We were lucky to catch up with Faith Williams recently and have shared our conversation below.

Faith, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I’ve known that I wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally, since I was in elementary school. We would have awards ceremonies every nine weeks; where one student form each grade level would received pins and ribbons, highlighting a specific subject that they excel in. I would always win the ‘Creative Writing’ award! The first one I received was in First Grade, when I wrote a short story about the adventures of a bear in the woods, who travels into town. Even though I did win each year, I never expected to receive the orange button- every year I was just as surprised and excited. One day I decided to sit on the white rug by my bed, and grab the bin under my bed, where my Mom kept all of my art and awards. As I looked through old art projects, I stumbled upon all of my A.R. Point Ribbons( Accelerated Reading Program), and the collection of ‘Creative Writing’ buttons; and thought to myself, “I’m good at this, and I really like writing and creating art..”. During this time I was also apart of a theatre arts club at my daycare called, ‘Little Thespians’.

Faith, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

How I got into the industry professionally, is the most early 2000’s way. I was walking around the mall with my best friend one evening, trying on clothes and eating mall snacks, when we approached a kiosk. “Pretty girls, pretty girls!”, this stunning woman says to us we’re looking around, she then proceeds to hand us a flyer telling us information about Barbizon. We take the flyers and excitedly talk about what it’d be like taking modeling and acting classes together, in-between bites of Auntie Anne’s pretzels. After bringing the flyer home and talking to my Mom about how much I want to try out modeling(as any big fan of America’s Next Top Model at the time would), and she agrees to consider it after doing some research about Barbizon. During the interim, I allowed myself to day dream of myself on billboards, and being in a room filled with folding chairs that form a circle, seated with other actors for various exercises like I’d seen in movies/shows. Me, the middle school aged girl from Virginia, with alopecia, is this possible? I began to wonder, what if I’m performing and my wig falls off? What if we’re in one of the makeup application classes and they try to brush my hair back- revealing my wig cap, because I didn’t apply enough two-sided tape? I became riddled with anxiety. As a little girl, who was diagnosed with alopecia areata at the age of five, I was no stranger to these mishaps; dedicated to maintaining my secret, in order to maintain a sense of normalcy/belonging. The only other person that would see me without my wig, was my Mom, even with family members I’d wear a skull cap. So I knew that I’d have to call on my bravery even more, should I be allowed to go to this school and pursue acting and modeling further. My Mom said yes after a couple of weeks, and that was that! I attended the school on weekends, entered competitions that took me to D.C., Maryland, and New York City, one of which landed me a scholarship to attend NYCDA for the Summer. That opportunity allowed me to audition for NYCDA’s Two-Year Program, which I was accepted in to- needless to say, after that I had to live in New York City(I moved here in 2017). After about six years, I found my passion for moss as an art medium, when I was asked by Allure Art Studio to enter a piece in their showcase in Queens. I entered a self-portrait, using thin pieces of yarn to create the perimeter of my silhouette, and preserved moss filling the area- the piece sold! Thus starting my journey as a moss artists, creating installations and custom pieces.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Earlier this year(2024), I faced potentially being unhoused due to a wrongful firing. This was my second time encountering a situation where a job put me in a position of financial instability(the first, being laid off by another employer). In addition to being fired, they attempted to withhold payment for the five extensive moss art installations I created for their renovations, During this period, I was constantly applying to jobs to no avail, re-posting my GoFundMe, and researching as much as I could about New York City’s housing laws because I couldn’t pay the full amount for rent. Each MTA ‘tap’ payment spent going to various law offices and walking around passing out physical resumes, in my most business-casual black dress, chipped away at my already dwindling checking account. Months passed, and so did my court date demanding that I pay thousands of dollars that I didn’t have, nor did the GoFundMe(though I was so grateful for the amount that was raised), to a building not upholding it’s standards. All while I was working on a short film with an amazing group of people. With all of these moving parts, one day I sat at the edge of my bed, and thought to myself, “Maybe I’ve finally reached the end of the New York road?”. With seven moves total under my belt, and years well spent, was it time to call it? No. I hadn’t made it this far, just to make it this far. The moss art is just starting to take off, as I dip into designing clothes and working with my own clients- I have to find a way. With that, I took out two loans, two months later my previous job paid me for my art, and a friend reached out with a job opportunity to work with her.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

An inspiring book, that introduced a new way of thinking about my creative pursuits in my life, is The Alchemist. Now tattered and torn, from me carrying it everywhere my first three years living in New York- literally everywhere. I would become overwhelmed by the weight of the city, the love I have more dreams, the endless opportunities to try out- so I’d stop what I was doing. Open the book, and read a page or two to center myself. The book would remind me that there is no right place to be, I am doing enough, and that life’s detours are actually just alleyways to where I’m going.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/few16/
• Other: Email: [email protected]

Image Credits

I took all of the uploaded photos:)