We caught up with the brilliant and insightful De’Asia J. a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, De’Asia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I can remember a moment I had in the second grade, particularly, when I decided, “ I am absolutely not going to work an office job, sitting in a cubicle all day.” This was the very early 2000’s so that’s what I was seeing on TV. I can’t remember what sparked the idea however now that I think about it, everything I’ve ever wanted to be was entertainment/Artistic/Creative: Actress, Dancer, Rapper, Producer, Talent Scout, Fashion Designer, even a Hype-man lol all before I was age to work.
De’Asia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
In about the 6th grade I started this trend for myself where on Fridays, I would make sure that I looked my best because I knew after school I was hitting up the millennium (a skating rink/arcade) which was the hottest spot for young urban kids. This was something I did for myself leading up to high school when I decided that I wanted to be a Fashion Stylist my junior year. I understood the concept of dressing for your career, so I really stayed on it and kept up with trends. My friends and peers would always say stuff like “Why are you always dressed like it’s Juneteenth or Relays”. Those are, or at least were, the two hottest events in town where people of my culture and out of town would pop out looking their flyest with the latest threads and sneakers on. When these events took place, my mom always made sure she, my sister and I had fresh matching outfits with our hair done. My mom made it clear growing up that we weren’t going anywhere with her looking any kind of way (haha). We’d even go out of town to the outlets merely to shop on Saturdays; You can say that these experiences grew my passion for fashion or at least looking good. In fact, shopping became so therapeutic for me that, at 16, I’d even take the city bus alone to the mall to sometimes shop whereas other times I was going just to look & see what was “in”.
When I started college I interned for a stylist by the name of Nina Saraphina spring of 2016. I also joined an organization at SFASU called FNM (Fashion ‘N Motion) in which I became a fashion stylist for the schools fashion shows until transferring to UH in Aug/2017. By October I’d already participated as a BOH (Back of House) dresser for FashionxHouston and Runway Houston, two fashion shows. That following summer I landed another internship with stylist, Dee Ware and I also joined a group called Wear Models. They were always seeking models but I reached out inquiring about a stylist position. Post joining, since I was the only stylist for years, I quickly became apart of production. My last show with them was Feb/2021 just before leaving Houston to work in Atlanta with celebrity Wardrobe Stylist, Kash Howard.
As far as the work goes, discipline with time & focus is very important especially when you’re out doing pulls. It’s easy to get distracted by the beautiful clothes while trying to stick to your job. I’d say that I solve the problems of knowing what to wear, how to wear it and of faulty images that may produce when the wardrobe isn’t looked after, or properly placed. These details are important; the way a dress lays/falls, the patterns, colors, textures that you see all determine the outcome, and do affect the quality of the video/photos.
Even when seen in person at an event with heavy media presence for example, the right look will gain you a plethora of compliments and camera time.
A few things that may set me apart from others could be me taking advanced art classes. This affects my understanding of colors/pattern/textures. Through courses at my university I also gained knowledge of textiles, fabrics and the history of costume & design.
I am most proud of allowing people to be who they desire to be. This is probably my main goal when working because sometimes people want to be a certain way but aren’t sure how to do so and what’s a better start than looking the part? This applies to bringing a persons personality to life whether the outlet be a photo shoot, music video, or event.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I love this question because it’s something I always come to terms with after completing a project. To me, the most rewarding asspect would have to be the results. It can be fast paced & so much stress gathering necessary tools, materials, research or whatever one may need to take a vision from in ones imagination and make it tangible. Once everything comes to life is a beauty.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
This answer may actually resonate with visionaries in general. Granted, with being a creative, there are many lanes to produce in so when you hint at wanting to take a path, there may be people with opinions in which they deem helpful however, it just may not be in the lane you see for yourself, and when you keep faith, and only gravitate toward who, and what relates to your lane, others may think your process is slow merely because you’re not doing what they THINK someone in your field does. You don’t always have to share your every step of the way, figure out what progress looks like for you and continue to expand without the cloudy judgement of others.
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Image Credits
@KelcyShotit, @KapturedByKel__, @_Uptown