We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mikayla Rodriguez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Mikayla , so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
My relationship to creativity has been built primarily through having to learn how to adapt to constantly moving around at a young age. Embracing adaptability, as opposed to rejecting inevitable change, I’ve found that the most beautiful nuggets of inspiration and motivation come from expanding your community. This embrace empowers my creativity because it has taught me how to be an impactful collaborator, creative problem solver, and admirer of life. Embracing adaptability alone has granted me the ability to continually stay curious, thus keeping my expressions and desire to create alive.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a multidisciplinary fashion designer and art curator committed to amplifying Black creativity. I am the founder and creative director of the design collective UNMET. We host events aiming to push boundaries that redefine the intersection of art, identity, and fashion. Through our dynamic approach, we continue to spark dialogue and inspire cross-industry change towards inclusivity. We host annual exhibitions, and community based activations. Our upcoming event will be our Black & in the Arts mixer happening at the end of February.
Academically, I’ve obtained my BA in Fashion Design at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. My personal design aesthetic tailors to intersectional identity through evocative symbolism, culturally relevant fabric choices, and thought-provoking silhouettes. I currently focus on customs, and art forward designs with the intentions of building a community of clients. I showcase my work at our UNMET exhibitions alongside the yearly cohort.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three skillsets that have greatly impacted my journey has been the strengthening of adaptability, communication, and discipline. Embracing adaptability has allotted me the ability to creatively problem solve and effectively collaborate with others because I can open my mind up to possibilities that are greater than just my own. Furthermore, this skillset grants the ability to approach adversity with more discernment. I’d say this is one of the most impactful skillset because of how it impacts the others mentioned. Communication, more importantly effective communication, is a skillset that I have found to be super important when it comes to guiding a team, building meaningful relationships, working with artists, or simply being vulnerable enough to communicate what it is the business/project needs to thrive properly. This skillset is something that I am consistently mastering as we grow, but I think my focus on being an effective communicator has given me the opportunity to exercise compassion and empathy while also having great discernment. Lastly, discipline has been my guardrails, if you will. Because of discipline I have been able to achieve things I am proud of, even when situations feel overwhelming or impossible… the act of love that is discipline was what kept my focus in the present which inevitability leads me towards accomplishment
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
In addition to my community of impactful friends, I would say I have a slue of virtual mentors who have guided me towards healthier coping mechanisms to help me overcome challenges towards success. These mentors are Leila Hormozi, Codie Sanchez, Ali Abdaal, Dr. K (Alok Kanojia). Each of these content creators focus on spreading knowledge on how to generate the mindset muscles to build the lives you desire, with a lot of these creators focusing on providing guidance for building fiscally sustainable businesses that impact their respective industries. Coming across these creators have truly changed my life in that I have access to people who have insanely transformative lessons, stories, and frameworks that serve as motivation to keep going forward despite the cards one’s been dealt. Wouldn’t be on the trajectory I am without awareness of these individuals.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://unmet.us
- Instagram: unmet.us, mikaylalrodriguez
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikayla-rodriguez-7894a5223/
Image Credits
1. Ronke Akoh (@Ron.of.film)
2. Stephanie Bell (@xostephbell)
3. Stephanie Bell (@xostephbell)
4. Gary Jay (@garyjayjr)
5. Ronke Akoh (@Ron.of.film)
6. Stephanie Bell (@xostephbell)
7. Mikayla Rodriguez (@mikaylalrodriguez)
8. Ron Adkins (@theadkinsdiet__)
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
