believe we should all live being our authentic selves and that is the key to success, no matter where you are in life.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I currently work as a model and an artist relations manager. As an artist relations manager, I deal with the hospitality side of concerts. I always joke that I am a glorified babysitter. I make sure that the artists have everything they need for show day. I talk to contractors and arrange catering, transportation, and dressing room needs along with anything and everything that pops up. I’m pretty much a Jane of all trades when it comes to show day.

With modeling, I do mostly commercial work and have worked with brands such as Good American, Red Table Talk, and Threadbird. I am most proud of my work on Red Table Talk with Matthew McConaughey and his book, Greenlights. It was a really amazing opportunity and if you haven’t read the book; it is a MUST! What sets me apart from others is that I genuinely care about and love people. I try to always make others feel seen and I think that is so important.

Contact Info:

• Website: shoppearliemae.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/emannafisa

Image Credits
Veronica Sams and Pearlie Mae