We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nyree Jordan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Nyree thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
I believe apart of being a creative is vulnerability and what better time to be transparent than for canvarebels! The most life changing risk I have ever took was choosing myself. And I know just simply off hearing that you may be confused but I’ll dive in a little deeper. Growing up me and my father’s relationship had been through a lot as far as trust and respect , we don’t see eye to eye with everything just like any other father daughter relationship. Sometimes though my dad would over step his authority as a father in hopes of doing what’s “best for me” without taking into consideration my thoughts on what’s best for my life. This hot pot boiled over my freshman year of college , spring break to be exact. I had just came off fall semester with a 3.8 gpa, on the deans list , apart of a majorette dance group on campus and the hbcu modeling team, all within the mist of my first mentor internship with HBCU First. I know that was a lot lol! but I would think that is a very successful first semester of college if I do say so myself. My father on the other hand could differ, although I know subconsciously he was proud of me , when it came to our verbal exchanges it was never enough. And his views on my choice of extracurricular was far from mine. He viewed me modeling as a distraction from why I’m really at school. Being so busy and wrapped up in these two clubs took time away from me calling home weekly and other check ups. But mentally I was happy and content. My first day of school faculty always repeated to be involved on campus. All of the work in class is nothing without experience. So in my eyes I thought I was balancing it all very well. But hearing the complete opposite from my father was very hard to swallow. It came to the point , he felt like it was so much of a distraction to where he threatened to take me out of school and put me in community college if I didn’t drop these extra organizations I was apart of. This ultimatum disheartened me because whether he would have actually done this or not was not the issue, the hurt came from threatening my access to education who fought so hard to obtain over his idea of distraction. How I felt did not matter, the friends, relationships I created didn’t matter. What matter is what he wanted for my life instead of the human who was living it. All of this to say the risk I took was choosing myself and my education and what made me happy. After that day I never returned home and live now with love ones who understand and accept my journey and me as a person. I knew taking this risk of choosing myself would leave me without support from my father but I chose me and I would choose me again. Since then I am currently a junior in college soon to graduate next year without any help/ support or aid from my father and have been making a way for myself and my career as an aspiring model. Our bond since then has grown slowly but surely.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Hello I am Nyree Jordan a junior at the illustrious Claflin University studying Mass Communications with a concentration in Public Relations and minor in psychology. I define myself as a multidisciplinary creative who tackles anything that brings life into me. I am an aspiring model with cinematography and short film making hustle. I got into this work more formally once I came to Claflin as a freshman joining our modeling troupe Enveux Modeling Company. Since then I have slowly poured into the fact I have a passion for it and have slowly built a portfolio. I see myself as a visionary and love the thought of making my ideas obtainable and tangible. That is what I love most about being a creative. What sets me apart from others is I’m not scared to be great. Sometimes greatness looks uncertain or as if it’s suppose to come a certain way but I am just full of faith and discernment. My father always said don’t be scared to be the smartest in the room and I think I apply that to every opportunity that comes my way. I was born and raised in New York and I believe that’s a city of opportunist. That hustle mentality has always been instilled in me and I believe it’s a life wasted if I don’t give my passions a shot. As far as film I was raised on movies and love analyzing every step and detail on the screen. I’m a visual learner so applying the overall themes of film and reflecting on the life I live now, that inspired many ideas for how I can convey we aren’t alone and another form of connecting with others on a deeper level. Currently I am walking in New York Fashion Week this February and this is so far my biggest achievement yet. Networking myself all the way from South Carolina and obtaining an opportunity for NYFW is something worth celebrating. This shows my commitment to the craft and how I want to make this a career. Next is Paris Fashion Week!
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Recently I have just overcame a journey that showed resilience this past October. I applied for an opportunity to be apart a fashion show in Buffalo New York and a peer at my University is apart of their team meaning they know insider information. They told me in advanced I had gotten casted for this opportunity and I wouldn’t hear back for a while until it was closer to the show date. Now the first step in any professional business is to never take anyone’s word and always wait for confirmation. But as time passed I started to celebrate myself and this achievement only to receive an email in December stating I was not picked for the show. My emotions were heavy cause I took my peers word and forgot anything is possible and things can change in a blink of an eye. So instead of sulking I decided to go on a limb and apply for multiple shows since NYFW was still that February and other shows may have castings. Two days after hearing the news and mass applying to opportunities, I heard back from a show casting crew stating I moved on to the second round of castings and they are having one that Saturday. Now during this time I am on Christmas break in South Carolina , and working at a plant that closed down for the holidays. My plant would still be closed by this casting time, I had the money to travel, and family to stay with in New York. I prayed about it and booked a bus ticket. I went out on a limb and traveled 19 hours to New York for that casting and got casted. My resilience from rejection was redirection for my actual path. Here I am now walking in not buffalo but the heart of New York for an amazing company.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
In my opinion , I believe society should reexamine the definition of living. It’s been normalized to over work our mind and body’s, over consume, disconnect from nature, and so many other things. The part I love about being a creative is how in tune I am within myself and way of life. I don’t view life from a consumers perspective but as a human being looking to fulfill my pursuit of happiness. How ever that may look. That mindset itself creates lifestyle changes, diet changes, and better mental health. Something society is lacking currently.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://readymag.website/u3238974429/5043478/
- Instagram: @nyreechanel
