Today we’d like to introduce you to Amira Ansari.
Amira, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was born in Dallas, TX and grew up in Carrollton, TX. At around 16 years of age, I discovered a huge passion for dark fashion, along with industrial and electronic music, like Depeche Mode, IAMX, Massive Attack, and Switchblade Symphony. Before I knew how to formally sew, I started experimenting with fashion – making skirts with safety pin patterns along the side and tube tops incorporating lace that provided a victorian twist. I loved being able to transform and empower clothing and accessories – especially with ornate fabric and symbols.
A lot of my inspiration came from a local clothing store that was popular during the early 90’s – Moda (owned by Donny Moda), and gothic and steampunk brands, such as Morbid Threads and Tripp. Following my passion, I earned my Fashion Design and Merchandising degree in 1999 and soon after started a small, well-known, but pretty unprofitable Dallas-based clothing line called Gothica by Amira. Creating the line quenched my thirst for recreating the elegance and sophistication of the Renaissance, Medieval, and Victorian time periods through my sewing machine.
After over a decade of holding a steady job as a leasing agent and using my free time to sew costumes and put on local fashion shows, my mom said, “Amira! What are you doing with your life? Go back to school and pursue something else that interests you and make a successful career out of it.” After the initial, “Whatever mom, I’m awesome!” reaction, I thought about my love for writing, quit my leasing job and stopped spending time as the worst costume business owner ever and got my Bachelor’s in Journalism.
Even though I still love sewing and feeding the creative side of my brain, I am so glad I went back to school at 32 and opened the door to so many satisfying career opportunities. I was a resume writer for six years, and I now work with the USBG (United States Bartenders’ Guild) as Communications Manager and love it! I enjoy working with a small, very motivated staff and thousands of talented bartenders and hospitality professionals all across the U.S. Each day at the USBG, I get to see how unique and genuine hospitality professionals are, and how dedicated they are to each other’s well-being and success.
When COVID-19 hit in March 2020, bartenders and other hospitality professionals were the first to be furloughed, while restaurants were hit hard with shutdowns and no realistic reopening dates. USBG members banded together and were the first ones to start food relief programs for their community (both members and non) and provide a strong support network. It was humbling to witness and makes me proud each day to be supporting bartenders and hospitality industry professionals nation-wide through the work I do at the USBG.
Has it been a smooth road?
I have struggled here and there, but for the most part, I’ve been fortunate to know my path and forge it. I’ll never forget how I almost failed my opinion writing course while studying for my journalism degree – which is ironic because I am FULL of opinions. I made it out with a “C,” and it put me behind a whole year! I was so disappointed in myself and was close to dropping out. My teacher told me not to be too hard on myself and to really look at why I wanted to write and be a journalist. After I stopped dwelling on my failure, I embraced my writing skills and learned to overcome my fears and come out the other side. I could have walked away, but the achieving my degree was too important – now I know, the journey was part of the lesson.
I also tore my acl in my right knee last October. Since I already worked from home, I felt lucky I could dedicate the time to nurture and care for my knee as it healed after reconstructive surgery. I am now eight months post-op and doing well! This injury has been extremely painful and difficult to manage, as the knee is the center of the physical body – when it’s not working right, the whole body is stressed and effected. I went from crutches to a knee brace and had to relearn walking with a normal gait pattern as I was limping (and still am). I won’t go too deep into the gorey details, but I will be writing a blog soon to document my journey on healing. It’s definitley not an easy injury to overcome, and I am eternally grateful to my physical therapist and surgeon.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I am most passionate about using writing to tell other people’s stories. Everyone has a story and a path they walked to get to where they are now, or they may be presently carving a path to their story. Either way, I love being able to “tell” their story for them as a journalist.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I like that Dallas has so much diversity and culture. The scene is never boring – it’s a melting pot!
Contact Info:
- Website: usbg.org
- Email: sinisterlullaby@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gothicabyamira
Image Credit:
Travis Lilly, Lou O-Neal, Misty Maberry, Sergei Rodionov
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