We were lucky to catch up with Stoney Love recently and have shared our conversation below.
Stoney, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I grew up with a grandmother, who raised me, that used a walker to walk every where she went. You’d think that it would’ve deterred her from thriving and living a quality life, well it didn’t. She cooked most, if not all, of the meals in our house for five people daily. Washed dishes, did laundry, took care of herself all while enduring dialysis weekly. Seeing her resilience gave me hope, drive, and first hand confirmation that nothing can stop you but you. Decades later I would be hit by a car riding a moped, rendered unable to walk. The first person that came to mind was Mama and her strength. Facing this healing journey alone was definitely a challenge, but one I could thrive through. I invoked the strength of the woman I watched and revered for years, and still do! To this day, I carry the strength of Matilda with me on the journey of life!
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Stoney Michelli Love is a African-Panamanian renaissance woman. When she is not running her company, Stuzo, she is daydreaming about the big screen. What makes Stoney a Renaissance woman is that she is a Graphic Designer, an Actress, and a Photographer. Stoney graduated from Briarcliffe College with a Bachelors degree in Fine Arts and is the founder and Owner of Stuzo Clothing. She is the head of the design department and Art Director for Stuzo. Currently she’s working on executive producing a short film entitled Rize to Royalty! The film is about a hip-hop dancer that begins in the shadows, driven by passion. She enters the gritty world of underground dance battles, discovers love, and faces her rival in a high-stakes championship. She turns her dreams into reality, being crowned the queen of the dance floor! The campaign to raise the funds to create the film is in progress to which we hope to reach our goal, creating a necessary film!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in my journey were passion, inner work, and being a sponge for knowledge! The passion comes first. If you have the passion for your craft, the others will follow and develop. Remain open to learning and unlearning ways to thrive in your business. Always do inner work no matter if you have your own business or you work for someone, if you’re not good, those around you will be affected. Lastly, if the passion no longer resides in you for your craft, then you know its time to let it go.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
The book that shifted life and moral perspectives for me is “A New Earth: Awakening Your Life’s Purpose by Eckhart Tolle. I learned so many nuggets from this book! one of the most important ones to me was to acceptance. Accepting what is, where energies are in life, and sticking to facts of the matter. Acceptance of course starts with self, and that’s exactly what I did, accepted myself unconditionally and wholey!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://stuzoclothing.com
- Instagram: stuzoclothing
- Facebook: stuzoclothing
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stoney-michelli-love-72a78657/
- Twitter: stuzoclothing
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GQACLOTHING
Image Credits
Esther Godoy
Mariya Stangl
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
