Today we’d like to introduce you to Ramsey Baker.
Hi Ramsey, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My path into the creative world has been a little unconventional. I actually have a degree in environmental engineering and spent seven years working in the landfill industry (yes, literally trash). About five years into my career, I realized I felt pretty disconnected from the work I was doing every day. So I asked myself a simple question: What did I love growing up that I could actually see myself doing as an adult? The answer was fashion; so I spent about two years (and every hour of PTO) getting involved in the Dallas fashion community however I could. I volunteered, worked retail, attended events, and focused on meeting people and learning from anyone willing to share their experience. Fast forward to today, I’m coming up on my one year anniversary in a full time fashion role as Operations Coordinator for Fashion Industry Gallery. Outside of my professional role, I still look for opportunities to work on creative projects, volunteer with local fashion organizations, and connect with other creatives. I definitely don’t feel like I’ve “made it”. I’m still exploring where this path will take me and constantly pursuing new opportunities.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not. Starting over as an adult is humbling. You go from feeling competent in one career to being a beginner again, and that’s uncomfortable. You have to be willing to be bad at something for a while, ask a lot of questions, and keep showing up anyway.
One of the biggest adjustments was moving from engineering to a creative field. Engineering is very much “1 + 1 = 2.” Creative work is much more subjective. There usually isn’t one right answer, and you have to learn to trust your own ideas and stand behind your work, even knowing someone else might do it completely differently.
Networking was another challenge. When you’re new, you end up introducing yourself to the same people over and over, hoping they’ll remember you. I’ve met so many generous people who genuinely want to build together, but I’ve also experienced the reality that sometimes people don’t remember your name until you have something to offer. I don’t take that personally, it’s just part of building a career and earning trust over time.
And then there’s rejection. Early on, I had very little fashion experience, so it made sense that people were hesitant to give me opportunities. I heard somewhere that your first “yes” might be on the backside of 100 “no’s,” so I actually started tracking every rejection just to make getting to 100 feel like progress. That shift in mindset helped a lot. Ironically, now I get more opportunities than I have time to take on, and it reminds me that consistency really does pay off.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My career has been pretty nonlinear, but there’s a common thread through everything I do: I love new challenges, connecting with people, solving problems.
In my full-time role as Operations Coordinator at Fashion Industry Gallery (FIG), I manage many of the behind-the-scenes logistics that make our markets happen. That includes working with vendors, coordinating showrooms, and helping execute five markets throughout the year. It’s a role that lets me use the analytical side of my brain while being immersed in an industry I’m genuinely interested in. I’m always excited to connect with brands looking to grow through wholesale or buyers interested in discovering new collections at FIG’s markets.
Outside of work, I’ve volunteered with Texas Fashion Week for several years and recently served as Volunteer Coordinator, overseeing more than 100 volunteers across seven days of events. It was really cool to see all the event management experience I’ve gained be useful in another fashion related setting.
I’m also continuing to build my styling business on the side. Right now I’m focusing on menswear, and I’m especially drawn to secondhand and vintage fashion. I think my environmental engineering background naturally shaped that interest. I love helping people discover unique pieces, supporting small brands, designers, and vintage sellers, and trying to prove that the best style comes from being unique not from constantly adding to cart.
More than anything, I’m proud that I’ve been willing to keep learning. Every opportunity I’ve had has come from saying yes, trying something I hadn’t done before, and being willing to figure it out along the way (and fail). I’m still building my career, but that’s part of what makes it exciting. Every year I’m adding new skills, meeting new people, and getting a little closer to the kind of creative work I want to be doing long term.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
If I had to pick one quality, I’d say it’s my willingness to be uncomfortable.
I’ve realized that almost every opportunity that’s helped me grow has started with me not knowing exactly what I was doing. Changing careers, volunteering, styling clients, managing large events, none of those felt comfortable at first.
I don’t think confidence comes before you do something new. I think it comes afterward. So I’ve tried to get comfortable being a beginner, asking questions, making mistakes, and trusting that I’ll figure it out.
That mindset has probably opened more doors than any specific skill. Every time I’ve said yes to something outside my comfort zone, I’ve learned something new, met someone new, or discovered an opportunity I never would have found otherwise. I hope I never lose that curiosity because I think there’s always more to learn.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rammy_numnums/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramsey-baker-77253643/
