Written by Sharra Greene and Candace Scott
Working with all types of creatives from models to makeup artists to photographers, I'm always intrigued by how versatile women can be when it comes to their passions. One thing that I love is meeting someone who's super creative and then discovering that they also have interests that are on the opposite end of the spectrum, or something that is unexpected. Meeting people like this inspires me not to ever limit myself, or feel like I only have to stick to one thing as a creative. I can be as versatile as I want.
This brings me to my latest guest on the Walking Art Blog, creative, youtuber, and aspiring educator Candace Scott, aka Coach Cando. Having known Candace since we were young teens (we're in our 20's now), I've been able to see just how much she's grown. Not only is Cando a gorgeous girl with a bomb sense of style, who unapologetically pursues several of her passions, but she also has a genuine spirit and a heart of gold. In this interview, Candace and I talk her interests, and what drives her to pursue her passions, issues women face when it comes to being "categorized", as well as personal style.
First things first, Why do they call you coach?
It's a long story, it's a name that just stuck after my sophomore year of college. I just claimed it after one of my guy friends needed some advice on how to handle a situation with a girl he liked and he responded "thanks coach" and it went from there. I also think a coach is better than a teacher so it fits my lifestyle pretty well too.
I talked briefly with you before about how complex your interests are... Your passion for creativity and art is evident through your various photo shoot collabs and unique sense of style, yet you are majoring in education, what drove you to want to study this and what changes would you like to see/ contribute to making in the system?
Well, initially I wanted to be an actress and I wanted to pursue this dream more than anything before I fell in love with the idea of being an educator. I made my mom take me to an agency, she paid for acting classes and I even went to Baltimore Talent for acting my freshman year of high school. I left Baltimore Talent after a that year because my mom was concerned about my safety, Baltimore Talent was over west Baltimore, I was fine with being in the hood (laughing) Well, I ended up being enrolled at Mergenthaler high school/trade school for my sophomore year and the only trade available was teacher academy. Clearly, the choice was already made for me and I felt like it was a start to see what my true purpose in life was.
I was reluctant at first and if I did have a better choice it wouldn't have been education. But it was like it was picked for me to see my true purpose in life. I was a weird child, I failed the 5th grade, I was bullied, I was emotional, I hated school... Children deserve someone who will fight for them, push them to succeed, open their minds.. and our school systems need help, severely. I'm going to make my way in and make some serious changes.
How did you discover that you like being in front of the camera?
It's really just for fun. A lot of people would ask me to do shoots so I would just yes, I'm pretty awkward in front of the camera at times. It's something that I'm still practicing.
Talking more about diverse interests, in addition to being apart of dope photography projects and studying to be an educator, you also have produced positive content for women via your youtube channel, Girls Tour, where you and your best friend Maya feature everything from tutorials, to personal friendship milestones, to women's empowerment keys with special guests, specifially my blog boo and self care activist Jasmyn Ruja (see our interview here), what inspired you to start the channel and what can we expect from you via youtube in the future?
It's funny you asked that because I've actually been M.I.A from the social media scene for some time now. I needed some personal time away. So many things were going on in our personal lives we had to make a decision to end Girls Tour. BUT, I've been working on a big project for everyone and I'm super excited about creating a new channel! I should be coming back officially in August and I'm really happy with everything right now.
In society, we as women often encounter people who are uncomfortable with our versatility/ our diverse interests, gifts, and skillsets. If we look, act, or dress a certain way, people often want to only see us in that light. Or, they want to use certain attributes to define for us, what type of woman we are. However, I feel like there's no better time for women to pursue and succeed in a range of different things, regardless of what others may think, especially with so many of us taking our creative, and financial destinies into our own hands. Have you ever encountered this issue in your own life and if so, how do you choose to respond?
As women we face many injustices and inequalities on an everyday basis. People are intimidated by women that have any power, if we have a strong work ethic, have goals that are fiercely set or they don't settle for less they are automatically labeled the meanest names in the book when they should be admired!!
I was in a emotionally abusive relationship where that person made me feel like I couldn't be better than him, it was like competition. I couldn't say certain things, wear certain things, it was painful. I decided that I'm going to do what I want and go for what I want no matter the circumstance because I only have 1 life to live and it won't go to waste because of what people THINK of me. Women are making changes in this world, great changes with even greater limitations and that's why it's important to encourage and empower young girls and young women to keep the change going.
The Walking Art concept is all about expressing an attitude/message through style. Since I've known you since we were young teens, I've watched your personal style evolve and you're always serving such bomb, versatile looks. How would you describe your personal style and what do you think it says about you?
Aw Thank you beautiful, my style definitely evolved a lot. I felt like I didn't find my style until later on in my life. I was always the one that dressed weird or I guess "couldn't dress". I was a bit tacky to be honest (laughing) I honestly just wear what I'm feeling and I've gotten better at it now that I have an adult budget and I can piece cool things together, I feel like I have a fetish for weird conversation pieces like my shoes and bags that make my style more unique.
What would you say is your dream creative project to work on?
My dream project is probably working with "She's the First" She's the First is a non-profit organization based in New York City, they sponsor education for young girls in low-income countries. I also would like to work with the boys and girls club!
Comment your thoughts below. Candace, I'm so proud of you and I'm looking forward to your success in your future endeavors.
Stay tuned for more inspiration and new looks coming very soon to the blog!