Meet Shorti J | Creative

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

Hi Shorti, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
As a child, I had always had an interest in art. My mom was also a very creative individual and always had me and my sister assist her in any of the crafts that she was currently working on. So naturally, developing an interest toward the creative field was destined for me as that’s something I’ve always been around. As I got older, I was into drawing, Painting and writing as a form of self expression in a way to cope with the environment around me. For a while, those three mediums were my go to until I got to high school, where photography became my artistic interest of choice. I love the medium of photography so much that after high school I attended scad and got my degree in photography. The things that I created within the medium of photography were deeper forms of self expression that help me to deal with all the things that I was dealing with internally. Any of the art forms that I chose at any given time have always been away for me to escape everything that’s going on inside of my mind and bring it outward to release it.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
At the beginning of 2023 I created my up cycling fashion brand inFROspectiv. The name of the brand is based off of a psychological premises called introspection, which is where an individual takes time and does deep reflections on oneself mixed with my love of Afro hair as I am a black woman with a natural, and I feel like like me and the brand are representations of each other. I had initially started sewing after a really bad depressive episode where I had lost a significant amount of weight and had to begin altering clothes so they could fit me properly because I wasn’t getting the way back as fast as I had lost it. In starting sewing I found a passion for it that I once had in childhood and it also helped me come out of the depressive episode and start to heal properly. The materials that I use when I first started sewing where items that I would find in the thrift stores as that was the most cost-effective way for me to be able to make the things that I want to make. Almost everything that I have created up to this point has been from materials that have been thrifted from scrap bags to denim to blankets. Everything is sustainable and I try to use every piece of fabric from whatever I thrift. My business is slowly growing and I have a few of my products in different places such as Everythang Dope in Ponce City Market and Yo, Let Me Get That while also doing custom commission orders. So slowly, but surely my business is getting off the ground.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If I had a friend that was staying for a weekend in the city of Atlanta, the first thing we’re doing is hitting all my favorite thrift stores because I always have people in my friend group asking to go Thrifting with me so we’re gonna hit the Salvation Army value Village and Park Avenue thrift. I would show them The techniques that I use to thrift such as checking for the half off tags. I would then take them to Ponce city market as they have a variety of different foods and also we could walk the beltline just to show them all the different things that are along the beltline. If they were up for it, we could also go to my favorite nature Trail (Mason Mill Park) that has a mix of nature and ruins covered in graffiti.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The one person I would love to give a shout out to is my mother. She’s my number one fan has always supported whatever I’ve decided to do no matter what it is. She’s always the first person to give accolades and support where it’s needed, and I really appreciate her for that. She’s also always told me that if I am to pursue anything, do it with all of your heart and never half- ass anything.

Website: https://stan.store/Infrospectiv

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cottoncandifro?igsh=OWE0b2xzc3FqaW42

Other: https://depop.com/cottoncandifro