Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kierra Monique. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kierra, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Well, I would say that my whole life I have always been creative. As a kid, I would draw, paint, color in coloring books, dance and perform for my family all the time. As children, I feel that’s when our imagination & dreams are at an all time high so art was my way of letting my imagination soar. I would say up until the end of elementary school that’s when I sort’ve disconnected from the art side of my life due to life just getting hard and my priorities and responsibilities changing. I feel throughout those years God would place people and opportunities around me for me to express myself creatively but it wasn’t until my Sophomore year of college after experiencing my first fashion show and then talking to someone who was modeling where I stepped out on faith and set up my own photoshoot. Modeling is something that I’ve always been told I should do and that I’ve always wanted to do and when I jumped in I soon figured out that this was my reconnection to the art side of my life because modeling allowed for me to be whoever I wanted to be and express whatever it is I was feeling at the time. Modeling has also opened many other doors for me such as wardrobe styling, creative directing my own shoots as well as others & walking in fashion shows as well as getting the opportunity to co-direct some along the way!

When it came to learning to model, wardrobe style or direct , I learned most by just doing it. I also watched a lot of runway videos, researched, asked questions & most importantly I worked on myself heavily throughout the years. The last point is the most important because if you are not working on yourself how can you ever grow? That’s with any skill or profession. Practice makes purpose.

I don’t think I could have done anything different to speed up my learning process because everything happened the way that it should have and if I had the opportunity to I don’t think I would want to speed things up because that takes away from the journey.

The skills that are still most essential on my journey are perseverance, discipline, consistency, confidence and most importantly love for the craft and for the journey. I think my love and pure fulfillment I get from creating is what will always keep me coming back for more.

I’ve had many obstacles throughout the years but the biggest one has been my own self doubt and fear of the unknown. That has held me back in so many spaces and has kept me from just going for it in specific moments.

Kierra, 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?

Well heyyyy I’m Kierra Monique but some people call me Kiko. I am a print & runway model, wardrobe stylist, creative and art director, art assistant, visual storyteller & an employee of the most high. I got into creating back in August of 2018 after I set up my own photoshoot where I was featured as a model and the rest was HERstory.

To be transparent, when it comes to business I tried the whole “turning my craft into a business separate from myself” way of doing things and after a few months I realized that it did not work for me that way. So now I am taking more of a subtle approach and I am offering my services through my website that is in the works. People can book me by simply setting up a consultation & connecting with me. My main focus, however, and I’ve been shown this multiple times is the art and my purpose behind my art so while I expect to be paid at this point in my career money is not my motivation, creating & my overall impact is.

As an artist, I think what sets me apart from others is me just knowing who I am, leading with a servant heart, and my imagination and mind. Knowing who I am in this industry is so important because once I realized that I am one of one and that although God created all of us to carry out maybe similar but different missions, nobody is going to do it like me so that mindset has always propelled me to new heights. Leading with a servant heart has gotten me into so many spaces because I am always willing to help out and show up to help others bring their visions to life, most of the time without expecting anything in return. I just love to help. Lastly, I just recently figured out that my mind & imagination is one of my many superpowers. Nobody is going to ever be able to visualize what I see in my mind the way that I see it and pull it out to express through art the way that I do. Its magical.

I am most proud of using art as a tool to develop my voice, again & heal myself. Earlier I spoke about how life got hard and when life got hard it changed me. I wasn’t as talkative, outspoken or quick witted as I used to be. Through my art though I was able to channel and speak about things that were heavy emotionally and release it. By releasing it I invited space for healing and growth to occur.

Lastly, this is not necessarily about me, but I do want my supporters and future art mates to know that we all have a purpose in this realm as artists whether you’ve figured it out or not. We are the chosen ones. God chose us. We all have a story to tell and people to touch so when it comes a time where you are thinking about giving up, don’t. Redirect your focus onto the love behind the art and keep going. Things may not clear up as quickly as we want it to but when it does, we will be so grateful that we didn’t let it go.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I feel that society can start by creating more spaces where artists can feel seen, heard, accepted, appreciated & supported to feel motivated to share their art with the world. If we can make artists feel more comfortable then we will be able to keep experiencing the magic that goes into art making. So hosting art focused events at community spaces, community conversations, panel discussions, galleries, meet & greets, interviewing local artists, taking art classes, donating are all some ways in which I would like to see society further show up for artists. Another way I think society can show up and support artists is through education of different art mediums. From my own observations society is very quick to judge what we do not understand so I think if we all took a little more time to dive in and understand what it takes to design clothes, create music, paint, dance etc then we’ll develop a deeper love for those things. You don’t have to be actively creating in those ways to still show your support and appreciation for those mediums. Lastly, for the more virtual/introverted people I think sharing someones art online with friends or family goes a long way. You never know who might take a liking to someones creations and pay for a custom piece, painting or to sing at a wedding.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I have many goals driving my creative journey right now but the biggest one would have to be me working towards creating my own community of artists. In the future, I plan to officially launch my brand Arternal Studios, which its going to be a community that focuses on utilizing art as a means to express one’s self, bonding thru connection & unifying artists of all skill sets/mediums.

I plan to host events such as panel & open discussions, galleries, open mics, classes, etc. I really just want to create a space where artists can come and connect with each other & support one another because having that support is so important on our journey’s. In the future, I hope to open up my own art center (Arternal Studios) to keep the community growing but for now one step at a time. :)

Contact Info:

• Website: In the Works
• Instagram: kierraxmonique | arternalstudios
• Facebook: Kierra X Monique
• Twitter: kierraxmonique
• Youtube: itskikoo

Image Credits
Deshawn Holmes (@yoooshaun) Raymond Abercrombie (@crimeandkindness.co) Dahyembi Neal (@dahyembijoineal) Marco Hearon (@fashi0nist0) Kiara Shaw (@odbartistry) Mecca Ramsey (@shotbymecc) Mo G (@gotothemo) Brionna Perry (@brionna.themua) Tosin Fuad (@tosinfuad) Larry Mcghee (@zeus.views) Bianey Delgado (@beescreative_) Nyia Sissac (@nyiasissac) Timisha Sharperson (@timishasbraidstudio) Rhyarna McBride (@ritascee)