Today we’d like to introduce you to Yvonne Johnson.
Yvonne, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Like my late mother I was blessed with a talent for drawing & knew since the age of 13 that I wanted to do something with clothes. I actually got accepted into the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing & Visual Arts for a couple of years before I moved on & ended up enlisting at the age of 17 into the United States Marine Corps. I did a tour overseas & served for 5 years before I left to pursue my B.F.A. in Fashion Design at the University of North Texas.
I bounced around for a few years after looking for work & ended up at Dickies in Ft. Worth, TX where I got to design Big Tex’s shirt for the 2016 Texas State Fair. The corporate environment wasn’t really what I wanted so I applied & competed for one of four spots for the M.F.A. Stage Design program at Southern Methodist University & was offered a scholarship & assistantship to complete a three-year grad program. My focus is costume design but I’m learning scenic also. Currently I just completed my first week as well of my 8-week internship here in LA through the Television Academy for the Summer. They only select one costume designer so it was really amazing to know I beat out all the other candidates nationwide for such a great opportunity!!!
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
Clothes tell a story & I love exploring that as a form of art. When dealing with designing for a character, its more psychological than anything. You have to put yourself in the mindset of the individual you are dressing for & make decisions based off of how THEY would dress themselves. You do your research, not just on clothes but on the time & environment they live in. You are ultimately an investigator. It encompasses you being an open minded & inquisitive person. You have to detach your own preconceived judgments about the character in order to accurately & successfully tell THEIR TRUTHS. You then can decide HOW you want to tell their story through a valid inspiration. Is everyone going to look like a Gustav Klimt painting or is it best told through a monochromatic color of blues. It is a very intricate, fascinating & in dept process that I love doing.
How can artists connect with other artists?
I would say that you need to cultivate as many positive relationships with people that inspire you and are willing to mentor you as possible. Go to art fairs, join groups on social media, you need a support system that can lift you up & motivate you.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
Right now I design for Southern Methodist University as part of my grad program curriculum. But I do outside work as well. The best way to see what I’m doing is to follow my website or my social media accounts.
Contact Info:
- Website: yvonnejohnsondesigns.com
- Email: evy_john@yahoo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yvonnejohnson712714/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yvonne.johnson.712714
Image Credit:
Lindsay Silva
Greg Daniels Photography
Crystal Chatmon
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