“Creativity is intelligence having fun.” -
Albert Einstein
I love having opportunities to create with freedom and try new ideas with fellow creatives who are just as excited and eager to participate in the process.
A photoshoot in an urban setting is one of my favorite spaces to create in. Add in an element of fashion amidst the concrete, elevators, steps, and walls that make up the maze of a city-setting and I am happy camper.
It had been awhile since I did something creative in a space like this and what better person to partner up with to explore the possibilities with than Abby Young of Abby Young Styling.
I am so proud to not only share with you all some of my favorite images from this shoot but also to celebrate another fellow business woman.
Images by Heartbox Photography
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Can you share a little bit about you and your business?
I am the founder and CEO of Abby Young Styling, a Fashion Styling and Image Consulting firm. I lead a team of 7. My business is 6 years old and offers a variety of virtual and in person services such as: personal shopping, closet edits, color analysis, event styling, corporate workshops and team building activities, as well as branding and commercial photoshoot styling.
What has your journey looked like personally/professionally to get to where you are now?
This is my second career after being an English teacher. Before starting my business, I had to figure out whether my passion for fashion styling was meant to be a hobby or a career. Sometimes it takes a few wrong paths to figure out your right path-I worked as a women's merchandiser at Urban Outfitters hoping to eventually be an in-house Stylist for Free People but I realized retail was not for me because I felt too disconnected from the customers. I wanted to be more connected to my clients, build long-term relationships with them, and be there for them for the moments that matter most in their lives. When launching my business, I reached out to assist other stylists to learn the business, but nothing ever came to fruition so I paved my own path and learned as I went and now I lead my own team.
What do you enjoy about what you do? What are some of the challenges?
I absolutely love seeing my clients light up with confidence when they wear something that aligns with who they are on the inside. I love seeing their clothes reflect who they are. My goal is to make sure their clothes are aligned with who they are, where they are going, and to draw out their self confidence, self worth, and fashion personality through their clothing. The major challenge of running my own business is that the business never stops, I am always "on" whether I am working on my own shopping/styilng project, taking care of admin work, or reviewing and overseeing projects from my team. It takes a lot of strength in management, leadership, backwards planning, and staying extremely organzied especially when managing a team and multiple client projects simultaneously.
Knowing what you know now, what would you tell your 18 year old self?
You can have multiple dreams! You can do them all! You can have more than one career; you don't just have to choose one.
What do you appreciate most about your life now/what are you most proud of?
I am most proud of starting a business. I always knew I had the styling skills but was always afraid to start and run the business side of things without formal business training and not having witnessed any entrepreneurs in my family. Starting my own business and growing it to a team of 7 in 6 years is something I am very proud of and it shows that you can do anything you put your mind to. You can figure it out on the way!
Who inspires you and why?
My style icon Rachel Zoe inspires me. I first watched her show, "The Rachel Zoe Project" on Bravo in my dorm room in 2011. It was then that I learned that styling, a skill I innately had, could be a career. I knew styling was my dream job from that moment on and it was always in the back of my mind. Rachel Zoe styles her clients and peers and communicates with such ease, calm, and chic-ness; I strive to be like her.
A fun or surprising fact about yourself?
My favorite types of music are metal, rap, and dub-step.
If you could meet anyone in history, who would it be and why?
Rachel Zoe! I would love to meet the person who inspired my career and whose business I emulated when building mine.
