 |
| Young Laylah Flexing, LD, 2018 |
My mom was out picking up my sisters up from school while I was home waiting for something to do. My dad snored loudly while laying on the couch in the front room. I snuck into my parents' room, grabbed my mother’s black heels and took them to my room that I shared with my three sisters. I began to throw clothes left and right and out of the drawers, trying to coordinate the most fashionable and colorful outfit to walk the runway. Finally. I picked out the golden outfit. I strutted down the hallway as if it were my runway with my oldest sister’s skirt and jacket on, my mother’s heels and with my favorite Children’s Place tights on. I looked in the mirror down the hall, admiring myself and the outfit I assembled. Suddenly, I heard keys jangling, the doorknob twisting, and there were my mom and sisters. They caught me red-handed! I ran back to the room changed as quickly as possible and hoped they didn’t realize I had been wearing their clothing. Phew… nobody had seen me, or so I thought.
First, my sister yelled at me, then it was my mother who realized her shoes were gone. At the time, I didn’t care if they’d yelled at me, I just wanted to create cute outfits to wear. This routine would happen almost every day while being homeschooled by mom. When I was in middle school, I would take hours choosing what outfit and pieces to wear together, it made me feel like a model and a designer at the very same time. Soon enough, I began to cut up t-shirts I found weren’t as fashionable and started to cut patches and glue them onto my pants and jackets. To this day, my mom and sisters criticize me for wearing their clothes and for being so indecisive choosing what to wear. But to me, it isn’t about the clothes at all; it was about creation and design.
When I was young, my dad used to take my sisters and me to Salvation Army whenever it was back to school time. I had always felt self-conscious about going because it meant that we didn’t have enough money to go shopping at regular retail shops. A struggle that I faced during my younger years was I went thrift shopping for clothes. Whenever people at my all white private middle school would ask me where I would get a certain article of clothing, I would respond, “Thrift store” and they would give me a certain face that communicated, “Are you poor or something?” But as soon as, thrifting became a hip thing to do things began to change. Thrifting meant you were edgy, had a cool style, maybe poor, but either way cool, but I digress. In high school, I began to dress in different styles and frequently went to thrift stores with my friends and family. Thrift stores were a cheap and accessible way to try a variety of fashion trends. Through my clothing, I was expressing my creativity.
During high school, I started to explore more artistic mediums. Junior year, my close friend Genesis and I went to a program that was provided by Chicago Public Library called Youmedia. At Youmedia, I began to learn about cameras, camera equipment, film and online design programs. The first month there, I made a short film where we asked people if they were fulfilled; this allowed me to get more comfortable with camera lenses and lighting. Shortly, I began to take pictures of high schoolers who attended Youmedia and began to shoot people for their shows. I gained a lot of experience from working with other young artists, instructors, and filmmakers.
 |
| Photograph of Grace, LD, Camera |
After high school, I attended Parsons School of Design in New York. I wasn’t expecting to attend an art school for college; I had heard so many negative comments about art schools. But once I had gotten accepted into one of the top design schools in the country, I knew I was destined to go. I had planned to go in for Strategic Design and Management but figured out that I didn’t want to focus on the strategic aspect of design. I was more passionate and interested in the process aspect of design. I switched majors sophomore and junior year to Product Design. I went in only knowing a few 3D design programs, but by the end of senior year, I had already created numerous products such as lamps, chairs, cups, etc. During my time at Parsons, I had the opportunity to intern at Google, Apple, CannonDesign and 3D World Renderings.
After graduating, I wanted to start my own business. I wanted to create a business based in New York with my closest friends and acquaintances. Our design firm would be partnered with the top design companies and stores, creating a variety of design products. The only problem was, I had no idea where to start; I didn’t have the physical money to start my business up. I was struggling with aligning my passion with my career and how to start my business. I knew had to talk with my dad who created his IT business from the ground up with a few friends. I wanted to know where to begin and how I could start getting funding. He gave me great advice; he said to start local and start telling people who are interested in design and innovation who might be willing to be apart of the business. Later that day, I had called and texted some people whom I met at Parsons and from internships, asking if they’d like to help fund my business. I started to post and asking if people were willing to help, donate anything and people began donating money to kickstart my business. Years and years passed and finally, I had begun monetizing my business and creating partnerships with stores.
 |
| Art/Design, LD, 2018 |
It took my blood, sweat, and tears to get people to believe in my idea and new innovative ideas of design, but nothing good ever comes easy. That's something my dad has always told me, he had struggled with the exact same issues I encountered like getting people to pay me, trust me, and believe in my company. I remember when I was younger, my dad would come home yelling about one of his client not paying on time and having to hold his composure in a meeting because of how disrespectful people treated someone who was an African- American male. I knew that one day, I would have to endure the same struggle as he did. Once my business was flourishing, I felt that I accomplished one of my biggest dreams: becoming a designer.
When I was younger, I was passionate about aesthetic, colors and crafting something that I could show off to others. It was until I saw the opportunities, creation and life design could create when I realized I wanted to take that love and not only implement my creativity into what I wore, but through everyday items. Items people use on a day to day basis may seem minuscule, but it’s about creating a world one product at a time that is more economical, innovative and aesthetically pleasing. I care about the world and more so for the things that live in this universe; through design we can recreate what was has been destroyed and damaged due to carelessness.
No comments:
Post a Comment