Name:
My name is Barbara; I share my work on the internet as both “barbarajayy” and “drawmyootd”.
Age:
I recently turned 23.
Major:
When it comes to school I’m pretty much all over the place. I will graduate as a double major with an additional minor. My majors are in Fashion Merchandising and Studio Art; accompanied by my minor in Business Marketing.
Hometown:
I’m originally from National City, a very low-key city in San Diego.
What activities are you involved with besides school?
Well currently I don’t have much time outside of school to be a part of as many organizations as I would like to be. Besides work and school I’m a freelance portrait photographer, I also work with an upcoming company called 8bitHipHop as a product photographer.
Do you have any hobbies/ interests?
Photography, painting, digital/traditional illustrating, and sometimes even modeling are some of the hobbies I partake in. During most of my free time, even throughout long days of school, you may glance over at my computer screen and catch me working on a new digital drawing or editing my latest photography session. Digital photography has become more than just a hobby, as of lately it has become my priority and passion.
How do you stay organized with school, work events, etc?
Reminders, reminders, reminders. With everything I have going on I constantly have to keep updating my calendar. I have a whole bunch of lists that I keep in my phone notes or on Wanderlist. Currently what keeps me sanely organized is my new planner. I have a couple friends who work over at Passion Planner and I was lucky to get one of their planners right before I started school. I love the use of planners and lists especially when I get to plan out my day by the hour. If it weren’t for a planner and the apps I constantly use on my phone I would probably have a ton of lists in a pocket notebook. You can never go wrong with making lists to help you stay organized.
Who/ What inspires you?
It may sound cliché’ but my mother is my main source of inspiration. Growing up in a single parent household, we didn’t have much & I was taught at a very young age to work with what you got. That is a life lesson that has applied to almost every aspect of my life, especially in my different mediums of art. Besides my mother a lot of my inspirations come from the internet, by either looking up some of my favorite photographers spending hours on Pinterest making mood boards, or flipping through my magazine collection to visualize how I can make my ideas come to life. Basically I am continuously being inspired, by appreciating the little things in my everyday & looking at things from different perspectives.
What do you like about San Francisco State?
The people, SF State represents a lot of what San Francisco is all about, which is diversity. I love coming to campus and seeing so many different faces. For the most part everyone is really friendly, a characteristic I find is very common of people who live in San Francisco.
What is something you are looking forward to after graduation?
Growth. Planning to spread my wings and take the next step in my life by moving to the east coast. I want to grow in the fashion industry as a multi-medium artist and I think after maybe another year or two in San Francisco I plan to move to New York. I just look forward to the day I have the ability/means to create without any restrictions with time or money.
Do you have any advice for college students?
Don’t be scared to try something new. If you have the slightest amount of interest or curiosity in something I suggest you go for it and try it. My mentality is “if I have never tried it, how will I ever know I don’t like it”. I suggest you take advantage of everything college has to offer by joining clubs, taking random classes, meeting new people and taking time to develop who you are…even if that means changing your mind a lot.
What is something that people don’t know about you?
I am a very social person, but I am also a very anxious introvert. Even though I might know a lot of people or have a good amount of friends, I love being alone. I do very well when it comes to sporadic/ intense situations but when it comes to being around a crowd every day, that is when I start to feel overwhelmed. Nonetheless I love meeting new people, just in smaller settings.