We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Suzanne Simone a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Suzanne thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
🌸My origins…
As a young girl I began singing & dancing at age 3 off of the recommendation of others to my mom who saw something unique in me. As the most emotional & humbling of beginnings, I can easily say that music & dance paved a life of divine love & serious devotion to every artistic avenue that I’ve ever been blessed to be a part of!
And did I ever embrace the arts! It was clear to the world that with my boundless energy & charismatic nature, that I was a natural & genuinely loved every second of rehearsals, stage time, & everything related to my art!
There is this feeling when I sing onstage that’s hard to describe. If I had to break it down I would say that it’s the safest place on earth to be onstage in front of a large crowd (the larger the better, I’m talking my favorite performances for thousands), & when you melt into a piece that moves the audience watching you, you are HOME. I hope that makes sense, because it’s literally my favorite place on earth to be as an independent Vocalist! Let’s just say that it’s where I’ve always fit in & felt the most like I belong!
Fast forward to 2003, I added to my artistic & professional endeavors as a performing artist by starting a professional Photography & Videography company with my mom, another deep artistic adoration of mine, who had coupled both Real Estate & Photography for over 40+ years, & someone whose work I’d studied & lived throughout my entire life! To this day she remains the best photographer for all of my personal work, & I’ve worked with some brilliant artists!
🌸Why this would work…
To be truthful, Artists are typically multifaceted, therefore merging talents to start a professional Photography & Videography company felt right! I’ve always believed that if a person has multiple talents, they should channel these skills in every way possible as to share their divine gifts. Providing joy or success through the art of both Photography & Videography is a gift in itself! I mean, we shoot to provide excellence & happiness to our clients don’t we? It can’t get much better than this!
🌸My unique approach…
With an extreme emphasis on Photojournalistic Fashion Photography, or photoshoots like Boudoir or Bridal Portraits for example, which possess a fashion forward style, we developed our signature brand & shooting style for various types of our photographic work that our clients absolutely love!
One element that enhances the experience for my clients is my personal endeavors as a petite fashion model. It’s through these experiences that I’m able to clearly define & direct my subject’s poses & also provide a unique & creative edge in the final product! These skills are invaluable!
🌸Another unique approach…
During the pandemic all of my live singing & reoccurring contracted Photography work that I was literally living for as I’d really found my perfect matches with organizations & fashion studios, faded away with the public restrictions which of course were necessary, so I began brainstorming another avenue to provide income while staying true to my fashionista roots, & that is in creating gemstone jewelry, & more specifically, hand-knotted gemstone meditation Malas.
Stemming back to 3000 years of tradition, I began making & distributing Malas in 2013 to private Clientele as somewhat of both a passion & a side hustle. Many people had inquired about my selling the distinct & fashionable designs I’d created, which got me thinking outside of the box.
In 2020 the problem seeking a solution was for me to find out if my ideas to sell gemstone Malas would work as well as providing a sense of peace in a time of great turmoil. So, I opened my designs up to the public as the pandemic unfolded, & now in 2022 I’m finally launching my new company, Chic Fashion Lotus, to the public fully with an emphasis on Malas while also offering other jewelry items as well!
🌸In conclusion…
My artistic engagements are now an eloquent flowing sea of artistry coupled with a dynamic love for everything that I do! Whether I’m singing, shooting photography or videography, or designing jewelry I feel as though I am being true to myself as an artist & small business owner. As an empath & creator I always provide my greatest experience to everyone that I work with no matter what facet of the arts I’m representing!
Suzanne, 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?
🌸 About Myself… As I mentioned, my artistry began as a very young girl & I would venture to say that the arts really found me! There’s an indescribable feeling of belonging through everything that I have ever done as an artist & I only feel this way when I am embracing my arts. So in essence, my beginning was the path towards my entire life!
Growing up I was fortunate to be given the opportunity by my mom who allowed me to deepen my artistic skills through groups, camps, & training.
To this day I can confidently say that I’m now a successful Vocalist, Dancer/Choreographer, Photographer/Videographer, Model, & Designer. What I am is an Artist!
My work ethic is strong & I never settle for second best. My patrons deserve every piece of who I am & what I’m capable of & I won’t let them down for anything!
🌸 What sets me apart…
Really what sets me apart from others is my diversity & the fact that being efficient in multiple crafts is who I am. I mean this in the way that I find it an accomplished challenge to be able to provide an excellent experience for various avenues of work, & I really am well versed in each path.
🌸 Most proud of…
My proudest moments happen when the world is quiet. Often I receive compliments & accolades during the evenings, other times I see clients pursuing their dreams while utilizing my work or sharing elements of my art & this tells me that I am in the right place in my life! It’s the people who I can touch through my skills that mirror the movement & bring me to an understanding that this path is my journey!
What I want people to know about me is that I literally live & breathe my artistic paths! Never do I consider being an artist a hobby, in return I know that I am who I am because of the art & with that will always devote my deepest self to everyone that I have the pleasure of working with!
🌸 As a vocalist…
This is my heart that I am sharing with you. If you want to get personal with me, let me sing for you!
🌸 As a Photographer…
Making my clients feel emotionally connected to their images is greater than any payment received (though it is how I pay my bills, lol). One of the greatest, continuous compliment that I’ve received is when people tell me that they are not photogenic, but they see someone in their photos that they never saw before & they are in love with the realistic vision of who they see! Both my mom & I sharing talents find this compliment!
🌸 As a jewelry designer…
While I’m just getting started publicly, this career move relates to my core values & beliefs in finding our inner light so that we can express this to the world, so moving into this direction of healing in relationship to the body, mind, & spirit is an AWESOME new road to travel!
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🌸 My pivotal moments
So I did go into this on my previous pages, but the pandemic really did a number on my small business as a Professional Photographer & Videographer, as it did so many, & while I’m grateful everyday because I know how it effected our world, I had to really delve deep into what new path or even just addition that I needed to determine.
My resilience lies in my endless determination, yet also in maintaining the self confidence & just business ethics that if I continue to thrive, my business endeavors will to!
Going deeper into this idea, it’s to say that if I can’t sing onstage, maybe I can do Voice-Overs…if I don’t have my previous contracts in fashion & event photography, maybe I can do product work, & if I do try to sell gemstone Malas, I can thrust myself into it full force & try my best to share an ancient treasure with as much of the world as I possibly can!
My successes are related to my intention, & if I can remain true to the foundations of intentions that I’ve built, I can also rebuild the vision & reality of my successes!
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🌸 Audience in social media…
This is tough because just before the 2021 December holidays some of my main social accounts were hacked. Talk about distressing, trying to rebuild multiple socials during the holidays is daunting to say the least.
Prior to the hacks I’d built a tremendous following largely from my personal appearances in the public as well as through my posts & marketing & I’d never take that for granted now.
Currently I’m trying to develop one Tik Tok account @suzsimoneartist, which will embody all aspects of my artistic life as to give people not only more personal pieces of myself, but also to drive traffic & highlight my designated Instagram accounts & more.
Contact Info:
- Website: See websites below 👇🏻
- Instagram: See accounts below 👇🏻
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/suzannesimone
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/suzannesimone
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/suzannesimone
- Other: Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@suzsimoneartist Instagram: www.instagram.com/suzsimoneartist www.instagram.com/poshtographyfashionarts www.instagram.com/chicfashionlotusjewelry Photography Website: www.poshtography.com Coming soon, Jewelry Website: www.chicfashionlotus.com
Image Credits
Marlene of Poshtography Professional Photography and Videography Blue Talon Photography Frank LeBoeuf Suzanne Simone