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

Hi Lana, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
To be honest.. I never really feel like I “chose” this career its just always been a strong passion that came naturally to me from a very young age and has never once dimmed. I truly feel like I am meant to do this!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
If I said this ride has been easy boy oh boy would I be fibbing.. I came from a very very low income family.. times where the only roof that was provided over my head was from a car.. hopping from one place to another was far from foreign to my siblings and I.. there was never really a place called “home” but my mom was a single parent truly doing anything that she could to provide in one way or another. With that said for 10+ years I have been creating content and that comes with multiple up’s and down’s. I started out on Youtube (we are talking bare minimum quality btw) right before I went into High school.. it was an outlet that helped me escape my reality which unfortunately led to a TON of bullying in person and online and as many times as I wanted to just give up.. I never did because again, this is a passion of mine that never dimmed.. even when so many people tried to put out my light! Overcoming those obstacles you really have to show up for yourself (having a strong support system around you helps tremendously of course) but in the end you have to truly believe in yourself and your capabilities to have the life you want to live and that was my biggest lesson/takeaway I learned very quickly.

I would love for the world to know that who you see online is who you would see/meet in person! To shine light where its needed in others whether thats being influenced to simply get dressed one day (because we love a good fit over here) or the feeling of hanging out through a screen. I just want others to feel comfort when they see my content like so many other creators have done for me!

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.
Being from the Atlanta area my ideal itinerary would consist of riding scooters on the belt line, visiting the Ponce City rooftop, enjoying all of the delicious food options near by and spending a picnic or 2 at Piedmont Park. Summertime in the city truly does hit different and I would say thats my ideal time of year to visit!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First and foremost.. I would not be nearly as close to where I am today without the love and support of those in my life.. my friends, my family & most importantly my online community who show up for me on a daily basis. So many people that I have not met in person, I feel can sometimes be the most supportive and for that I am forever grateful.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lanaraestyle/?hl=en

Other: TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@lanaraestyle

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