We recently connected with Janna Coumoundouros and have shared our conversation below.
Janna, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
I’ve had social anxiety my entire life but as a kid growing up in the 80’s/90’s I was labeled as “shy.” I didn’t understand why my whole body would freeze and go numb when called on to read something in class. Or why in college when I went to the cafeteria it was so crippling that I couldn’t eat or my hand would literally shake and spill the food off my fork. I thought I was being ridiculous and just needed to get over it. Needless to say when I graduated and started interviewing for jobs I thought I would literally die. Fast forward a bit and I had worked as a wedding photographer and real estate photographer but I wanted more. I always wanted to work in fashion. My dream my entire life was to design clothes but there was no way I was brave enough to go to NYC on my own. I had a hard time walking into a store to go shopping. let alone college in another state alone. Plus at this point I was married and had 2 small children. But I was tired of my anxiety (I now realize it was fairly severe anxiety I had) holding me back from accomplishing my creative goals. So…I started saying yes to everything that scared me. I figured I would do it and deal with it. Squash the crippling fear deep down inside and pretending it wasn’t there. I started going to interesting art and fashion events nearby and talking to anyone who would talk to me first. I wasn’t at the point of starting conversations. Luckily I had short, bright red hair that I styled in a faux hawk and it was a good conversation starter for people to come talk to me. Within a year I was doing fashion shoots with my new friends, learning to become independent, organizing art shows, approaching stores and asking them to carry my work, and selling my jewelry at art fairs. I was on tv a bit and did a commercial for a Detroit news channel’s weather team and was an extra for some movies shot in Detroit. I even ended up meeting George Clooney and Ryan Gosling. I took a risk and signed a lease for an art and photography studio. Up to that point I had been doing basic metalsmithing and photoshoots in our living room. The studio took my career up a notch and I started to be able to take my work to the next level. I started shooting real estate under my own company name, shooting concerts and events, shooting CES in Las Vegas and I did styling work for car brochures in Detroit and LA. I still have the anxiety deep down inside there always trying to claw it’s way back up. But I’m a firm believer in fake it until you make it. Actually it’s better to say fake it until you ARE it.
Janna, 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?
My name is Janna Coumoundouros and I own Lilacpop Studio. I do all sorts of things but the majority of my work is real estate photography. I’ve been shooting for over 22 years. A lot of my clients I’ve had since the beginning and I mostly work by referrals. I love shooting real estate. But I am also a metalsmith, fashion designer, and multi-disciplined artist. I sell my jewelry on etsy and in local stores. I love working in metal and my goal this year is expand my jewelry business a bit more. I also design fashion using unconventional materials such as automotive material and seatbelts. I have been commissioned over the years to make gowns out of TPO material (the faux leather used for car panels and sunroofs) for the North American International Auto Show’s charity ball gala. The pandemic put a halt to that but I am excited to continue with it this summer. I also draw and paint and sell my fine art originals and prints on etsy , Saatchi art, and to private collectors. I used to think it was a bit chaotic working in all the different mediums but I figured out a common thread. I’ve never been the kind of artist that gets a vision in my head and could put it to paper. I have a terrible memory and can’t remember visual details very well like that. I draw from life. I’ve figured out that my creative thought process is about taking something that is already there and taking it apart and putting it back together in my own weird and innovative way. I like using unusual materials in my jewelry and fashion because it is unexpected. I love photography because you are capturing moments and sharing then with the viewer but also with my fine art photography I try to cause the viewer to see something familiar but in a totally unexpected way. I find beauty in strange places. But beauty to me isn’t necessarily “beautiful.” It’s life. It’s interesting. It’s anything but mundane.
