We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tevin Evans. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tevin below.

Alright, Tevin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?

I always knew I wanted to work in a creative field and I knew that making money would be a struggle but I never realized that it would be as tough as it is. I’ve been styling since 2013 and modeling since 2017. The first time I’d been paid for any of my talents was the first time I shot with Ryan McGinley. His casting director reached out to me, discussed the details of the shoot and said that I would be paid for it. Paid or unpaid the opportunity to work with Ryan was one that I couldn’t pass up, his resume of work is insane! So while the pay rate wasn’t a lot my reality was I was an unsigned model who had an opportunity to work with a photographer that I’d admired since I was a teen in high school flipping through GQ magazine. In that moment I felt validated I felt like my dreams aren’t too big and my talents are good enough. Flash forward those photos we took that day ended up being part of Ryan’s gallery show in London!

Tevin, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’ve been a stylist since I was a child I like to say Barbie was my first client haha! But in all seriousness I’ve been styling since 2013, I got my start in fashion in the most random way it felt like in that moment my life was a tv show and I was the main character that magical things just happened for. I was sitting in a Starbucks with an ex boyfriend a woman walked in and seemed tired so I offered her a seat and she looked at my outfit and loved it asked me what I did I told her I was a student but I dream of working in fashion she gave me her number and email and took me to my first NYFW and I met my best friend and creative collaborator Kim Dillinger. That day in that Starbucks started a catalyst of change in my life and would lead me to so many wonderful things. For the first time everything in my life made sense. I was no longer on the path that my family members set for me but I felt like I was finally forging my own path. My entire life I’d been told who and what I would be and don’t get me wrong I would’ve been an amazing lawyer but I wouldn’t have been happy. Fast forward despite not being signed and still being fairly unknown my resume of work is one I’m truly proud of. Without being signed as a model I’ve worked with some of the biggest photographers, been featured in international media outlets and publications as a stylist I’ve assisted some of the biggest stylist in the industry and had the opportunity to work with some major clients. As of lately I’ve been trying to branch out on my own and build a portfolio of work that is all mine, I’ve been creative directing and styling small projects some of them featuring myself and one of them most recently being featured on PhotoVogue as a part of a Levi’s campaign. It’s been a long road to get to this point but these small moments of success I feel in my heart will lead me to bigger opportunities.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is that moment after you’ve poured your heart and soul into a project. Those times when you’ve given more of yourself to something than you could’ve ever imagined because you believed in your vision! Despite setbacks, moments of despair, fear, fits of anger and doubts in your abilities, you push through it all to finally see your vision come to fruition. That moment, that breath of relief makes it all worth it!

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Building my audience on social media has been a long and slow yet steady burn that came from me really just being grounded in my own sense of self and how I wanted to share myself with the world. I knew that my presence in the spaces I occupy meant something to my peers so I enjoy sharing that but I also know that there’s a part of me that genuinely just enjoys the small privileges in my personal and family life that allows my followers to get to know me a bit better and less on a superficial level. So with this knowledge I began to zero in on the things that made me happy and made my followers engage and begin conversations with me or each other. I talk about fashion, my struggles with my weight, body diversity and overall try to have meaningful positive interactions with people because I also realize that I have the power to positively impact others. These are things I think anyone wanting to build their online presence should be thinking about and could I be doing more? ABSOLUTELY, right now my job doesn’t permit me to have the time and capital to produce the content I’d like to create but I’m working on something big that I want to keep working on consistently and I can’t wait to begin sharing that journey with you all!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: FatChuckBass
• Twitter: ItsFCBass

Image Credits
Photographer Tarik Carroll