Yahnuh

My name's Jana, pronounced (Yah-nuh). I'm 19, live in NYC, and attend Parsons New School of Design. This blog tracks the start of my life in the city as I work towards my dream of becoming an artist and fashion designer. ALL photo credits and designs belong to me unless otherwise stated.

[yahnuh]

The past few months I've been avoiding this blog because I've been questioning fashion. As much as I love it, I think it would be weird and even unhealthy if a person considering this industry didn't recognize how shallow it is. Clothes is only so important. 

A lot of people judge me for questioning this. I would've too. But after experiencing the industry firsthand, it's so hard to continue to stand by the materialism and selfishness of the industry. Everyone seems in it for themselves, and the industry as a whole seems so lonely. The center of their lives (some, not all) is their possessions, and that foundation is bound to lead into an lonely life. I love what I do, but it's hard to stand by it when I pass groups of homeless on the sidewalk without a coat to wear. And I'm trying to figure out which one will look the best? 

I've been wondering what I can do beyond fashion and art. How I can use these gifts to do something more. If anyone has any tips or ideas, I would so appreciate it.

[yahnuh]

I love my internship.

[yahnuh]

Test illustrations from my last collection last semester. I'll post pics of my winter breakies soon :)

[yahnuh]

Winter Break Lazies

Two more weeks of break, and I'm still not motivated enough to start the winter assignment. Instead, I'm designing 1000 other things that are totally unrelated. But hope everyone had a fabulous holiday season!

[yahnuh]

Hi Jana! How are you? I hope everything is going well for you at Parsons. I've always wanted to study fashion. Since I was a kid, I would rush home just to make paperdolls and their dresses when no one's around. haha. I want to go to Parsons. It's my dream school but it's too expensive for me as I am self-supporting. For your projects, do you actually buy the fabrics/textile you use to create dresses? Does it cost a lot? :C I really wanna go there but i wanna see first if i can afford it. :) TC

Hello! You're so sweet, I apologize for taking so long to respond. 

Honestly, it costs a lot. Besides the price of tuition, you have to purchase all of your fabrics and supplies. And if you're like me, I purchased a machine and mannequin for my own studio, all out of my pocket. It adds up.

HOWEVER, hardly anyone I know pays full tuition. If you work to get scholarships you can cover much of the cost. If you truly cannot afford tuition, contact the school and see how much FAFSA will loan you. For families with low income and those self-supporting, FAFSA will help you much more. I have one friend who is supporting herself alone, with the help of FAFSA, scholarships, and a job on the side. It is rough, I'm not going to lie. But if it is your dream to be here, it can work! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I wish you the best:)

[yahnuh]

Drawing class = live models, sass, and fabulousness.

(All outfits, model's own.) 

[yahnuh]

Sorry for not uploading in a while, school is as crazy as usual. I can feel rest approaching with Thanksgiving break coming up, but just pray I can make it through finals.

Anyway, I forgot to upload the skirt that I designed based off of my last project! 3 Weeks of work, voila

[yahnuh]

Last week was total hell, so I'm enjoying the temporary bliss. I just finished my second collection, which was inspired from the pain of being bullied in high school. The collection was dark, both in color and theme. I want to use this collection to speak out against bullying and to spread awareness. The hateful words people said to me have scarred me to this day, and I don't want anyone else to share in those experiences.

Here's a preview of two of the looks.

[yahnuh]

Rant, Numero Dos

Sometimes opportunities we hope to have don't come. Sometimes I don't think they're meant to. I'm beginning to think we are turned down for certain opportunities so others can enter our lives. One door closes, another opens type of thing. 

And after some self-reflecting, I've realized this down time may be the perfect opportunity to smell the roses and get my crap back together.

