Today we’d like to introduce you to Sade’ Culliver.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Sade’. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve been passionate about art and fashion for as long as I can remember. I started taking it seriously when my college career began. My friends kept telling me I should find a way to make money off of my craft, so I started an Instagram page. I called it “CulliverCreations”, and I would sell my canvas paintings as well as take custom orders for canvasses and home decor pieces. Eventually, as I started taking my fashion classes at Georgia Southern, I started taking clients for alterations and simple custom garments. Then I eventually realized I also have a passion for curating art events and started finding ways to make that lucrative for me as well. My passions and dreams are so widespread that I often find it hard to express to people what “my thing” is or what exactly I envision my brand looking like in the end. As unusual as this may seem, I’ve come to realize that I want my brand to be… me. I don’t ever want to box myself in as just a designer or just a painter. I want to be an artist, someone who freely creates, however, they are led to do so. That’s why I find myself so inspired by people like Donald Glover or Chris Brown. They don’t limit their creativity to just one form of art even though music is what launched their careers. I want to use fashion to launch my career, and once that becomes stable, I plan to move into other things that make my heart sing. I’m currently working on creating a clothing line that visually represents symptoms of anxiety. This will be the first line I launch clothing that is available to order versus me taking custom orders so I’m very excited about the progress! I’m also working with a team to put together the second installment of an event we call “The Unknown Gallery”. This event includes an art gallery for visual arts (2D work, graphic design, photography, sculpture, etc.), a pop-up shop for young entrepreneurs, a fashion show featuring upcoming stylists and designers and live performances from upcoming musicians. My team and I curate, fund, and host this event ourselves and so far, it has been very successful! I’m still trying to figure out what my path is but one thing I do know for sure is I wouldn’t be who I am today without art.
Has it been a smooth road?
Most of my struggles have been internal. Sometimes I can be so much of a perfectionist that I keep myself from finishing projects or releasing new content. I have anxiety, which has also led me into bouts of depression. As weird as it may sound, I do think there is a positive side to my struggles with mental illness. It has given me a very unique perspective that I use for my art. But at the same time, it does get in the way. I overthink sometimes to the point where I lose faith in my art and myself, but thankfully my passion always outweighs these struggles. I also face the typical struggles that most artists fight like finding funding for my projects, finding customers that are actually willing to pay for the products and services I offer, and creative blocks to name a few.
What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
I am most known for my paintings and am now gaining more recognition for my fashion designs. As far as painting goes, I specialize in portraits. My portraits are set apart from others because I try to tell the story of a person through the paintings. Dealing with anxiety has shown me that we all have a lot of things going on under the surface, under that image, we try to present to the public. I create mixed media paintings and often add writing into my portraits to help tell a story. As far as my fashion design goes, I like to create streetwear looks. I like to call my style “Elevated Casual” because I dress women for everyday life, but I like to make sure she looks a little too good to just be out shopping or going to classes. I’m most proud of the line I am currently working on because it is the first time I pushed myself to actually create custom garments that are more than just a grade in a fashion class. They really reflect me and my story. I think my clothing stands apart from others because I like to find ways to combine my passion for painting by creating unique prints and surface treatments in my garments. I try to create garments that make you feel like you’re wearing art.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I definitely feel like Atlanta is a great place for art entrepreneurs. I already recommend the city to other students when they’re looking for internships. I think it’s a great starting point because there are so many companies in the area in every industry you can think of, and the city is gaining more and more attention every day. With so many eyes on the city, it gives artists a lot of potential viewers for their work.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 7065894841
- Email: sade3culliver@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sade.symone/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/sade__symone
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