Meet Dakota Jane | Creative Director

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

Hi Dakota, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
Giving up has never been an option to me. When it comes to my Collective or my own personal passion projects, I know that I have to see it through. Even when the obstacles in my way seem so impossible to get over- I tell myself “well you’re gonna come across another obstacle one day so what’s the difference here”. There have been times where I need to pause or take a minute from something but I always end up right back.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I started off modeling in 2017 and as time went on I realized these photographers reaching out to me all had the same concepts or ideas, not to mention sometimes it’s just awkward working with men only. During quarantine I had lost my job & began to oddly find more inspiration and ambition to do what made me happy. I began drawing up shoot concepts and ideas but not for me, for women I thought would fit the photos better than I could. Gathering the models, stylist, photographer and space was easy,l; believing in myself was the hard part. I consistently questioned my visions and if I would be able to direct and execute the way I saw it in my head. I was so stressed about my first shoot that I would be curating and directing that I barely slept & then the day of it was as if a switch went off. Of course nothing goes exactly as planned but it set the tone for how I wanted to move from model to director. There are many Creative Directors in the world and I’m a small fish in the pond right now, but my focus has always been on creating something that I’m proud to have my name on. I’ve taken people out of their comfort zones with my ideas and introduced them to a more creative scene or allowed them to be comfortable with themselves. I care more about how I can change someone’s outlook on their own modeling career or expand their horizons to see that the world doesn’t have to just be white backdrop and a simple pose, it can easily be funky lights and the most outrageous concept. I’m proud to say that I’ve been able to start off some modeling career in the 2 years that I’ve been doing this, & Im so grateful that I got to work with these people early on! And I’m very excited for all of the upcoming projects soon to come. I have a short I’m currently working on, and a few more passions projects with my partner Jas, as well as a photo book to be released by the end of this year. Some lessons I’ve learned along the way are:
1. Allow others to give you feedback on your art but do not allow them to change your own perception of self.
2. Give yourself grace. Not everything is going to be perfect every time, and usually those are blessings in disguise.
3. Be confident in what you do. Walk in the room and know this is your shit.
4. Don’t ever get too comfortable. Comfortability is where progress dies. Constantly challenge yourself in order to grow.

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.
Well my best friends live by me and we’re all from here but I would say the ideal day would be; go grab some coffee, take a little walk, smoke of course & split up to get ready and grab lunch. If it’s an all day affair we might go to Taqueria Downtown for some drinks and cheap/ but good food. After that it’s either let’s go to the city and people watch while we find another cute place to go eat and drink at or go to my house and figure out what the plans are. Going out at night in jersey city is interesting because you can’t help but run into everyone you know, however a day with a lot going on we’ll hit a pop up or two and support our local brands/ friends brands.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Shout out to Lost In the Art collective! We are 4 women from Jersey City, NJ doing what we love and bringing people together. We focus on uplifting creatives in our community but also in NJ. Our city is becoming more and more gentrified and OUR people are losing spaces to get together where we don’t have to conform. This is a free space & a safe space. We’ve only been at it for about 5 months now but our picture is way bigger than time. Check us out on Instagram @lostintheartcollective.

Instagram: @dakota.jane

Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2QLSIHsfKsA&feature=youtu.be

Other: @lostintheartcollective

Image Credits
@jvsx__ @julian.anem