For the past few months before my show, I had no personal time. I was exhausted and burnt out. Now that my time has opened up, I'm going to spend some time focusing on recovering. And soon after some new and exciting projects will be on their way. Hope to post some updates soon:)

[yahnuh]

Hi! First of all I love your blog and all your projects you post. It's really inspiring to see what a fashion student does in school. I myself want to get into a great fashion design school, like Parsons. I unfortunately am not the greatest artist, but I do have a phenomenal creativity side when it comes to ideas and designs. I am in college already though. I just really hope it doesn't lower my chances of getting in just because I would be a transfer =/ Do you have any tips or advice?

Thanks :) Yea, totally. Creativity is highly valued here. However, I would develop your technical skills further. Having a creative mind is SO important, but being able to convey it is a necessity.

And not gonna lie, if you wanted to transfer to Parsons, outside credits are not easily accepted. Most transfer students have to start from freshman year because the program is very specific, which can be a waste of your time and money. While I love it here, I would look to more open-minded fashion schools if I were you. My personal faves are FIT, SCAD, and SAIC (but I would check with their programs to be sure they accept outside credits).

But if you really want to come here, it’s possible. I know a few who transferred and couldn’t be happier. Best of luck! :)

[yahnuh]

Hey! I just saw the collection you did for parsons and I love it! I am currently working on applying right now, and I am so so stressed out about it. Do you have any advice on applications? What did you put in your portfolio? Did you include mixed media art forms? Any advice you have would be so greatly appreciated! Thanks, have a great day!

Thanks, you're so sweet! 

Ahh yep. For the application, make sure to really put effort into your Parsons challenge (They still do that, right?). Parsons doesn't look at grades and ACT/SAT scores as much as raw talent. Highlight your artistic skill, in whatever area it may be, and most importantly, focus on the meaning behind the image. I've said to everyone who's asked. The meaning behind a piece is equally as important as the skills seen within the piece itself.

In my portfolio I included every genre of art. Drawings, paintings, mixed media, sculpture, photography, and some fashion drawings. But I highlighted my skill in drawing by putting more of those in my portfolio. Make sure to keep the focus on what you're good at. If you suck at painting, don't include paintings. But it obviously helps to show variety. 

Just show the greatest variety of medias with the highest skill. Pieces that are more than just a "pretty picture". And pieces you are passionate about. They'll see that.

Best of luck! xx

[yahnuh]

On Friday I was blessed enough to have my first runway show, on the Project Runway runway. The Sister's of the Runway show, an annual show that raises money to aid the fight against domestic violence, featured 19 designers this year. Ages ranged from sophomore to graduated students, which intimidated me A LOT. But being that I was one of the youngest there and KILLED myself to create this mini collection, I'm proud of what I did. It's the first step. It can only go up from here. :)

[yahnuh]

Whenever I'm demotivated, I think about why I came here. I remember myself in my bedroom in Illinois, flipping through fashion magazines and wishing people understood. Wishing I could say "fashion school" instead of "art school". (Which was already crazy enough.) Because none of my friends from there believed I could do it. Imagining leaving my small town and having a runway show. Bright lights. Pounding music.  

And it's tomorrow.

[yahnuh]

Rant post

So I don't know why. Or why it continues. But I've consistently felt like crap for the past few weeks. School is getting progressively harder, and making a collection on top of it sometimes feels impossible. Maybe it's the changing seasons (fall makes me get mellow), maybe it's the school work, maybe it's me finally realizing what I got into.

A lot of people reading my blog ask me about my opinion on Parsons. It's HARD guys. If you're not willing to live and breathe fashion, if you fantasize about your well-financed future as a doctor, don't do this. Because if I didn't have this intense passion for it, I'd be out. 

But I have the intense passion for it. So that makes it all worth while.

[yahnuh]

Sketching athleticwear for homework. My girls are getting better, but still need some work.

(Designs by Lululemon, not my own)

[yahnuh]

Kitty candid. Because I can.

[yahnuh]

I'm starting to understand why I haven't seen a lot of other personal blogs from Parsons students. Not stopping til I finish my collection. Wish me luck. #dying