Who did you interview? What is their role or position? What did you find helpful and/or interesting? What was your BEST question? What was surprising or disappointing?

I interviewed Redia Soltis, who is a stylist in Vancouver. In this interview, I found it interesting how while connections are important to have, the most important thing is talent and passion for what you want to do. She mentioned that working hard and putting yourself out there until you succeed is what you need to do to get where you want to be. That is helpful for me to keep in mind when trying to get into the fashion industry. The best question I asked her was “what are your typical duties?” This gave me insight in what she does day-to-day. She responded saying that she ensures sets and photoshoots are visually appealing and ‘highly polished.’ Another important aspect was that the clothing and aesthetic of it all matched the company or brand she was presenting. This information was interesting, because I got to hear it first hand from a stylist- it gave me a look directly into the general job and industry I want to pursue. Something I found surprising was that what got her into the industry was not a university course but rather a background in hairdressing. Redia said she grabbed every opportunity that came her way and set goals for herself to succeed. This proves that having talent, and learning from mistakes (something she said was a big lesson for her) will get you far if you really want to do something in life, and this interview was very valuable for me to see just that.

How are YOU feeling about this career for yourself? What would you still like or need to find out? 

I am feeling a bit better about pursuing this career, because now I have a connection to rely on. I am still hesitant, however, because I’m not sure if I should pursue my dream of going to FIT in NYC or stay here and get work experience in the industry. What I need to do is talk to more people and research a lot more in order to gain a better understanding of what where I want to go, and how I need to get there.