If you were an action figure, what accessories would you be sold with?
Handbags and jewelry.
If you could raid anyone’s closet, dead or alive, who would it be?
Iris Apfel.
What was the biggest opposing force that you encountered on your creative journey?
The biggest opposing force I encountered on my creative journey was trying to find a manufacturing company to duplicate my artisan-made handbags on a machine (mass production). It took years to find someone who could make them look exactly the same, as if I handcrafted them on my own.
In the past, people were buried with items they would need in the afterlife. What would you want buried with you in the same scenario?
I would love to have my handbags at my side because cassette tapes last a lifetime. My bags are a fashion conversation piece that will always be the talk of the town, pieces of art that will never go away because everyone can relate to music.
If you could change one aspect of our society through your work, what would it be?
To have self-love and love for others. Self-love, and love for others is a powerful tool which can heal and save the world.
When and how did you discover your talent? Does creativity come naturally or do you have to work on it?
I discovered my talent when I was in the third grade. I knew right then and there that I was a true, original artist. I used to make animal sculptures and draw people with pencils and oil paints all of the time. My art skills were considered to be at a high school level and not something that would come from an elementary student. I was always artsy and different from everyone else in school. My jeans were always torn and I painted them with many different colors to prove my fashion sense to my classmates and friends. This was an expression of my inner self, which was me being a true artist. I also used to sell handcrafted accessories and other conversation pieces to my classmates throughout grade school. Not only did I discover my art talents at this time, but I was also blessed to have a vocal ability and a knack for writing songs, a talent that landed me many record deals and having my songs played on the radio. My creativity comes naturally. I’ve never known anything else. All I knew was art, music, and fashion.
Over the last six months, when have you felt the most alive and electrified?
When I was finally able to mass produce my handbags. All of those years that I put into my brand shows in my handbags. Looking at them is the true meaning of drive. I never stopped, I never took no for an answer, and most of all, I always believe in myself.
