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

Hi Stephanie, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I feel like pursuing a creative career allowed me to be myself and work without hating my job. I have never worked your typical 9-5 job since my father never wanted me to work, he wanted me to go to school with no worries however I also wanted my OWN spending money that I worked hard to get, so I took action and since then I’ve only been hired remotely or as a freelancer. I was tired of this cycle, and decided to pursue a more artistic career in my preferred niche. I started off in a retail clothing store, which I actually liked because I was around clothes all the time! Once I had earned enough money, I bought myself a car and enlisted in a fashion course to advance my career further. I never once cared about the salary of a job, in fact, I’ve always payed more attention to the job description and whether or not I’ll actually love it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
It definitely wasn’t an easy path to get to where I am today, but I guess you could say it was worth the mental breakdowns and emotional malfunctions. As a self-employed fashion stylist and fitness expert, I am proud to have reached this far at a later time than most of my high school classmates. Not everyone has the same path, but going through life like this has been interesting for sure. If I could give future mini-me’s any advice, I would say to just go for it, to chase your dreams no matter what your closest friends or family say. I learned it the hard way, but now I can tell others what not to do and what they could possibly do to make it better and a faster process (if that’s what you want).

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
iHop for breakfast because we love some pancakes. shopping
movie theater to see the latest movie
HotPot
salon to get our hair and nails done
nightclub (to have fun and dance the night away)

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to thank my little discord family that I found through the TikTok app. I have never felt closer to a group of people than them. They support me in my dreams, no matter how crazy they are, and we can relate to each other because we all happen to be similar in ages.

Instagram: faniayalaa

Twitter: FaniStyle

Youtube: Fani Ayala

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.