We were lucky to catch up with Ryne Norton recently and have shared our conversation below.
Ryne, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
It’s easy to feel like you don’t deserve to call yourself successful. It’s taken me a long time to realize this and to feel comfortable celebrating my successes, big or small. As an artist, success can look different from other people in my life. And not only does it look different from someone who is excelling in an office setting or earning a prestigious degree, but it also looks different from other artists I see. It’s my individuality that makes me successful. It takes self-reflection to accept this.
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 am a fashion stylist and creative in New York City. I have known style since before I could talk. My mother always tells the story of when I was in preschool and would watch her get ready. I’d tell her things like “No, try these shoes” or “You should wear this lipstick” before she’d leave the house for work. I loved playing with Barbies as a child, I’d dress them up, as you do, and make dresses for them out of scraps of fabric held together with rubber bands. It wasn’t until some 20 years later when I was dressing mannequins on Madison Ave that I realized how important that was for my development as an artist, and how fortunate I am for being able to make a living out of my talent. Visual Merchandising for retail stores was how I got my start in the fashion industry. I went to school for Advertising Art Direction, a degree I didn’t know existed, and still many people have no idea what it means when I tell them. I intended on getting a degree in graphic design, but changed it last minute when I learned of this art direction degree. In school, I learned the ins and outs of the advertising industry, how to create a meaningful campaign and tell a story through marketing. I devoted all of my extra credits to fashion styling and design classes. By the time I graduated, I realized I wasn’t as interested in working in an advertising agency as I was in working in fashion. I got a job at a well-known fashion retailer and began my career in visual merchandising. It was the perfect outlet that married advertising with my sense of style. Though I’m 10 years into my career, I still feel like this is the beginning. I have a long path ahead of me.
In everything that I do now, I’m grateful for my foundation in storytelling and conceptualization that I learned through advertising. I’ve found it especially helpful in developing my personal brand. As an artist in this age of technology and viral internet success, it’s important to market yourself. It’s important to me that my work feels cohesive, that it has a voice and tells a story.
One of the exercises that kept me feeling creative during the Covid-19 pandemic was making collages of myself that showcased the outfits I wore during lockdown. I felt impressed with my ability to still get dressed for nothing in particular, and I wanted to document that. I loved the way the outfits looked collaged together, like a collection. I began taking a photo of my outfit almost daily. At the end of the year, I collage them all together. I’ve done this for four years now. It’s a documentation of my wardrobe, my style, my self. What started as a creative exercise has turned into an ongoing exploration of style and change.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
A few skills have been most impactful in pushing me forward in my career and helping me find success within myself. The first is being open to opportunity. I have taken many jobs and promotions that I didn’t feel aligned perfectly with my career goals, but have gotten me to the next stage. I think I’ve always been able to create a path from where I am to where I want to be. Sometimes that takes being open to doing things you don’t think are necessary. It’s how you build connections with others, and sharpen other skills.
The second is consistency. One of my favorite mentors would always say “Consistency is the key to excellence.” This has stuck with me throughout my career because it’s true. When you’re learning to play an instrument, it’s practice that makes perfect. This is true for all things in life. I have only been able to reach excellence in skills that I have been consistent in practicing. Consistency not only sharpens your skills, but shows others that you are reliable to produce high-quality work.
The third skill is creative problem-solving. This is something that I’ve always possessed but didn’t know until my photography teacher in high school pointed it out. I am extremely resourceful in my creativity — I can make something of nothing. This is important to me when I’m styling on set. Something isn’t working on camera? I have a solution. A piece of clothing from the moodboard isn’t available for a shoot? I have alternatives. Thinking quickly on your feet will save you a lot of stress and put you ahead of others who decide to give up when they face a challenge.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
One challenge I’m currently working through is finding a new mentor. I’ve found I develop most significantly when I have someone to learn from and someone to advocate for me. I’ve had amazing mentors in the past, but have all naturally moved on to other stages of their own careers. I’m in a moment now where I don’t feel I have anyone to help guide me to the next phase in my career. I’m welcoming the possibility of a professional mentor into my life by making new connections and putting myself out there.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rynenorton.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rynenorton
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rynenorton/
Image Credits
1. Photographer: Matt Allen 2. Photographer: Elizabeth De La Piedra 3. Photographer: Hannah Siegfried 4. Photographer: Hannah Siegfried 5. Photographer: Matt Allen All other: Photo by Ryne Norton Collages by Ryne Norton
