By Venessa Anthony
Shazna Hussain, a 20-year-old, has explored many career opportunities since she was 16, hoping to find the perfect fit for herself. Over the last few years, she’s been a model, teacher, stylist, concept creator, sales executive, and more, choosing to settle down as a teacher, stylist, and concept creator.
She began working at an early age in order to gain the status of an independent young woman, and to help look after her family once her father passed away. Throughout her constantly changing careers, she noticed that she was a quick study, being able to pick up skills really fast and capable of multitasking. This led her to choose a few freelance careers that complemented each other and gave her a steady way to go about life.
The Morning Brunch reached out to her to learn more about being a stylist, how it ties into careers in other creative fields and more. Here’s what she had to say.
Why did you choose a career as a stylist and concept creator?
Well, to begin with, I always wanted to turn my imagination and creativity into reality, so I chose this career to reflect the best in me to society and inspire many women who are struggling to find what they are good at. No one knows what you can do except yourself, so I gave myself a little push and learned a lot about what I’m really capable of.
How did you train and what was your experience?
I would call myself a freelancer. I didn’t wait for opportunities to come my way; instead I went looking for opportunity – I started small and then joined an agency to learn and work more with creating concepts and styling. It’s not just about the outfit, it’s about the background, the colours, the skin tone to match with the outfit, and the concept at the same time, so I put my 100% to every single detail when it comes to a shoot, advertising, and marketing.
What’s your approach when you first start styling someone? Do you ask questions, go through their closet, etc.?
My first step would be to find out their vibe, because I personally feel a person who wears clothes to match their vibe is surely outstanding. I go through their favourite colours or types of clothing, as well as their likes and dislikes, so I can come up with something they are comfortable and happy with.
Being a stylist and a concept creator can be very stressful at times. How do you cope?
It is really stressful; sometimes a stylist could also be the one-man army behind a project. The last moment cancellations are really hard to deal with, but I make sure to stay strong and confident, and complete the work one way or another. There are times where I had to be the photographer, makeup artist, stylist, and concept creator at the same time. But what helped me cope with this was believing that the results and the hard work would always be worth it at the end.
Who have been some of your inspirations, mentors, or role models?
My mother. As a single mom, she inspired me to be independent and work alone to follow my dreams no matter how hard it got, and it was worth it.
What challenges did you have to overcome to get where you are today?
I would say my health condition was and is the biggest challenge I face every day. As an epileptic patient, there are many things that I am not allowed to do as it may trigger my seizures – basically my career is at jeopardy, as the camera lights and exhaustion during shoots are a real challenge, so I made sure every time I fall I get up even stronger. I challenge myself every time to become a better person than I was yesterday.
Are there any experiences or lessons that have stuck with you in your career?
Of course – one thing for sure is to always have a plan B, because you never know what’s going to happen tomorrow, so when something happens, instead of panicking you can go on with plan B. It’s the best way to save time and energy.
The biggest lesson is to be ready for negativity, bullies, hatred, and bad comments against you and your work! Just keep going and just be true to who you are.
Which current trends would you incorporate in your clothing selections?
I always do something with the scraps, or I go on with whatever comes to my mind then and there, I mean if I had to cut a piece of clothing to make it look better, I won’t think twice – it’s always about coming up with new trends, so why not follow your first instinct?
What do you have coming up?
More things to inspire the young crowd to do what they feel is right, to stand up for their rights, and use their freedom wisely and creatively. I will keep creating magic as long as I can.
