STYLE WITH SHARRA: THE PODCAST SERIES IS HERE!

Produced & Shared by Sharra Greene and Apple Podcasts

So, if you follow me on Instagram, you've probably already heard BUT, I had to be sure to let my day one readers know. The very first episode of Style with Sharra: The Podcast Series is now available to stream and subscribe to, via the iTunes Store and iOS podcast app.

I wanted to take the time and personally just say thank you to my blog subscribers and readers because if it weren't for your support and encouraging feedback, I may not even have the courage to take on new endeavors such as this one! Thank you. 

With this series, I really want to provide an “on the go-style experience” for listeners who love all things fashion, style, and inspiration. All topics will be communicated from the point of view of a young woman building her brand from the ground up in today’s ever-changing industry. The podcast's theme is produced by D. Brown the Begotten Son, an all around amazing music creator and sound engineer. Definitely check him out for all of your music needs!

Every Tuesday, I will be featuring shopping and styling tips, event recaps, interviews with style pros, and much more. This podcasting journey is brand new to me! So be sure to tune in and leave me some constructive feedback in the ratings and reviews.  Enjoy! 

   Sharra,
"The definition of walking art."

P.S. Have a topic suggestion for the show? Send your ideas to styleadvicebysharra@gmail.com! I'd love to hear them!

#STYLEADVICEBYSHARRA: A BRAND NEW CURATED STYLE TIP SERIES, EXCLUSIVELY FOR MY SUBSCRIBERS... ARE YOU ON THE LIST??

Well, are you?

SO, I don't think I say enough on here how truly thankful and appreciative I am of all of my readers and everyone who visits my site often, likes posts, comments, etc. But, I am especially grateful to those who decide to subscribe to my content by signing up for my mailing list. Every time that I see someone new added, I'm reminded that my support system and audience is growing and it means more than you know so, thank you!  

With me constantly juggling both my personal and stylist life, as well as creating a few updates a month here on The Walking Art Blog, I really wanted to go a step further to provide valuable content that is exclusively available to the people who have invested in me and my brand by subscribing to my site. Style Advice By Sharra is a weekly newsletter that will provide style tips curated by me of course, right into your inbox every single Thursday!

I also want YOUR feedback on the content. If you're subscribed and would like some advice on a certain topic, I want you to send your topic or question to styleadvicebysharra@gmail.com and I will be sure to cover it! I really want to have some fun with this advice newsletter while also getting more of a sense on what people need assistance on when it comes to their personal style of dress. I'll be looking forward to hearing from you! 

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE...

In addition to getting exclusive style advice every week, my subscribers will also be eligible for my Spring / Summer Style giveway! Over the next few weeks, I'll be choosing one heavily engaged subscriber to receive a free shopping consultation with me as well as a gift bag full of complimentary style essentials! Don't miss all of this exclusive content. If you haven't already, enter your email address in the subscribe box on the right and sign up! This will all be rolling out TOMORROW, April 26th, 2018 so make sure you're on the list!

P.S... more content coming very soon to the blog! Stay tuned!

Sharra,

"The definition of walking art." 

MY INTERVIEW WITH OKERA BANKS: A SCIENTIST OF CREATIVITY, IMAGINATION, AND STYLE

      If you don't already know, Okera Banks is a well established celebrity and editorial stylist, designer, and all around fashion expert who has taken her love for all things fashion and style and turned it into a career filled with inspiration, a strong network, and an even stronger skillsket. Her work has been featured in major publications like Cosmopolitan Magazine, E! Online, and countless others. Her style and designs can be seen on the likes of Mary J. Blige, Niecy Nash, Tiffany Haddish, Anthony Anderson, Zendaya, and Mel B. just to name a few.

     Upon binge listening to her Style Lounge Podcast where she has insightful conversations with fashion icons and celebs who share her love of style, I had to bring her wit and wisdom to The Walking Art Blog. See our interview below to learn more about Okera as a brand, what she believes sets fashion newcomers apart, and more. 

First thing’s first, what made you want to get started as a stylist / designer in the first place?

 What made me want to become a designer/stylist is the love for art and everything fashion. I wanted to be a model but because I was height challenged, I decided to learn everything there was to know about fashion and style. Design, Costume Designing and Styling is what spoke to me while gaining the knowledge.

 

Some of your first stops on your fashion journey included an internship at Mirabella Magazine as well as working as an assistant fashion editor, what’s a major key that these experiences taught you early on in your career that you still use today?

 The one major key that my experiences taught me early on in my career and I still use today is my mantra... Stay Ready Be Ready! That means simply stay ready and be ready to present, perform, deliver with ONLY the best energy, options, ideas, suggestions and solutions.

Styled by Okera Banks.

With so many people in today’s age aspiring to be an “it” stylist to celebs and major publications, true respect for the craft can sometimes be hard to come by. What do you feel like sets an aspiring stylist apart from the rest and what do you feel is needed to truly gain respect and desired success in the field?

 What I feel that sets an aspiring stylist apart is one's personal calling card, which is their personal niche' and style. That comes with knowing your signature touch of style. What I think is necessary to gain respect and success in any field especially in this field is being consisent, taking creative risks, hard work, going the extra mile to gain information, constantly evolving and reinventing yourself and others.

Let’s talk about OTG Essentials, the cohesive collection of interchangeable pieces that you created “for men and women that can be worn multiple ways throughout the day into the evening’s most festive occasions.” What inspired you to start the collection?

