We recently connected with Shar Moore and have shared our conversation below.

Shar, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

I have always been creative since a small child. I would always enjoy the school projects where something needed to be physically made to express a feeling or a creative image of something I’ve learned.⁴. Sometimes my parents were not able to go out and buy materials for my projects so I would find things around the house and and use my creativity to bring g my thoughts to life. As I grew older I realized how much creative work was a therapy for me whether it was visual art or song writing and performing. I also had the typical goals of playing sports at a level or becoming something like a doctor but Inever know I could pursue my passion at a collegiate level that could leave to a profession.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I originally from Greenville, SC and now I reside in Charlotte, NC. I have been a creator since a young child. We all naturally have the ability to create something from nothing. It’s all about how much we tap into that gift. As a young child, who was considered to be I overweight, I struggled with self-esteem issues all the time. I’m thankful for my dad who always made sure I dressed nicely. He was a very “neat” man and took pride in his appearance. Though some of the clothes he bought were not the trendiest they we nice and he made sure that they coordinated from head to toe. At school I would get compliments for my outfits which built my self esteem and encouraged me to walk and talk with more confidence. I started to learn that looks didn’t necessarily attract people it was the confidence. As I grew older, still being a big guy, I notice that the trendy fashions did not always offer big and tall sizes. The brands that did carry the larger sizes would double or almost triple their price of their clothing. Much of the clothing that was available for big and tall guys either had bad patterns or did not fit well. They were just super large garments that were made to go over large people. They did not designed the clothing to fit in areas that we, large people, thought look good on us. This is what prompted my idea to create a clothing line for big men and plus size women. This would be a line that was trendy yet designed to build confidence. From that thought SWAAR Apparel was born. SWAAR, meaning “heavy” in Afrikaans, was designed for those of us considered to be “heavier’ than the average man or women. Large people are proportioned in many different ways. I chose an elephant as the logo/mascot not only due to the elephant being the largest land mammal on Earth but to the great characteristics and symbolizations of elephants. Elephant are known for their loyalty to one another. They symbolize wisdom, vitality, strength and much more. From Swaar Apparel, my line Natural Reflex Clothing was created. This brand is for people of all sizes but influenced by people of color. I feel that though people of color have suffered a great deal of trauma in so many ways we still walk with a certain confidence or “swag”, if you will, that is in our genetics. We are naturally dope! Our internal style is a Natural Reflex that we are born with. Natural Reflex Clothing is not designed to enhance those wearing the clothes but for those wearing the clothes to enhance the clothing. YOU have the style. YOU make the clothes look good. They are nothing but a pile of fabric until you add your natural dopeness. With my clothing line, now big men and plus size women can shop for clothes designed especially for their body type without compromising style due to their size. All people can shop Natural Reflex and find unique pieces to express their individual dopeness. You can learn more about these brands at www.naturalreflexclothing.com.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Society is big on trends, what’s hot and what’s not etc. One key thing about art is that art is a self expression of the artist regardless of what the world thinks. With that being said, society need to go back to thinking for themselves. Support what you think is hot not what the media says is hot. Support the independent artists that has a product just as good if not better than the major brands. Support them, show them how much you like their product. Trust me they have put hard work into their finished product. True artists are more appreciative of those enjoying their art. It’s more than just making some money.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is to see someone loving my art. Whether it’s someone playing my music or wearing my clothing. Watching them feel what I felt during the creation means everything. Creativity is an energy and that energy is then made in to something tangible which we call art. That artwork still harnesses the energy used to create it and it means the most when someone has our work and “gets it”.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.naturalreflexclothing.com
• Instagram: Natural Reflex Clothing
• Facebook: Natural Reflex Clothing
• Youtube: www.getgutta.com

Image Credits
Photos by Shar Moore of www.thelitcreative.com