Today we’d like to introduce you to Raeven Smith.
Hi Raeven, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am the owner and creator of the fashion brand Ray Pinkney. Often times we neglect the history of the women in our family and trace things back using male lineage, often given to us when married. I want to pay tribute to the strength of the women in my family and break away from the male-dominated naming in the fashion industry. Therefore, I named my brand after the maiden names of her mother, Ray, and her grandmother, Pinkney. My brand was official created during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine period. My goal is to change the perspective of the world to a more understanding and compassionate mind state. My shop features items that all hold a purpose, hence the phrase “Fashion with a Purpose”. Whether that purpose be sustainability, breaking the stigma of mental illness in the black community, or just overall spreading creativity.
Not only do I enjoy fashion, I love partaking in anything that gives me the opportunity to express myself and tell a story. It could be a result of attending many fine arts schools growing up or more of a subconscious pull. I have dabbled in many activities like visual art, music, dance, and acting, with visual art being a strong favorite. When creating, I enjoy diversifying the mediums I use to best suit what I am feeling and trying to express. Those mediums include but are not limited to drawing, painting, photography, graphic design, tattooing, printmaking, ceramics, illustration, and fashion design along with the other activities I stated earlier. I try to actively practice and use all of the mediums I know to fully maximize my skill level as an artist and to eliminate any limits outside of what my mind can imagine.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Things have not always been so easy being an artist. One of the main challenges I face is trying to push pass the lack of respect many people have for artists. Many view art as a waste of time and believe artists refuse to assimilate and contribute to the working class. Another challenge I would say is finding a supportive community that encourage you and help you grow to become better, whether that is through sharing knowledge and opportunities, purchasing from you, going to your events, exhibitions, and showings or simply just spreading the word about your endeavors. A majority of those who do appreciate art and artists tend to only care if you are mainstream or well known. In other words, they only love you once you “make it”, not before.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Like mentioned previously, I am an entrepreneur, owner of Ray Pinkney. I handle every single aspect of my fashion brand from creating designs, sewing, and shipping to marketing, writing, and financing. My business is only a little over a year old, so it is not very well known, but I am still working hard to create quality products that customers love and make them feel good. A subsection of my brand is dedicated to underground artists that lack the respect and exposure they deserve. It is called Hemline Mag and all types of artists are given the opportunity to sit for an interview to answer a few questions to be featured in a printed magazine and featured on the Ray Pinkney website. That magazine is one of my proudest moments, giving other artists like me another platform they can share themselves and grow a bigger audience/ following. Beyond my fashion brand, I am an all around artist. The majority of my free time goes to oil painting that fuels my desire of traditional art-making. I have recently graduated from Georgia Southern University earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design with a minor in Fashion Merchandising and Design. Because of that, I would say I am professional more known as a graphic designer, hired by other entrepreneurs to bring their businesses aesthetics and overall branding to the next level.
Like mentioned so many times before, I consider myself an all around artist. I experiment in mediums new to me and try other art forms that maybe out of my comfort zone, I have dabbled in almost every art form possible and I think that is what sets me apart. I can pull from those different art forms and mediums to create something that no one else could even imagine.
What does success mean to you?
To me, success is my final moment of contentment. If my life were to end right now in this moment, would I be okay that it did? Would I still have a project I wanted to fulfill? Are there people I still want help? Did I leave enough in the world to create lasting change, even just a little? Is there a person I still want to work with? Did I create the family I always wanted? If any of these questions along with the others on my long list are no, then I would not have reached my success.
Contact Info:
- Email: cierrarae824@gmail.com
- Website: raeven.art
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/raevbxbe?utm_medium=copy_link
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCctJHovcCpIOFcpdSDyUQZA
- Other: raypinkney.com
