Creation Starts With Love

One of my favorite creative projects to date didn't just start with a pair of scissors but also with the brazen (but well-intended) decision to get married during a pandemic as well as make my own wedding dress. This wasn’t something I intended when we initially got engaged, however halfway through the planning process, I felt inspired to just make my gown myself. Although I had never before constructed a wedding dress, I did have experience designing custom dresses and gowns for proms, maternity, and varying galas & military balls (my husband is in the Army.) I first fell in love with sewing and creating custom clothing as a child, hand sewing dresses for my Barbie dolls, learning from both my mother and my Godmother. With time, I graduated from sewing by hand with a needle and thread to sewing on a machine and making clothing for myself, followed by friends and family. Soon there after, I began receiving design inquiries from potential customers. As a freelance seamstress & designer, I quickly learned that it didnt matter whether I was creating something original for myself or being commissioned to bring someone else’s creative vision to life, inspiration marries exceptionally well (pun intended) with the excitement and anticipation of the occasion. As an artist, the ability to use my creativity in such a way that adds to the magic of the moment is extremely fulfilling, and I am significantly inspired by the act of bringing both creative work projects and passion projects to life by use of skill and imagination.

Aside from the happiness that conceptualizing creative projects brings, I’m completely enamored by the process of sourcing fabric & materials needed to bring an idea to fruition. If I had a dollar for every hour I’ve spent fabric shopping, either online or at a traditional brick and mortar store, I imagine I’d be insanely wealthy, as I have spent obscene amounts of time sorting through fabrics, beads and appliques, trims, buttons, decals, or whatever else tickles my fancy. I love rich, evervescent colors, captivating prints, and intricate beadwork that is usually synonymous with formal & special occasion fabrics. Alternatively, I am also drawn to earthy neutrals, classic hues, and traditional textures and materials. Aside from visual appeal, I’m moved by touch and feel: how a particular fabric can hug the body flawlessy or how another drapes and flows effortlessly with subtle movement. I prefer fabric mediums with flexibilty and fluidity. Often times, I find inspiration looking at fabrics and instinctively knowing exactly how I want to manipulate them, but occasionally I pull from classic and timeless designs, trends, or silhouettes that I adopt and add my own personal touches to. Considering our intimate backyard wedding would be outside, I was compelled to design a dress that was feminine but not too fairytale-esque, elegant yet understated, with a fair amount of razzle dazzle in the form of lace, beading, and blingy crystals. Finally, I knew what I wanted and set about conceiving it.

Because the objective of this story is about finding happiness in the art of creating, I will keep the challenges I encountered during this process concise- but there were several times that I almost threw my Fiskars in the air out of sheer frustration. As previously mentioned, my husband and I opted for a small backyard wedding at a villa in a rural neighborhood just east of Atlanta. We chose October because typically, Atlanta weather is simply gorgeous that time of year: warm, but not overly humid, and with a myriad of picturesque trees in the most magnificent shades reds, golds, and burnt oranges. However, on Saturday October 10, 2020, Hurricane Delta had other plans. Our venue had prepared us for the incoming inclement weather with tents to cover us from anticpated rain, however we had no idea it would get as bad as it did. Not even halfway through our reception, rain was coming down in buckets, flooding the grounds (including the dancefloor) which eventually led to the lot of us dancing barefoot in the rain. To this day, I have mud on the hem of the wedding gown that I made to this day that I will never wash out because of the experience and memories it holds. None of this stopped the day from being one of the most challenging, memorable,and magical days of my life. My husband and I literally weathered the storm with our closest friends by our side, supporting our celebration of love. A few days later, while laughing and reminiscing about the craziness and excitement getting married during both a pandemic and a category 4 hurricane, we mused over the “what ifs” and what we would do differently if we could do it again.

Fast forward to Febrary of this year, the creative cosmos (and social media) aligned when I was contacted by a very talented and very beautiful elopement/wedding photographer via Instagram. She was travelling to Georgia from California for the sole purpose of shooting a series stylized bridal concepts in various locations statewide. Initially, I was asked to provide hair & makeup services for models on set in Savannah, Georgia but after seeing some of our wedding photos posted on my IG account, I was asked to wear my wedding dress again as she had “never seen anything quite like it before.” After explaining that the bottom of my dress was covered in mud that wouldn’t be getting washed out, I informed her that designed my gown & I wouldn't mind making another since we were about a month out from the photoshoot. I found it exceptionally graytfying and inspiring to design not one, but two manifestations of creative innovation.

If you allow yourself, one can find inspiration almost anywhere. I hope that the source my source of inspiration will always start with love. Love for my innate talents and my craft, love for myself making the time to do the things that bring me joy, love for the wonderful people that support my dreams and endevours, and most importantly, love being the catalyst & driving force behind all I do. Love has always been my drug of choice… and I’m elated to say that it hasn’t failed me yet.