Meet Javin Reid

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Javin Reid a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Javin, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?

I find my creativity in a variety of places, whether it is hiking through nature or exploring the saturated streets of downtown. I am an actor, a fashion designer, and a law clerk. Surprisingly, all have the same requirement, a curious thirst for knowledge. I feed my creativity by listening to and absorbing all that I can in various situations and places. A fingernail cut too close to the quick could inform a scene; the texture of a fabric could tell me how to use it; or a missing receipt could prove a wrongly convicted person’s alibi. Creativity is an ether that surrounds us, but in order to utilize it, you have to open up, listen, and feel all the different corners of the world that surrounds us. Or at least, that’s what I’ve found works for me.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I was adopted from Calcutta, India and raised in Seattle. I started out in professional theater there, and eventually moved to Los Angeles. I started making rings and other jewelry from vintage car keys and silverware. One of my friends gave me a space to sell my accessories at his vintage clothing booth at Melrose Trading Post. From there, I started my own store for vintage jackets, handmade accessories, and soon, I will have my first collection of handmade jackets from vintage Levi’s and Wrangler jeans. They are zero-waste and completely sustainable. I often find jeans and other materials at thrift stores while looking for jackets. Now, I save those materials from the landfill and turn them into wearable art.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I think my curiosity is perhaps the most important quality I have always had. Second is persistence. We all have moments where things don’t go according to our plan, but we can learn more from our failures than our successes. Find what you love and keep trying. I’ve reaped what I’ve sewn many times, but in the end, I will keep going until I’m happy with the result. Kindness is a quality that isn’t talked about enough. You have to be kind to yourself as well as all the people around you.

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?

Currently I’m working on my largest designing project to date. I’m sewing 4 different models in 3 different sizes. Previously, I’ve just focused on one jacket at a time. I’m working to expand my sewing skills and build up my stock for sale.

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Javin Reid

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