What inspired me to start my OTG Essentials collection was out of my own necessity. I have always had a very fast paced, on the go lifestyle.  But there was a very unique season in my life where along with balancing costume designing multiple televisions shows, with one of the multiple shows having me travel once a week, styling my clients and taking on the duties of becoming a caregiver to my mother, my comfort became equally priority to me being fly as I worked and traveled while remaining always ready while on the go. So, I created and designed a collection of easy travel, bold, sexy, interchangeable garments that convert from one look to another look throughout my day for different occasions so I could stay ready, be ready.

So, the Style Lounge is one of my new fave podcasts. You truly have a gift for curating insightful content through your conversations with fashion insiders. My favorite interview was with designing icon Karl Kani. You two discussed staying true to your brand and your dream even during the low points and off seasons. What actions and mindsets do you practice in order to continue putting in work and staying focused during the hardest of times?

The Karl Kani interview was a special interview because I grew up influenced and being apart of hip hop culture and street fashion. One of my biggest practice in staying focused during the most challenging time(s) is working out and laughter.  These are by far my top 2 medicines during those times.

Styled by Okera Banks.

 

Lastly, I want to ask you a style question that you always ask your guests! What does Okera wear to the grocery store, date night, and when you’re handling business?

Ha Ha Ha .... Good One!  What does Okera wear to the grocery store, date night and when I am handling business.  Well, I am not a person who plans a grocery store day, maybe a farmers market day but not a grocery store day. So, often times Grocery Store Okera is apart of my everyday look. I incorporate my grocery shopping at the end of my work day or coming from a workout session, which means I am often in jeans and a blazer, a dress, a jumper, a layered ensemble look with a cute shoe or in workout gear, baseball cap and sneakers.  Date Night Okera: depending on the date, I am either in a fitted sassy dress, jumper or skinny jeans and a fashion top and pumps. Handling Business Okera will often will do a casual business dress with or without a light weight blazer with pumps or an ankle boot and a good bag.

Okera, thank you so much for taking some time out of your busy day to inspire here on the blog! It was a pleasure. If you liked this interview, feel free to comment and keep up with Okera via her website, Instagram, and Style Lounge Podcast. Don't forget to shop OTG Essentials! 

Sharra,

"The definition of walking art."

COLLABORATION OR COMPETITION? THERE'S POWER IN BOTH CONCEPTS

Written & Styled by Sharra Greene

From "My Sista's Keeper", Featuring Tene'A Cummings and Dominique Harris and shot by Damon Rice.

A lot of major brands and business in the fashion and style realm as well as other industries are taking a stand for the idea of "Collaboration Over Competition", essentially creating a movement that empowers the idea of individuals coming together to achieve a common goal as opposed to individually competing to get there. This movement has a powerful message that caused me think about the different benefits of both competing and collaborating in order to progress in a career, and even in life in general. I believe that both concepts can bring out the best in a person both personally and professionally, I explain how below. 

The Ideal Concept of Competition

     The idea of competing for some sort of supremacy, whether it be money, a repuation, or even clientele, often has a negative connotation behind it because of the often insecure, immoral and sometimes mean spirited nature of people. However, when competition is done with authenticity and good ethics, it can serve as a tremendous benefit for those who are constantly striving to grow within their craft.

    As a style creative, I am not necessarily just studying those in my proximity who are building a brand within my field, but I am looking beyond, at the ones who are or seem to be "winning" the way that I want to win. When I do this, I'm rarely ever looking to compare my chapter 7 to someone elses chapter 20, as they say. But instead, I am proposing a challenge to myself to create work that I truly believe is on that level. I truly believe that by challenging yourself to compete with the best, you can literally only get better in the long term. I believe that when someone is receiving the things that you want, one of the most effective things to do is to challenge yourself to create work that could stand side by side with theirs. This type of competition can be done without announcing, sabotaging, or bashing someone else. Over time, the progress will definitely speak for itself. 

The Ideal Concept of Collaboration

Though I appreciate healthy competition, it is no secret that I am pro collaboration. Most, if not all of the posts on The Walking Art Blog are a result of a collaboration with other bomb creatives. I absolutely love the idea of a group of individuals leveraging each other's strengths to create a collective work of art. Looking back at my journey as a stylist from when I first started to now, one thing that I've learned is how to be selective about who I choose to collaborate with. When I am either seeking or deciding whether to accept or decline a collaboration request, I am looking to see if we are all on the same page, and if our collective efforts would add value of some sort to each individual involved, whether that be financially, professionally, or artistically, the value needs to be there. When those factors are involved, that is when the magic happens. That is when everyone involved can utilize the results to take themselves and their work to the next level, whatever that level may be for them because it really is different for everyone. 

Embracing Both

I am truly learning to appreciate and embrace both competing and collaborating because of what the two combined could do for me as an artist and as a business woman. My advice? Don't just stick to one. Explore both strategies for yourself in the best way that you can and witness your own growth in whatever it is you're going after. 

My Sista's Keeper.  Tenea is wearing a vintage faux leather little black dress with fur trim, Inari fishnet stockings, vintage earrrings and rings, thigh high boots, gold scale necklace from my wardrobe collection. Dominique is wearing a vintage Janine New York geometric print metallic dress, Public Desire Kassidy gladiator heels, Urban Outfitters choker, bangles, rings, and earrings from my wardrobe collection

Credits:

Photographer/ Creative Director: D. Rice Photography

Models: Tenea Cummings and Dominique Harris

Styling and Creative Direction by Me

Click here to see this full shoot!

Stay tuned for more inspiration and insight coming very soon to the blog.

Sharra,

"The definition of walking art."