How I got into fashion design:
I had started doing fashion shows for my jewelry line and was asked to be in one at Lawrence Tech University. They said they would challenge the designers for one look by giving us automotive materials to use. The winner would receive 2 tickets to the NAIAS Detroit Charity Preview, a huge gala. I thought I had it in the bag because I was already making jewelry out of vintage machines and automotive parts. But they gave us automotive TPO material and a full size leather seat. I decided it was time for me to design a garment. I’d always wanted to and this was my chance to try. I ripped apart the car seat and started trying to figure out how to add volume to this heavy, flat faux leather. It was fun! I ended up winning the contest. Then I was asked to be in a design competition with the Detroit Institute of Art and the Detroit Garment Group for the Samurai exhibit at the museum. We got to go to the exhibit after hours and had a private tour to influence our looks. They had a film crew come to our studios and interview us and captured us in the exhibit swinging real samurai swords. It felt like an episode of Project Runway. I wanted my design to be as different as possible from everyone else’s and also the only designing I knew to do was to use unconventional materials. So I contacted the company who made the car material I had used in the fashion show. Not only did they say yes but they let me use their industrial sewing lab. The material is not easy to use and requires industrial sewing machines. I’m very proud of that Samurai dress I made. It’s more than a dress, it’s a sculpture. And it was a great challenge because it was to be displayed in 3 locations on a specific sized dress form yet my friend and model was a different size. So the dress needed to be able to fit multiple sizes. And that material does not stretch! I used ties and belts and it added to the look perfectly. I ended up winning the competition and the dress/sculpture also won first place at the University of Michigan’s alumni show that year. I loved designing and wanted to do more but I also have to make a living doing these things. So I went back to the company and asked if they’d be interested in commissioning me to make more. I ended up doing extravagant, unusual gowns for the NAIAS Charity Preview for quite a few years in a row. The pandemic hit and it was on hold for a while but I plan to make another one this summer for them.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Usually when you start out in photography you start with a basic camera kit and slowly build your arsenal. In the beginning, you start to learn about light. Then you use a flash. Eventually you get some strobes and start to play with that. Eventually you learn to control the light in a studio. What people don’t talk about is the creative side to that. Sure, I’m a better photographer after 26 years of shooting and I can set up my lights and kill it for a commercial shoot. But there is a rawness that happens in the beginning when you don’t have all the bells and whistles. I remember when I was in art school at U of M they brought in Frank Stella to critique our work. One of the questions a student asked him was, ” what’s your best advice for an art student?” He paused, laughed and said, “Don’t go to art school.” What he was referring to, I later realized, was that there is a rawness to not being instructed how to do something in art. It’s much better to stay true to your own creative path and figure it out organically. I look back at my beginning work and not having what I needed forced me to get really creative. Now that I have all the tools, I’m almost bored. I’ve actually stripped down my kit. So if you’re just starting out in any art form, let it happen. Make mistakes. See what you can do with what you have and hone in. Don’t worry so much about not having all the tools yet. The best artists are the ones that practice and stay true to their own style.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
I wish creatives were treated with more respect. It starts at such a young age. The art in public schools is the first thing to get stripped because it’s not taken seriously. I taught elementary school art for a short while and I was shocked at how they only had 20 minutes a week. That included set up, clean up, and instruction so really it was about 10 minutes to make something. Who can do that?? Same with music education. Because non artists view it as not being a real career. “You’ll never make any money in the art field.” Why don’t we recognize raw talent and encourage it. Very few people are born with it. And we are surrounded by art, constantly. The cereal box was created by an artist. Your favorite movie was created by artists. Drive down the street and design and art is everywhere on signs, stores, even city planning is design. Imagine a world without it. Why do we make it so hard to live as an artist? I wish more teachers would celebrate the handful of young kids who have an aptitude for art and encourage it. Put that kid on a pedestal and let them create things for the class. Get them additional art time to develop the skill. Maybe give them the option to sit in on an additional art class instead of gym or recess?
I wish non-artists would stop asking artists for free things because they think it’s just a hobby. Or expect them to do things for “credit.” You wouldn’t ask your plumber to do something for free if you gave them credit. I also wish creatives would stop this thought process as well and undercharging for their work. It hurts the rest of us making a living at it. There should be a standard of some sort. Artists need to value their work more and expect respect. Maybe you don’t make that commissioned sale because your price is too high. But you’ll make the next one. Not everyone needs to be your customer.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://lilacpopstudio.com
- Instagram: @Lilacpop
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lilacpopstudio
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JannaCoumoundouroslilacpop/featured
- Other: Etsy: http://lilacpop.etsy.com http://lilacpopphotography.etsy.com Saatchi Art: https://www.saatchiart.com/lilacpop
Image Credits
Credits are in the image titles if applicable. Otherwise they were photographed by me. The concert photography is one of mine from 2016. David Bowie had just passed away and Walk The Moon played in Detroit at The Fillmore and did a tribute to David Bowie. The lead singer painted his face for it. I was hired to shoot the private event for Cars.com.