Take The Jump

I have always been involved in art and repurposing clothes. But coming from a small town and a poor family, fashion and art was not the career i ever pictured myself to be in.i wanted and needed to make money to be able to finally help my family with what we needed. I ended up going to Kent state university for psychology. One year in and my friend had convinced me to switch my major to fashion. My parents were not havint it and told me i was making a mistake. But i did it anyway. I didn’t believe in myself enough to go for design, so i stuck with merchandising because it is less competitive and i was good at math so i could ensure passing my classes. Eventually my cousin gifted me a sewing machine she wanted thrown out but thought i could use it. Being away from home i didnt Have TOO many friends, so I really locked in with the machine and just used it as my get away. I would make a few pieces a week and just enjoy them for myself to wear and pass the time. after a few month my family went through a traumatic event.. my step dad had a drug problem, and in 2019 it caught up to him and he overdosed. Thank God’ he was revived a few moments later, but the effects that came after were detrimental. My mom didn’t want to reach out for help from family and friends because of embarrassment so I felt the need to carry the weight on myself and try and work to help the bills. I had no free time to make clothes anymore. I worked 3 jobs, went to school, my grades dropped, my professors were reaching out, my job performance went down, I was just miserable. And felt alone. We slowly started to get to our feet, when COVID hit causing me to lose my job. I had to think of ways to make money. I tried door dash and instacart and it worked, but it was work. Boring, alone and just wasting my time. My friend makes music and is Really involved in the creative scene and suggested me make some clothes to sell. I thought he was crazy. No one would buy my clothes, I can’t make a living off of this it just won’t work. But he insisted to try and find out myself. So I did. I made a few pieces and posted them and they sold. I made a few more and they sold. I was starting to make decent money. Then I started getting custom orders. People came to me left and right with ideas and requests for commission work. a few month doing this and Being around the creative scene, I started to get back on my feet. I met a few people who also make clothes and learned more about the industry and designing. I marketed myself to get more exposure and have even had a few celebrities reach out to me and tell me my work is good. I have done bulk orders on pieces of 100 count all hand sewn. I have made an oversized backpack in the shape of a spider with legs coming around the body and connecting in the front, coats, vests, ski masks, shoes etc. I truly believe God has gifted me with such a great talent and a purpose to creative art for the world. He has brought me so far while I had nothing but only the faith that the lord will guide me. jumping of the cliff and hoping I would land the fall and avoid the risks of losing everything, and I’m still here. Making pieces for a living. I still have family that doubts me and asks when I will get a real job and I just hope one day this all pays off and I can show them this is real. We’re so forced to go to school and forced to think only certain degrees and professions are worthy and good enough to have. The security of a 9-5 job holds back a lot of talent from exploring their true potential. all I want is to help my family be financially stable, and to help show people when you work and love what you do, you can turn your passion into profession and be successful. Thank you for allowing me to share my story