We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Chynna Monforte a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Chynna, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
I come from a lineage of strong, resilient women who fight for me every day. I was also raised with a father that taught me resilience growing up. Seeing him work through challenges and show up to provide for me every day demonstrated the power we have. He came to the US as a kid, and my family on both side had their obstacles to overcome. Fortunately and unfortunately, resilience is baked in BIPOC DNA.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Monforte Studio is a QWOC-owned design studio where aesthetics, advocacy and audacity meet.
As a queer woman of color, I founded Monforte Studio with the intent to disrupt industries with radically authentic design. We sit on the intersection where art and aesthetics meet allyship and advocacy, and we’re committed to using our experience and expertise to create brands that reflect the world we want to live in. For us, every project is an opportunity to empower our communities.
Our team is bi-costal and fully-remote, with a home-base in Los Angeles and team members in New York/ New Jersey. We specialize in branding, brand strategy, brand identity, custom web design and development and our very special offer, the One Day Website.
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 most impactful skills I would share for creatives, especially creatives of color to work on is: 1. Their relationship to work and money. Deciding that you are valuable and your labor is valuable is one thing. Getting to decide that you will charge fair rates for your work unashamed is key!
2. Relationship to imposter syndrome. When we begin to understand that we have been intentionally kept out of opportunities and out of conversations without a seat at the table- we begin to understand *why* we feel like we don’t belong. It’s our turn to start changing that.
3. Finally, passion. Running a business requires passion, among resilience. It’s hard to be resilient for something you aren’t passionate about. Chase your dreams- go for what you’re passionate about. It’ll make the mountain fun.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
We’re looking to collaborate with creative entrepreneurs and founders that need a dope brand! If you’re reading this and want the most badass, authentic visuals – hit us up! We’d love to collaborate with art direction/ creative direction and work on bringing that brand to life!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://monforte.studio/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monfortestudio/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/monforte-studio
Image Credits
Devonte Johnson
