Rhinestone of the World
So, over the years, your looks with the gel hair and the face gems have become a staple. Where did those ideas come from?
I wanted to try something new. And then the swirls kind of just happened. When I was hanging out with a friend because they used to gel their hair a lot. I was like 'oh, I kind of want to try that.' But then I started to do other things and it kind of was, I was trying to figure out, I guess, how to feel comfortable, like still feeling my feminine energy, even though I had short hair, and I feel like the swirls kind of gave that little feminine touch. I am non-binary, but, I do feel like I identify more with more feminine energy. So I feel like I still wanted to have that even though short hair can be perceived as masc. So I feel like that's kind of like how it originated more, just like trying to figure out how to still feel feminine with shorter hair. Since it's perceived differently from long hair. It's like feminine, even though that's very backward thinking, you know?
I get you. You’re practically like Betty Boop.
Yeah!
How did you establish yourself differently from other artists and designers?
I've been in situations where I’ve been compared or a lot of people ask where my inspiration comes from, and I feel like it's a very generic answer, and it comes from everything that I consume. It's more like everyday life or just like a specific thought or a feeling. And I feel like, with my rhinestone looks, my initial thing is always to capture. A lot of people think that it started from Euphoria or something like that. And like in all honesty, it didn't. Like the way that it did was, so like, I was a fashion design major, in college and I graduated and I had like a fashion show and everything with school and I did use rhinestone trim and stuff like that. So, I had like leftover rhinestone trim and I was bored one day. And I had a fascination with editorial makeup, but I was always just like, “oh, like how do you even get into that? Like what, what is that?” You know? So I was just like one day I had like these little hair clips in my hair that kind of were like the same rhinestone as like what I had. And I was like, “What if I made that little flower clip on my eye?” And it was really weird. Since I tried gluing it, it was very uncomfortable. That was like when I didn't know what the hell I was doing, so it was kind of just like a wing moment. And then I didn't do anything again after that. A couple of months later it was Virgo season and I had the same trim and I wanted to just do the Virgo sign. And I think that's the look that started it — I was just like, this is fun. And I just felt in a way I was kind of creating my own world.
Your looks are so thorough and so interesting, are there any forms of media that inspire your work?
It's honestly everything and anything. My friends do inspire me. As well as everything I surround myself with. I do feel like I am inspired by fantasy stuff for the most part, especially because during quarantine, I played a lot of like ‘Zelda Breath of the Wild.’ So I got very intrigued in that realm and like fantasy with swords and stuff. My looks kind of feel protective, you know, warrior pieces where it's like my protection for myself in the world when I go out or just stuff like that. But yeah, I feel like it's everything, it's never really like a specific thing. It could be a thought or like a feeling or just something I like looking at.
So, you've been featured in office in the past and since that experience, what could you say has changed about you?
I feel like when I was interviewed last, I just came out as non-binary, and now it's like the year anniversary and I just feel like I've become more fluid with myself. And I feel like people can see that in my artistry because I feel like now I'm just really doing what I feel represents me most. I'm not trying to cater to what people expect me to be. And I feel like that was like what I was starting to realize early last year. But now, I just feel more confident in myself, and I feel more secure because I feel like I know who I am and I know where I'm going. And I'm just very grateful for that. Like, I was reading the article the other day and it's sort of like a full circle because a lot has happened in the past year. And I'm very grateful for the change that I've been able to have in myself and just like what I've been surrounding myself with too.
That's sweet. Okay. So since you're a designer, rhinestone artist, and model, how does your self- expression vary in all these different meetings?
Some days, I prefer to do one over the other or sometimes I'd like to mesh it into both and I feel like now I'm starting to realize that I want to incorporate these looks more within like modeling and having like a whole production or like doing them on other people for productions. Like honestly, one of my biggest dreams is to be booked by, you know, a huge artist, or a magazine spread, or music video. That would be like a dream honestly because I noticed that I enjoy doing it more on other people. I like being able to see my work and just seeing it on someone else instead of on myself, it's such a like different refreshing feeling.
One of my favorite looks from you is the question mark look you did. What specifically goes into these details and looks?
Really? I was kind of just like, I don't know what I want to do. I'm like ‘I want to do a look, but nothing comes to mind.’ I just felt like I was a question mark. So, then I said, “question mark.” Sometimes the looks are so simple in that sense where it's like a literal thought or like some are just like big concepts. Like, I did a four elements series that I would love to redo one day just because, I feel I can do a lot better now. But it was, I think, my biggest series and my favorite one is the water one just because I feel that it showcased, not just my patience level, but more of the artistry to it.
Can we expect any colors or themes that are going to come to mind in future projects?
For my rhinestone series, with the illusions, it focused a lot on black and whites, then the last clip is like a powerful red look just because that's kind of what the project is like. It kind of represents just very like in the dark and very lost in your thoughts. When I think of black and white, I feel like the loss of color, just various stagnant feelings. Then the red is kind of in your face. That's like the color play I wanted to make evident. I don't know what colors I'll be playing with next, but I do have some stuff, cause I am going to LA very soon. I feel like I'm going to be playing with some like orange and pink just because of the sunsets over there.
What are you trying to say with your work?
I want when people see my stuff to just feel something. No matter what it is, if you can feel a genuine feeling for my work, then I feel like I know that I did something really good. I don't want it to just be pretty, I want that when you look at it, you question, “where does that come from?” Like, “what inspired this? Oh, I feel this way. I wonder if that's how Kitty made it, how Kitty felt doing that.” And I feel like that's definitely what I want as an artist too.
