We were lucky to catch up with Litta Monea recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Litta Monea , thanks for joining us today. How do you feel about asking friends and family to support your business? What’s appropriate, what’s not? Where do you draw the line?
You should not have to ask family and friends to support your dreams. If they do, they will. If they want to they will. Strangers will always be more supportive is what I’ve learned.
Litta Monea , 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?
My name is Litta and I am a Fashion Model from Ecorse, MI. I received my bachelor in Psychology at 20 years old, which is something I am very proud of. In July 2019 my late boyfriend was killed and I went into a deep depression to where I did not want to do anything, and almost dropped out of college at 18 years old. I started to model when Covid was fresh around April, and this is what helped me out of my depression. I had a friend of mine send a casting call to me to become a member of a modeling group and from there I’ve been modeling ever since. A little after that I started a cosmetics line called Kamera Ready, which was a tribute to my late boyfriend. His name is Cameron, but everybody calls him Kam so I spelled Kamera instead of Camera. I was selling lipgloss, lashes, wave brushes, durags, lip scrubs, lip liners, and anklets. This business lasted me a long time, I just end up getting a little inconsistent. I am still very proud of that business today, i just think that path was not my calling. I was still a full time student in undergrad so I had so much to juggle. I soon began to get more and more consistent with modeling. Some brands I have worked with is Little Herbs Co. , Gettes Clothing Brand, Front Paije Designs, LaNation, A Diva’s Boutique, Darling Dior Boutique in River Rouge, and I’ve been published in two magazines so far.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I honestly believe my cosmetic line and my grind with modeling gave me my reputation. I had a great run with both, but mainly I did this photoshoot with a pineapple that people seemed to like a lot. That was one photoshoot that eventually got published as well. Kamera Ready was really a business I grew on my own, did the labels, did the logo, did the marketing, almost everything but the lipgloss. No one tells you how hard it truly is to actually start and grow your business when you believe your business should be at a higher standard. You have to work for it harder than you work a 9-5. You also have to realize the support not always gone be there, but you have to keep pushing. I also love to network, so that could have something to do with my reputation as well.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I get to see that I have an impact on somebody, even if I feel like im less than deserving some days. It makes my day better when I get messages from younger girls telling me I’m brave and I’m strong. It truly makes this so much more rewarding and enjoyable. I started doing this a hobby to get out of depression and now I’m helping some other people as well without even knowing it. I have started a new project actually, and I believe its going to be very helpful for people that like to journal. I have made a Mental Health Journal with prompts and positive affirmations to get people journaling their emotions. I do have books printed, and I plan on making them live and available soon so just be on the look out. I have previews on my instagram.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littamonea/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdvky-Nj75rlroBZxKAz67A
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@littamonea https://aj3report.com/2022/06/01/abners-angels-presents-interview-with-model-litta-monea/