We were lucky to catch up with Simone Artis recently and have shared our conversation below.

Simone , appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Being a designer and a creative, many project I have done have been meaningful to me. Fashion has always been my number 1 passion, so my designs have always been inspired by something very important to me. I would say my most meaningful project was my senior collection in school inspired by my hometown Oakland, CA. Oakland was the city that is always a part of me even since I’ve moved to Texas. The culture, the colors, the places to go was the best inspiration in order for me to make my collection and I was very proud of it.

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.

I was born in Oakland, CA and then eventually moved to Texas when I was 10. Moving from a different state at such a young age was somewhat like a culture shock to me. Everything was so different and took some time getting use to, but I love to say that Texas is my home and has shaped my to be the creative am I today. I’ve always felt like I was more into the arts and being creative than wanting to do sports when I was in middle and high school. I’ve always loved acting, fashion, art, and music. When I first went to college, I wanted to pursue a major in Psychology, but as I was watching an episode of The Fashion Show (not Project Runway lol) it inspired me to actually go to school and study fashion design and pursue a career in it. Once I was finished with community college, I transferred to the University of North Texas and got a BFA in Fashion Design. Once I finished school, so many additional fashion design opportunities for me opened up and I have been blessed to be able to showcase my designs in different fashion shows such as The Pin Show in Dallas. My dream goal in pursuing fashion was to have my own line and my own styling company, but instead I got into the industry as being a technical designer and still making my own fashion creations on the side. I still own Shira Simone Designs and plan on continuing my design business under that name once I get my mind wrap on what I want to design.
I’m a person who loves learning new things and participating in many different hobbies. I have recently earned my certification in UX/UI design and hope to continue doing freelance work involving that and expand my portfolio.
I also just started my other passion project, a faith based podcast call I’m Souled! This has been a long time interest of mine and I recently decided to commit to that and discussed things I’ve learned in my walk and hope to give others, specifically women, encouragement.
My main goal with whatever I do creatively is to tell a story and show people a bit of who I am as well. I always hope to inspire and encourage people through my art and it’s also a way of how I express myself. I love creating fun and unique things, which is a reflection of how my mind works.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I utilized free learning programs such as Coursera, Skillshare and even Youtube. There’s so many things you can learn with those and I wished I had taken the opportunity to use them more. Also, I wish I had done more networking with other creatives during school and even right after I graduated. Knowing a lot of creatives gives you more opportunity to be involved with what’s going on creatively in your city and beyond that. It’s always good to know people with any hobby or career you are involved in.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding is seeing something you create finally finished. All the hard work and hours you put into a project, it’s amazing seeing the end product. It’s even more rewarding when you have other people appreciate your projects and really take interests in them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://simoneartis.wixsite.com/shirasimonedesigns
• Instagram: shirasimone
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shira-artis-25577591
• Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/imsouledpod
• TikTok: imsouledpodcast

Image Credits
Photo credits: Minerva House