We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Coxy a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Coxy, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

From my earliest memories, I have felt an unwavering calling to the world of artistry. I’ve always been very creative and I’ve always loved drawing and inventing stories.

As a little kid, my favorite game was stealing clothes from my mom and my grandma’s wardrobes, dressing up with my friends, and acting out different characters. My mom and my grandma were two very elegant Italian women with an impeccable taste and sense of style. Opening their closet was like opening a door to an enchanted world where I could find all kinds of costumes. One day I’d become a princess sailing on a pirate’s vessel in search of a lost treasure, the next day I’d become the captain of a spaceship traveling across the universe to fight against evil forces. With objects I’d find in the house, I’d build sets; couch pillows and bed covers would become props to create a home or a castle. Every day I’d invent a new episode and a new character and each one of my friends would be involved in this storytelling game and play a part in it. My cousin fondly reminisces that even then, I assumed the role of a film director, orchestrating scenes and demanding retakes if the performances fell short of my vision. Then, when I was 6 years old, my dad took me to Hollywood for the first time. After visiting all the film stages and the props rooms, I remember seizing his arm and telling him: “Dad, one day I’m gonna work here”. Little did I know that the journey to fulfill that dream would be a winding and arduous one.

When I later made the daring leap from Italy to Los Angeles, I ventured into a world that was vastly different from my upbringing. I found myself a stranger in a foreign land, where I didn’t know a single soul. However, I was resolute in my pursuit of a career in the film industry, and I navigated each unfamiliar step with determination and resilience. As time passed, one opportunity led to another, and my dream gradually transformed into reality. I forged my path in the film industry, steadily inching closer to the world I had dreamed of as a child.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Coxy I’m originally from Italy and I grew up between Milan and Paris. Cinema has always been my greatest passion. Hailing from a humble background, I lacked the means to pursue formal education in filmmaking or to finance my own projects. Thus, my career initially unfolded in the fashion industry in Milan. I designed fashion collections as well as created captivating videos, ad campaigns, and fashion films for iconic luxury brands such as Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Gianfranco Ferré, and Roberto Cavalli, among others. My work in Fashion has been featured in Vogue, Marie Claire, and L’Officiel, among other international magazines as well as in the exhibition “The New Vocabulary of Italian Fashion” at the Triennale Museum of Design in Milan.

My pivotal moment arrived in 2012 when I relocated to Los Angeles. I first found my niche as a Costume Designer, lending my talent to an array of feature films, television shows, commercials, short films, and music videos. The project I’m most proud of to this day is the TV show “Washington Black” for 20th Century Fox Television / Hulu, which will be released in 2024. Set in the 1830s, it follows the adventurous journey all over the world of George Washington Black “Wash”, an 11-year-old boy who must flee after a shocking death threatens to upend his life. While working as a costume designer, I also gained invaluable insights and mentorship from accomplished directors.

Parallel to my costume design endeavors, I embarked on my own creative odyssey as a writer-director, creating short films and branded content. My approach to filmmaking weaves together the threads of style, photography, art, music, and technology to craft narratives that inspire and engage audiences. My mission is to inspire humanity, one story at a time. My short films have been showcased at several international film festivals and won awards and I am currently developing my first feature.

What distinguishes me, I believe, is an unconditional love for my craft. My life is dedicated to my art and it is a love affair that never loses its ardor. Each project I undertake fills me with expectation and exhilaration and the film set is my happy place. My journey has been peppered with adversity and setbacks but each one has been a stepping stone toward growth and resilience. I firmly believe that failures are disguised blessings, offering profound lessons for those willing to learn.

So whether you’d like to employ me as a costume designer or as a director, rest assured that I will always give my best!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The act of creating opens us to new worlds and endless possibilities. It allows us to explore unknown territories, build new worlds, and expand our minds. Stories have the power to inspire humanity and there’s a profound connection that creatives have the power to forge between imagination and reality. Our ability to breathe life into stories, transform ordinary moments into cinematic adventures, and inspire through the medium of film is a gift. Through our creative lens, we offer others a glimpse into worlds they might never have imagined. We have the power to provoke emotions, provoke thought, and elicit reactions.

Whether it’s the joy of watching my written words come alive on screen, the thrill of directing and shaping narratives, or the satisfaction of seeing actors wearing costumes I’ve created, my creative journey embodies the essence of storytelling itself.

In essence, the most rewarding aspect of my creative path lies in the ability to touch hearts, ignite imaginations, and inspire others, one story at a time. It’s the knowledge that my artistry isn’t just a personal pursuit but a means of connecting with and uplifting others, making my creative journey all the more profound and fulfilling.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

To me, being an artist means pouring my heart and soul into every project I do. It’s like sharing a piece of my inner world with the outside. It is like unveiling a piece of myself to the world. It’s an act of vulnerability that non-creatives might underestimate. It requires courage and when someone critiques my work, it can often feel as if they’re passing judgment on a part of me, which can be deeply personal and sometimes even painful. Creative endeavors come with their fair share of failures, rejections, and setbacks and you have to make them your best friends and be resilient if you want to learn valuable lessons.

Pursuing a creative career often involves making unconventional choices and financial sacrifices. Non-creatives might not fully comprehend the determination it takes to fulfill a dream and a passion, even when it means diverging from the conventional career path or a steady income. Our job is not a 9 to 5 job and we may work 16 to 18 hours a day for a few months and then nothing for a while, but to me, every minute I spend creating and on a film set is so magical that it’s worth all the rollercoaster.

Creating art isn’t just about talent; it’s also about dedication. Non-creatives might not realize the meticulous attention to detail and countless hours of labor that go into a project. The creative journey isn’t a straight line; it’s a winding path filled with surprises and discoveries. It’s about embracing the process, not just the end result. For non-creatives, this non-linear path might be harder to fathom but is integral to our identity as creatives.

Being an artist is not just a career choice; it’s a way of life that involves passion, vulnerability, resilience, and a unique perspective on the world. Understanding and appreciating these personal facets can help non-creatives connect more deeply with the creative individuals in their lives and recognize the profound value of art in society.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://itscoxy.com
• Instagram: @coxy.films
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coxyfilms
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coxychiararodoni/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Itscoxy
• Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/itscoxy
• IMDB: imdb.me/coxychiararodoni

Image Credits
Profile pic: Alice Braccini.