Coming Home: My Life as a Fashion Student – The Broke and Hungry Edition

Photo courtesy of Tara Marie Rose, a Regina born Fashion Blogger, who is studying fashion
design in Vancouver.
www.taramarierose.com

The last time I left off, I was a newbie in the big city. I'm now two months in and I feel like I have gotten into the swing of Vancouver. It took me some time to find a job so I’ll admit, things got a bit tight for a while and I was getting a bit thin. I came here with the idea that I could march into any restaurant I wanted to serve at, throw on my apron, and be laughing with the regulars like I'd been here for years. Although I have plenty of serving experience in the Prairies, it is a different world here. Getting a job at the best spots in town entails you knowing someone in the loop. I was quite taken aback when I marched into the first restaurant that I wanted work at, thinking I'd land the job with ease. I handed the man behind my resume and he the bar slid it back to me and said, “Sister, you may as well keep it, we aren't hiring. See that guy over there? He's been working here for seven years. That girl right there, four years. We don't need new employees because the ones we have don't leave.”  Well, there it was, I was a little fish in a big sea. But, I was a determined little fish; the only fish that swim with the current are dead, so upstream I swam. Door to door, day after day; after a month I got a job at a great restaurant. I may not be slinging beers with the regulars just yet, but I'm still swimmin'.

School began in November, with the loving support from the staff at Blanche Macdonald, I was able to fine tune my classes to fit my every need. It is amazing what you can do when the institution you're attending has hopes and dreams for you as big as those you have for yourself. This was so refreshing, after spending time in university, where I admittedly felt a bit like number. In university I felt pushed through the classes, ‘Get an A or a C, no sweat off our backs; you've paid your tuition, now on to the next one.’ It felt like home the moment I entered Blanche, because they made it feel that way. Whatever I want to do in the Fashion Industry, they want me to do as well, and they want to do their best to provide me with the tools to get there.

As my teachers eloquently sweep about the room each class, I can't help but be utterly engaged in every word that leaves their lips. They speak of the greats: Poiret, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, just to name a few. They teach how everything that exists in the life we live is an influence on the fashion industry; economy, music, art, architecture, nature, and so much more. They discuss the marketing aspect of the industry, which is equally fascinating. How we create imagery and paint pictures in the minds of the consumer. They demonstrate that building the most beautiful and successful brands starts with a team of beautifully intelligent people that can seemingly design products just for you! Every night I race to the library, searching deeper into the knowledge they touch on. Every night I spend hours submerged in books, in awe of industry itself. I can see my teachers, even with all of their great knowledge, are still in love with the fashion industry, still learning. It really is incredible to be going to school for something you are so completely passionate about. The will to learn, the drive, the hunger, is greater than I've ever felt!

I've made some wonderful friends in my classes already. They are people who are in the same position as I am, with the will to be the best, by giving their best. Of course, there are people in my class who think that they'll barely have to show up, be able text their friends through the entire class (when they do show up), and come out being the next Rachel frickin' Zoe. I don't worry about them though; instead I focus on the words someone great recently shared with me, “Keep your vision strong. Choose your vision, not your distractions.”

So here I am, two weeks into school and hungry. Although I've got plenty of vegetarian food in the fridge, it's the race I crave. I’m hungry for knowledge, hungry to succeed, hungry to give everything I have to what I'm passionate about. I passed a homeless man on the street the other day, holding a sign that read, “If today were the last day of your life, would you want to do what you're doing today? Spare change for thought.” So I leave you with a few questions: What are you hungry for? What drives you? When you woke up today, were you excited about what you were about to do? Don't swim with the dead fish, swim against the current. The Sea is only as big as you perceive it to be.

That's all for this week,

Sincerely,

That little fashion girl from the Prairies