We recently connected with Nasir Figueroa and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Nasir, thanks for joining 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 taken many risks in my life, some bigger than others. I believe taking risks is important because you never know what will happen until you try. Success often comes from learning from mistakes, so taking risks can be a good thing in the long run. One of the biggest risks I took was deciding to focus on my career full-time, without letting anything hold me back. Since high school, I knew what career I wanted, but I didn’t have a clear plan to get there. I knew taking a risk was necessary, but I wasn’t sure how big of a risk it would be, or how much it would change my life. I decided to quit my job and leave school to put all my time into improving my God given skills and talents. I was finding ways to create every day, consistently worked hard, and had to undergo many sleepless nights. Leaving school was a big risk because I was worried about what people would think. But I realized it’s my life, and I can’t let others control how I live it. I encourage everyone to take risks in their lives; you might be surprised at how it can help you grow.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
For the people who may not know me, my name is Nasir Figueroa. I’m a 19-year-old, New York/New Jersey-based creative looking to share my God-given talents online. I want to share my talents online to inspire those who, like me, are into fashion but don’t know where to start or lack the resources. I got into fashion by simply wanting to be different. when you look online and you follow up on the fashion scene you see everyone doing the same thing and everyone in the same lane. I wanted my work to stand out, so I created my own trends and started making my own clothes.
Starting out, I had a schedule: taking morning pictures, going to work, editing my pictures, and posting them—every Saturday at 4 pm. Consistent posting helped me get to where I am. When people ask how I got here, I always tell them two things: prayer and consistency. I was dedicated to this lifestyle so I was gonna do whatever it took to reach my goals and chase my dreams. But as I got bigger with more collaborations, I realized it stopped being fun because I was posting just for promotion and brands, and not really for myself anymore. So, I took a step back to rediscover why I started. I want to have fun with my work and I want people to see the real authentic me not just a social media act I put up online.
One big investment was my tripod. As I was getting more love and attraction, I wanted pictures every weekend but had no one to take them, so I ended up investing in a tripod. Using it in public helped me overcome my nervousness and fear of how people saw me and what they thought of me.
What I’m most proud of on this journey is continuing to keep my faith. That’s also one of the things I want people to know more about me if they don’t already know. I’m strong in faith and big on my relationship with God. I keep God first because I’ve witnessed Him change my life and bring me out of certain places I never thought it would be possible to be brought out of. He’s also brought me to places I never thought would be possible because I never knew how I’d get there or the destination. He gave me this lifestyle and platform so I feel like any chance I get, I should spread the gospel and glorify his name. Throughout this journey, I always prayed. Talking to God about my dreams and goals made the biggest difference in my life. My saying is “Dreams do come true, and prayers always get answered.” I’m proud that I’m able to be up here to share my story all because of the faith I have and everything I prayed for.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I get this question or not so to answer it I’d say just being yourself. And that’s definitely easier said than done but people will like you for just being you. Being authentic builds trust, by presenting yourself honestly, your audience will most likely trust your intentions and the information you share. Trust is fundamental for a strong and lasting relationship with your followers. Being yourself also allows you to be different and more unique, there’s only one you so when people follow you they want to know what makes you, you. When you’re authentic to yourself, people also want to engage more because they see your work and how much time and effort goes into it. I recently started posting videos of me making my clothes and I know it does significantly better than my regular fashion videos because you can see the process. I walk my audience through everything step by step.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My creative journey is fueled by various things, especially my humble upbringing. The things I didn’t have in the past inspire me to go after everything I once dreamed of and still dream of now. Talking to God daily has been the biggest part of getting me to where I am today, and I don’t plan on ever stopping, even after I’ve achieved all my goals. I want to be known as someone who always keeps God in their life, and recognizes the great things He’s done for me.I really want to show people that when you keep God first you won’t fail because he has a plan for you. He has a plan for us all. Even being able to write this on this platform motivates me because, coming up I would’ve never thought this was possible. Celebrating even the smallest successes and wins keeps me moving forward, and continues to remind me of the progress I’ve made since the beginning of my journey.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nassnyc/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@Nassnyc
- Other: Pinterest: https://pin.it/w2hOa56
Image Credits
Sariah Felix Trenton Butler Rahim Timbo