Today we’d like to introduce you to Naja Simone.
Hi Naja, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
The 2020 pandemic negatively impacted millions of people around the globe in various ways. It came as a surprise to me when I too was affected. I faced multiple barriers. Not only was my high school prom stripped away, but my graduation day that I’d worked so hard for, was reduced to receiving my diploma through my car window during a makeshift drive through line. I have been a model for 8 years, but with quarantine measures in place, working with photographers and designers was nearly impossible. The events of my modeling career coming to a halt, the uncertainty of college life in the midst of a pandemic, my childhood friends moving away, and this newfound isolation, spiraled me into a world of depression and anxiety which turned my life upside down.
…But I didn’t stay down. I got creative and decided to do my own photo shoots. I became my own team: I am wardrobe (I make my own photo shoot outfits), I am my own hairstylist and self-taught makeup artist. I am the set designer, the photographer, creative director, and the model collectively. It takes a lot of energy to do this, but I enjoy the whole process, watching my notes and ideas come to life. This began as a fun way to pass the time but soon became a new career. That is how my company, “Bold Vision Creative Directing” was born.
My favorite part is finding a way to create the concept with materials that are cost-free, found in or around the home, and are unconventional. They call me the “McGuyver of Fashion” which I find hilarious.
The motivation to continue this battle is my desire to show other young adults that mental health does not need to be a taboo topic. It is something that should be discussed with loved ones without shame, and it is something that with proper support, we can take control of.
Each of my creative concepts tells a different story, each displaying strength, which I embody. This has been a therapeutic, healthy coping mechanism for me. It is my medicine. Every photoshoot peels back another layer of my depression. I am emerging more powerful, and I am taking my life back one creative concept at a time.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I do my own photo shoots. I became my own team: I am wardrobe (I make my own photo shoot outfits), I am my own hairstylist and self-taught makeup artist. I am the set designer, the photographer, creative director, and the model collectively. It takes a lot of energy to do this, but I enjoy the whole process, watching my notes and ideas come to life. This began as a fun way to pass the time but soon became a new career. That is how my company, “Bold Vision Creative Directing” was born. My favorite part is finding a way to create the concept with materials that are cost-free, found in or around the home, and are unconventional. They call me the “McGuyver of Fashion” which I find hillarious.
How do you define success?
Defining success should be deeply personal and yet, it is easy to become so distracted by the societal definition of success that we forget what success truly means to us as individuals. Social media has also been a catalyst for what I call the “scroll and compare syndrome,” but there should be no one-size-fits-all definition of what a successful person looks like.
My idea of success is unique to myself and involves my personal journey but also evolves with each stage of my life. Someone once said, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.”If I can make a positive and lasting impact on my community while enjoying what I do, and focusing on continual inner growth, then my life is meaningful and therefore successful.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: nsimone__
- Other: www.tiktok.com/@najasimone._
Image Credits
All photoshoots creatively directed, photographed, and modeled by me. (Naja Simone)
