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

Kristian, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I can remember being a young child dreaming of pursuing music professionally. By young child I mean at least 3 or 4 years old. My mom would always talk about me being a small child singing all the songs she had in her cassette collection at the time. The Clark Sisters, Musiq Soulchild, Jill Scott, Alicia Keys, Mary J, the list goes on. That’s definitely where my love for music or creative expression as a whole began. That love then crossed over to fashion. Sitting in front of the tv after school watching America’s Next Top Model wanting to be one of those girls. As soon as I was able to dress myself, I remember being particular about what it is I would wear. I quickly used fashion as a creative outlet for me, a way to express how I was feeling. Strangely though, it wasn’t until my my second year of college that I seriously KNEW that a creative profession was for me. My environment weighed heavily on this. Although I’ve always known or had that feeling in the back of my mind that artistic path was for me, I would sway back and forth between what I knew (that being a college education and a career) and what I would sometime feel was out of reach for me. Of course I was well aware of my love for arts but growing up in an environment that wasn’t so familiar with or where they aren’t taken seriously had a toll on me. Going to college and experiencing the world on my own time was when I really began to take myself more seriously than I ever have. It changed my perspective completely.

Kristian, 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?

Hi, I’m Kris, but I go by Slimm! I would say I got into my industry initially through. Barbizon, a little cliche, I know. Lol, but that was the first time I got a feel for the industry as far as fashion goes. From there, I took a little break and picked things back up seriously when I went to college. I graduated from the University of Louisiana Lafayette with B.S in Psychology and from that point I really began to build my network connecting with my fellow creative classmates. I began walking in shows and booking shoots on a consistent t basis and things kind of took off for me from there. I still have a lot that I’m aiming to accomplish, but I’m so grateful for my journey thus far. As I progressed through certain milestones and met different goals, it became clear to me that I wanted to make even more consistent work for myself, or more of a contribution as far as being a creator goes. That’s where the idea of Rated Radical came from. Rated Radical is my upcoming brand that I’ve been tending to for quite some time now. I don’t want to speak on it too much because I rather show what I’ve been working on, but it’s definitely something that I hold near and dear to my heart. I came up with the idea of starting Rated Radical for the inclusion of girls like myself, alternative, or gritty as some would say. As a consumer of this certain target audience or niche, I felt there were few options to choose from that were actually FOR me. With this perspective along with a number of other details, Rated R was born. I’m proud of growing my brand organically. Learning through the entire process of building a brand and being able to provide quality products and genuine service to my potential customers is something I take pride in.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

While I’m still very much unlearning this lesson, it’s probably one of the most crucial points that being a creative has taught me thus far. Perfectionism, to the point to where it’s slowly becoming detrimental to your career or creative process as a whole, is an absolute no go. It’s a disservice to yourself as well as the people patiently waiting to be graced with the products of your creative thinking. We all may subconsciously strive to be perfect. When you bring a certain fire and passion to your work, we do this unknowingly and that’s okay. But, only for so long. To briefly touch on my past habits, let’s say I’m working on a really big project. I would sit myself down and research and begin to bring things together, to eventually find certain flaws within my work. I would then fix those problems and move on to my next, but before you know it an ample amount of time has surpassed me with nothing to actually show for it due to me striving to keep everything “perfect.” Don’t become this person, and if you’re guilty of this, don’t be too hard on yourself. Find balance between knowing the greatness that resides in you while being okay with understanding that it takes time and effort to reach those heights.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is seeing my ideas come to life. I’d consider myself a visionary . From my imagination, I bring these ideas to life and I’m quite particular about how they should be executed for others to perceive. As they are a part of me. As I process ideas, songs, designs etc, I like to jot them down. Some times more detailed than others, but always making a point to myself for myself, first. Seeing those very ideas go from a picture or phrase on a piece of paper to actually being in front of me is so rewarding. The exhilarating feeling that fills up my very being throughout the process is what keeps my heart yearning and hungry to create more.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @laslimmmm

Image Credits
Rayno (@thelifeofRayno) Jozzypopproductions