Today we’d like to introduce you to Bianca Octavia.
Hi Bianca, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Growing up, I spent countless hours watching the women in my family cook, craft, sew, build, entertain and decorate. Eventually, I developed an interest for those same hobbies and found myself working on different creative projects almost everyday out of the week. After gaining attention for my ability to be resourceful yet stylish, I began teaching crafting workshops and taking on clients for interior design and party styling.
After leaving the corporate world in 2019, I combined all my interests to officially create Bianca Octavia, a lifestyle brand (much like Martha Stewart) that celebrates crafting/DIY, entertaining, and the art of homemaking. My mission is to teach and show men and women of color how easy elevating the everyday can be.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My first struggle was figuring out who and what I was. I’ve always known that I loved homemaking, crafting and decorating for beautiful parties and gatherings. However, because I juggled multiple interests, I never knew how to pinpoint what my exact title was or should be. I’d also never known or met a black woman who at that time was doing the same things as me. When I discovered Martha Stewart, the light bulb went off and everything clicked! I’d finally found an example of what I wanted to be in the world. A Lifestyle Expert and guru that inspires others to tap into their creativity through executing my own creative projects. (Most people today would call this an influencer, but back in 2013 I don’t think that term had even been coined yet.)
Once I figured out who and what I was, the second struggle then became figuring out how to execute the overall vision and dream. Martha Stewart is a larger than life global brand that covers every possible sector of lifestyle. As a black girl from Decatur, Georgia with literally just a dollar and a dream………it can and has been an intimidating task. After hours and years of studying Ms. Stewart’s blueprint, I was able to write and plan out my own unique path! Now that I am crystal clear on how I will reach my end goal, it has been really fun building this whole thing out. I know that this will not be an overnight process, but I am enjoying this crazy ride as I create my own brand that will serve people of color around the world.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am Bianca Octavia, but everyone around me calls me “The Millennial Martha Stewart”. (or M.J. for Martha Junior, lol)
First, I am an on-air DIY Lifestyle Expert and I have been featured on numerous crafting segments on NBC. My proudest accomplishment to date was my recent feature on Martha Stewart’s new gardening show “Martha Gets Down & Dirty” on Discovery plus. As you can imagine, that was literally a dream come true for me! I still can’t believe that actually even happened, I guess it was written in the stars. (If you’d like to watch the episode after reading this, I am featured one season one, episode one!)
Second, I am online lifestyle brand that shares inspiring content that teaches and shows how to elevate the everyday on a budget. In addition to my regularly posted how-to videos and content, I will also be launching online, interactive crafting classes this spring! To keep up with my latest projects and posts and to also be notified once classes are live, visit www.biancaoctavia.com and subscribe to the mailing list.
Thirdly, my newest baby is “Crafty Conversations”, the visual crafting podcast where we make sh*t * talk sh*t! Myself and my crafty bestie Khadijah meet up on the pink couch once a month to give the real spill on full-time entrepreneurship, our crazy romantic love life’s and how we conquer everyday adulting struggles. Every episode, we wear comfy pajamas while making easy crafts and sipping on crafty cocktails. We would love, love love, for you to watch and listen to all of our episodes on Youtube or wherever you stream your podcasts.
Last but not least, I created BOW Media Group during the pandemic as a way to pivot into the new virtual world. BOW Media is a digital content agency that creates fun and engaging content for craft brands to help drive sales as well as engagement for their social media platforms. Some of my biggest clients so far have been Party City, Plaid Crafts and Tweexy.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I LOVE how Atlanta fully embraces its creatives and all of their business ventures! It feels like no dream is impossible in this city. I don’t think I would be the dreamer that I am today if I were from anywhere else. Atlanta has truly helped shaped me into a fearless go-getter.
The same thing that I love about Atlanta is also what I like least. Because Atlanta has birthed some of the world’s best talent, we have become a place where everyone feels as though they HAVE TO BE an artist or an entrepreneur. I don’t know…..I feel like a lot of people right now pretend to be “artsy” or force themselves to be a business owner because it’s “the cool thing” to do. It just gets a little annoying when you walk into a room and you’re immediately being thrown mixtapes and eyelash extension business cards, lol. It’s like “wow, so no one in here just went to a regular 9-5 today? got it!”.
Contact Info:
- Email: bianca@biancaoctavia.co
- Website: www.biancaoctavia.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/iambiancaoctavia
- Facebook: facebook.com/iambiancaoctavia
- Youtube: youtube.com/biancaoctavia
- Other: Pinterest.com/iambiancaoctavia
