That makes a lot of sense! How would you describe your personal style?
I don’t know, I think my style’s all over the place, yo! I wish I had a word to describe it. Fun, I guess innovative in ways. Innovative but at times, maybe reserved. My style is representative of where I’m at at that moment. One day I could wake up and wanna be wearing all black. Next day, I could be wearing every color on the rainbow. Just depends how I’m feelin’ that day. But my style moves like waves. It’s fun, it’s creative, it's ever changing.
What song would you put on first thing in the morning to get you hyped up for the day?
I’m an R&B girl, so my first song always and forever will be Robert Glasper, featuring Erykah Badu, "Afro Blue." That’s my favorite song of all time. Play it at my wedding, play it at my funeral. And Cleo Sol, "When I’m in Your Arms." That’s another one of my favorite songs. Those two right there are the first songs I play almost every morning.
What advice would you give to a young person who sees your career and where you’ve gotten yourself, and they aspire to do something more for themselves but can’t seem to figure out how to get there? What would you tell them? Someone trying to get to the next level but might not see how to do it?
I’m trying to think what I would tell my younger self, because I’ve felt that way so many times. Shit, honestly, I feel like that at points now! Even, I’ve reached this level of quote, unquote success. Whatever that is. There’s still more things I wanna do. How do I get there? To answer your question, I think I would say, one, don’t doubt yourself. Never doubt yourself. Two, always have a good group of friends, your family around you, people that don’t want anything from you, that are just there to uplift you when you need them the most. Three, research. Do your research. Whatever you wanna pursue as a career, make sure you do your research. And shit, just try everything! Try everything. Try whatever. When you’re a creative, and you’re young, you get this idea that you have to stick to one creative field. I’m learning, now that I’m older, that you can be a writer, but you can also be in music. You can be a writer, but you can also be in fashion. You can be in fashion, but wanna be in tech. You’re gonna keep growing and keep wanting new things, so just try everything! And of course, what they always say, Never give up, but, ya know!
What you were saying about blending different arenas—fashion, tech, writing, music, whatever it is—in this day and age is so much more doable. I think its kind of new that we’re able to cross a lot of streams of career paths. It’s really cool.
You do music, right?
Yeah, trying!
No try! That’s like somebody saying they’re an aspiring stylist. You can’t aspire to style, you’re just a stylist. So you’re a musician!
Yeah, I’m in a band. But I also write. So I’m resonating with what you’re saying. So let’s chat a bit about the photos! What was the experience of shooting these images with Mattey and Junell like?
It was amazing, it was beautiful. I’ve known Mattey for a really long time; we’re both from Ohio. We both kinda came up in the creative scene out here together. So we’ve always been in each other’s crosshairs, I guess. He’s a great stylist. Originally, Junell had reached out to me to shoot. I wanted to use Mattey as a stylist because I could tell they work really well together, and I was familiar with him. So me and Mattey came up with the idea of using all black designers for this shoot. He styled me in three different looks. One was Who Decides War, the other one was Wales Bonner, and the last one was Theophilio, who just won the CFDA award not too long ago. We wanted to highlight these emerging young, black designers that are taking over the fashion game and being forward thinking in their approach to design and their authenticity. It was an exciting opportunity and I was super happy with how everything came out. I love Mattey’s styling; I think he’s great. He gave me some freedom to add a few extra pieces in—certain hats or glasses—but, yeah, he was certainly the mastermind as far as the wardrobe goes!
I would like to highlight Junell the photographer, because I think he’s absolutely amazing. His story is really amazing. He’s from the Philippines and just moved to New York from Ohio. He’s almost self taught in a way, and I think he’s a phenomenal photographer. He has a vision and an eye that a lot of photographers don’t have. Down to his editing skills and the way he colors his images is so beautiful. The images or styling would not look as powerful if not for him and his Midas touch. I think all three of us worked really well together!
What story are you telling with these images?
Outside of wanting to highlight this new creative resurgence of young black creatives that are surfacing right now, this is— I wouldn’t say a rebrand, but I would say more like a phoenix rising from the ashes, not on no corny shit. But, this particular shoot and even this whole interview coming out with office is special to me because, like I said, being young and black and a woman in Influencer Marketing is something very rare and very special because a lot of gay black women are not even in this field. To have been able to work with such amazing artists, I’ve been blessed to rub elbows with a lot of amazing people and be a part of their creative process. Sometimes I think jobs like this are a bit of a thankless job. So, to have an article or an interview about the hard work I do, as well as what other people in the Influencer Marketing and Digital Marketing field do, is great, because I think it gives some light to what people do behind the scenes. To really help artists or brands catapult themselves to the next level. I’m honored to be in this space that a lot of people aren’t in, and to be a part of some amazing creative strategies and help tell artists’ stories or brands’ stories.
On top of that, on a personal level, the past few years, with the pandemic and personal hurdles, and having to work through a lot of that, has been a struggle. It’s been humbling. It’s been tiring, at times, but it’s also something where I’m thankful I’ve been able to have something to distract me from the crazy stuff that’s been happening out here. It’s a double edged sword, I guess.
You exude such confidence. It’s not even confidence; I’m sure you’re very confident, but there is a power that is coming out.
Thank you, that means a lot. In this— shit, I was gonna say this industry, but even in this world, man—even if you’re not confident, you always have to feel it. ‘Cause I was nervous as hell on that shoot! But I think I wanted to get a story across. If I can do it, you can do it, too. I come from very humble beginnings. So, to be where I am now, is the work of some higher power and some dedication.