Meet Desteny Edwards | Creative Director & Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Desteny Edwards and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Desteny, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
Like many others growing up wasn’t easy. In short, I moved a lot in elementary school, was severely bullied, and my life at home was far from idyllic. I developed a strong fear of rejection and need for a validation that controlled a large part of my adolescence. But, art was my escape. I have always loved art and the process of creating. I doodled all the time. So much so, my mother would nickname me “Doodlebug”. My imagination, creativity, and art became the traits my family would associate me with the most. Creating is how I wanted to spend my time and where I found comfort and solace when life around me felt dark. However, I was insecure about everything. I spent so much time trying to validate my worth because I didn’t think I had any. So while I loved art, it was scary because I couldn’t risk having my art disliked or rejected – as I would see it as a direct valuation of who I was. And I thought when I was stacked up against other artists – I thought I fell severely short. And those were the kinds of people who actually deserved the title of artist or deserve to pursue creative endeavors. So I became art adjacent- I admired art from afar but was too scared to commit to it. I thought I could never pursue my passions because I wasn’t talented enough. I didn’t realize how stupid of a thought that was until I graduated from college and realized all I wanted to do with my life was create. So now, having spent the majority of my life thinking I was less than others, I have fervently decided to pursue my passions with a resounding belief in myself. And the act of believing in myself has impacted how and why I create today.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The uniqueness of my art is that it’s mine and yet shared. All my work has a story – it has a narrative of its own. That was spawned in my head and brought to life through collaboration. I believe being a successful creative director is about being able to communicate your idea but also having the ability to be collaborative. To know who to share this creative journey and process with. It’s crucial as a Creative Director, to be able to discern who you want to bring in and how they add to the idea and help bring it to fruition. I have formed a pretty regular and wonderful team, which has made creating even more fun. I look forward to the last few shoots I have with this team before I move to Los Angeles in January.

Getting to where I am was not easy. It took me a year after graduating to understand where my talents lie and understand what I wanted to do. I had to teach myself how to sew because the ideas and designs in my head didn’t exist in real life- so I had to teach myself how to make them exist. You can’t hop up and just be a Creative Director. I had to relearn a lot of skills and build a portfolio to prove that I had ideas and knew how to execute them. However, I feel like the hardest battle was emotionally and mentally believing in myself day in and day out while life sometimes felt bleak. It took me a long time to do so, and now I refuse to let that belief go. Honestly, I overcame that challenge by reminding myself that I have one life, and I simply refuse to spend it afraid.

The greatest lesson I learned along the way has been to be fearless and take a chance- on yourself and others.

My story is complicated, dense, and yet, all mine. I want people to know that they can follow their dreams. I never dreamed of working in media, yet I am about to move across the country to pursue my creative endeavors. Never believed I could design, yet I have. I just used to never truly believe in myself. And I know it sounds cliché, even I thought it was when I heard it. Yet, if you remember anything from my story and what I do – is to just try. Try just believing in yourself one day at a time and you will be so surprised where you end up. I promise.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
A week in Dallas would go as follows; Monday, we would go to the arboretum for a chill day after a long flight.
Tuesday, we would go to Carbone for dinner (let’s pretend I had the reservation scheduled in advance)
Wednesday, we would go to the Perot Museum, it’s one of my favorite Museums.
Thursday, we would go to The Freeman for a night of Jazz and fun.
Friday, we would head to The Rose Room for a night of fun and laughter.
Saturday, we would continue our party streak at a night in Oaklawn, probably at S4, partying the night away.
Sunday, we would end the trip with a recovery brunch at The Biscuit Bar.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family, who I love dearly. My former roommates, Ryan Gray and Edgar Ferretiz. Those two were my saving grace, even if they didn’t know it. My best friend, Cesia Martinez. My favorite collaborator, the phenomenal Alyssa Tranbarger. Anastasia Azubogu and Nicole Bellin for working alongside me every step of the way. Harper and Mya for being the best stylist assistants and right hands anyone could ask for. Juliana Di Gennaro, who very much took a chance on working with me and has been so supportive. Truly every single model and team member who decided to take a chance on me by working with me. It’s such a compliment getting to work with talented individuals. My models often become my muses, two, in particular, Nyaliba Musa and Rebecca Brendemuehl. Thank you Nyaliba for being my forever muse and exploring my ideas with me from day one. Also thank you, Becky, for being such a muse and kind hearted soul. My shoots with you helped solidify my belief in my work. Truly thank you to anyone who has ever re-shared my work or shown love to me. I am forever grateful.

Website: destenyedwards.com

Instagram: @destsnest

Image Credits
Alexis.jpg – Model: Alexis Martin NikeConcept5.jpg – Photgrapher: Alyssa Tranbarger | Models: Kamdin Montagne and Jerry Zeng | MUA: Nicole Bellin Becky1.jpg – Photographer: Erin Shumate | Model: Rebecca Brendemuehl | MUA: Nicole Bellin Nyaliba.jpg – Model: Nyaliba Musa NikeConcept6.jpg – Photgrapher: Alyssa Tranbarger | Model: Alexandria Renee | MUA: Nicole Bellin NyalibaTwinshoot.jpg – Model: Nyaliba Musa | Mua: Nicole Bellin Becky.jpg- Photgrapher: Alyssa Tranbarger | Model: Rebecca Brendemuehl | MUA: Nicole Bellin