Introduction

Shanisse was a 23-year-old performer. she starred in dated fitness and beauty shovelware, but aspired to become a movie director down the line. after abandoning her true ambitions and alternative interests in favor of a safer career path, she ultimately failed to sustain two people at once.

Background

Shanisse (Shelley Nelson) is the character i created to represent But I just keep on dancing. the music video follows her during the last week of her life as she prepares for a big audition while inebriated, starved, sleep-deprived, and otherwise neglected. as the week goes on, Ambition inches closer, eventually catching up to her before she reaches her goals.

as a teenager, she would befriend the misfits Carla, Kai and Malik. and although her friends love her dearly, she never felt like she fully belonged anywhere. even in her most genuine attempts, she was always uncannily out of place. in retaliation, she pledged allegiance to the status quo, burriying her true intentions with the hopes of someday being able to let them out.

she compliments, and somewhat circles back to, little guy's quest of finding a suitable archetype to assimilate and stick to. illustrating what could happen if you choose wrong, pursue it for the wrong reasons, or do it in a way that isn't sustainable. she is a cautionary tale. to myself, mostly.

Trivia

♡ Shanisse was the first character created for the SOLEN project;
♡ she still listens to the same music she would as a teenager. never refining her taste to better suit her persona;
♡ i think people missed this, but her gravestone is mispelled. her name is Shelley with an extra E;
♡ despite being dead, she is a go-to character for me to express certain things. she will be appearing as regularly as my other original characters;