No Blueprint. Just Imagination, Daydreams, and Desire.

It has really been 10 years of living, creating, surviving, and becoming in the Big Apple: New York City. The place where they say, “If you can make it in NYC, you can make it anywhere.” It’s the place where you know you’re not the only one chasing a dream. Moving away from home, North Carolina, to create a new home.

In 2016, I took a leap of faith and moved to New York City. I stayed with my best friend and his two roommates at the time and slept on his couch for months. I knew I had to be uncomfortable to push myself to level up.

As an observant Pisces, I’m a natural introvert – very timid – yet somehow I thought I would move here and instantly get to work with a creative director who would show me the ropes, quick and fast. For some odd reason, I didn’t realize how much I would have to come out of my shell, talk to people, and build genuine connections and a network.

In fashion, oftentimes you have to create your own opportunities, and I gained my first one after sending what felt like endless cold emails to creative directors. That in itself was challenging, so much so that I started to doubt whether the door to fashion would ever open. But after writing cover letter after cover letter, someone finally gave me a chance.

Then I learned that the biggest challenge is eating the task or assignment every single time the door opens. I learned to let your weirdness, your light, and the things that make you different help get you where you see fit.

While gaining experience through my first opportunity in 2016, there was a veteran stylist named Avena who told me, “When you think you’re working hard, work even harder.” And it has stuck with me ever since.

New York is the city where the divas and divos have reimagined their lives through Carrie Bradshaw or found themselves forever inspired by Alicia Keys and Jay-Z “Empire State of Mind.” I vividly remember standing in front of the TV blasting the music video when I was in 10th grade. Even then, I knew one day I would take off and move to the city. It is the place where you gain so much heart because this city can eat you alive if you allow fear to stop you from continuously working toward what you imagine for yourself.

There’s truly no place like New York City. I’m convinced it’s a world of its own. What other city can you go to where the pigeons are walking across the street with you?

Living in NYC has always been a love-hate relationship for Southerners like myself. You despise that the competition is steep in every industry, even when you know for certain that your biggest competitor, ever, is the man in the mirror. You also despise the fact that MTA train conductors are always saying, “Sorry for the delay, there’s a train ahead of us.” *Rolls eyes.* How is there a train in front of us when we were just waiting at the previous stop for 15 minutes and no train came by? Lmao, please!

But you love the pace. You love that you can walk out your front door and be immersed in so many different cultures. You love the fact that NYC is a place where your weird, daring, and curious self will be accepted by many. You love the fact you can curse someone out if they need to be gathered. You love a slice of vodka pizza from Prince Street Pizza! You love not having to talk to a soul, even if there isn’t any music playing in your headphones.

And simultaneously, you love and hate that if you need to cry, no matter where you are in the city, you can just let it out. But no one is going to come ask if you’re okay. LMAO. Thank you for not bombarding me, but damn, you could’ve come over and offered me a hug!

Nonetheless, it is a beautiful city to love and hate, where even the pleasure and pain can be damn good. In this city, you pour hard work, faith, and tears into building your life while navigating distractions that can pull you away from why you came here in the first place. Oftentimes, our passions become our escape – the fantasy that keeps us blossoming.

There was no blueprint, just imagination, daydreams, and desires. New York became the place where those visions were tested against reality. The journey has required learning how to survive without losing sight of why I came here in the first place.

One of my biggest challenges came after graduating from Parsons School of Design with my Master of Arts in Fashion Studies and pledging Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated in Harlem, New York. After reaching new milestones, you would think I had found my way. But no. I fell into a depression as it became extremely difficult to find a new role.

I interviewed at so many different companies and brands – Conde Nast, Tanya Taylor, Gucci, Mara Huffman, PR Consulting, and others – second interviews over and over again – but nothing would stick! I began to immerse myself so deeply in the world around me that I didn’t recognize the man I was becoming.

I knew I had to take a chance on myself. I needed to heal from burnout and focus on my mental health, so I went back to North Carolina for a few months to regain a sense of myself. And it was rewarding because I started doing what I love most: creating. I began building The GANZY before returning to the city.

The lesson in that alone was realizing when you’ve actually had enough and learning to listen when your mind, body, and soul are calling out for aid.

I am incredibly thankful for my close relatives, childhood friends, and college classmates, professors and, sometimes, even strangers – who have helped me along the way. Because being “self-made” isn’t really a thing. Knowing what you want and having the courage to pursue it? That part is self. But we all need someone to have our back, walk alongside us, send up a prayer, open a door, or remind us to keep going.

These are the same lessons I’ve carried into the classroom as an Assistant Professor at Parsons School of Design and an instructor at Vogue Summer School, where I’ve taught more than 100 high school students.

Together, we challenged assumptions, questioned the fashion industry, and explored fashion as culture, identity, history, and social change. In return, my students reminded me of the power of thinking critically, leading with empathy, and creating with purpose. I left every term inspired by their compassion, curiosity, and refusal to accept the boxes society places around them. They reminded me why education and mentorship matter and gave me hope that the future is in capable hands.

At its core, my story of survival of the fittest comes down to three principles: endurance, patience, and optimism. Endurance is knowing when to keep pushing, when to pivot, and when to rest. Patience is trusting that waiting doesn’t mean standing still; it means continuing to learn, prepare, and pursue what you want. And optimism is going deeper into the subconscious and holding onto the feeling of what is possible – the happiness, joy, relief, and accomplishment we experience when that door finally opens. You have to envision yourself there before you arrive.

Everything you’ve prayed and worked for will be granted on time. And to bring in a little ease and comedic relief, sometimes I remind myself that God is Black for sure because the blessings aren’t on your time, but they are on time.

It’s like when you’re waiting for your friend or cousin to pull up and they tell you, “I’m coming around the corner,” or “I’m on the way.” Meanwhile, they haven’t even left the house – they’re probably just getting out of the shower. Just like that, God’s blessings are around the corner. They may not arrive when you expect them to, but they will arrive when they’re supposed to.

Ten years later, I’m still imagining. Still daydreaming. Still desiring more for myself. The difference is that now I understand becoming doesn’t always look like progress while you’re in the middle of it.

Sometimes it looks like rejection.

Sometimes it looks like starting over.

Sometimes it looks like resting.

Sometimes it looks like surviving something you never imagined you would have to survive.

And sometimes, you don’t realize how far you’ve come until you look back at the person who once slept on his best friend’s couch with nothing but imagination, daydreams, and desire. The universe never fails, but we can fail, learn, grow, and expand. It is always better to give our best than to never try at all.

Photographer: Shingirai Moyo @shingiraii | @shingiraicaptured