Hi everyone, it's Jen. Welcome back to Student
Stories. We're thrilled to have you with us today.
Today we are joined by a new friend. Friend,
please introduce yourself to our listeners and
our viewers. Hi, I'm Addie. I am in my senior
year here at Johnson County Community College
and I'm in the fashion design program. Great
journey so far. Awesome, awesome. You and I talked
quite a bit offline before the show and I loved
getting to know you. Thank you so much for being
with us today. You have a pretty incredible backstory
about how you came to study here at Johnson County
Community College. Will you share that with our
listeners and our viewers? Yes! It was not really
like a part of my plan actually so when I was
younger I was quite the tomboy. I was running
around in jeans and probably my brother's shirt.
It was actually a fight to get me in any kind
of dress. And I would work on old cars with my
dad. And with that, we'd go to car shows. And
then I saw my first pinup girl. And I was like,
oh, my God. Oh, I've got to. It's got to be me.
I've got to do that. And so I would slowly start
incorporating like pinup style into my everyday
style. I didn't do it today because it doesn't
work. So. slowly started incorporating that into
my style and then I was originally going to go
to KU but it was during 2020 so it was like that
year and so It just wasn't really the experience
that I had hoped for and that led me to be like,
okay I just need a gap year. I need to like find
myself. So I stopped doing that and then I went
out to Oregon and I was there for like a little
while like a year I think and then I it was still
you know 2022 ish and so People weren't quite
back to like socializing so I had like no friends
and also no money So I was like, oh god, I gotta
come back so then I did come back And then my
dad was like, hey fun fact, you actually have
to do something with your life. You should try
the fashion program at Johnson County. I was
like, I didn't know that was an option because
fashion just kind of feels to me anyway at the
time. It felt like one of those careers that
you just pick when you're like 12 and then people
tell you to be more realistic and then you go
into something like finance. I didn't know it
was like for real an option and then I got here
and I didn't want to talk to a counselor. Cause
I don't like talking to people. Well like, were
you afraid they would try to discourage you from
it? No, I just, I'm scared of talking to new
people. And so, I, I, I enrolled in whatever.
So I was enrolled in like design and merchandising.
So I have a bunch of like random credits that
don't transfer. But I still had a blast doing
it. Um, and that led me to like my senior year
here now and it's almost done. Which is pretty
incredible. So I love the whole pinup girl story.
I love, I mean, we talked about it offline. I
love that whole story. What do you think about
the pinup girl look or the pinup girl vibe that
attracted you to that? I mean, is it the fashion
end of it? Is it the history end of it? It's
like all of it, I think. I was pretty like masculine
growing up. And so the first pinup that I saw
was kind of like a Gotha Billy rockabilly type
vibe So I had like under tons of like masculine
style though like whoa This looks so rad like
why don't more people do this because everyone
that I saw cuz I grew up in Salina They were
wearing like t -shirts and jeans and farm boots
And it was not at all a pimp girl and I was like
I saw this lady I was like I'm in love. I actually
I have to be you I have to be you immediately
And like her confidence like the way she was
walking everything about her I was just like,
oh, yeah, that's it right there. Yeah. So kind
of going alongside that, we talked offline about
a parallel love that you have for Burlesque.
Yes. So talk a little bit about that, if you
would. So Burlesque, I remember Dita Von Teese
was how I got into that. Because Dita Von Teese
outside, she also dresses kind of pinup style.
And so I would use her style inspiration on Pinterest.
And then I was like, who is this lady? I see
her everywhere. Dita Von Teese, let's look that
up. And I was like, whoa. Ball game change forever.
This is so cool, too And they're like just like
the the costumes that they have and like the
rhinestones That's what I love to do at work
is put rhinestones on stuff. Um, I just I just
love all of that and like the jazz music Oh my
god, get out. I love jazz and the vibe of it
all Yeah, you said the confidence of it all that
burlesque has women of all shapes all sizes.
Oh, yeah All ages and they're all beautiful and
I just I know it and they know it and it looks
so good Absolutely. And not only that it makes
every other woman feel beautiful too. You know
what I mean? It makes them feel represented.
It makes them feel seen. So yeah, I think that's
amazing. I really, really do. So you actually
have an off -campus job that ties together your
love for burlesque and your love for fashion.
I do indeed. I just got off of work actually,
so I'm in my comfy clothes because I'm often
on the floor doing stuff down there. I work at
Sew Magic. It's in Lenexa and I have a wonderful,
amazing boss. Her name's Erin. She's like Creative
genius because the costume she makes she'll like
showed me a sketch of it. This is what we're
doing for today I'm like your brain came up with
that like And she's got like the biggest heart
in the world do cuz like the other day I was
like I need to practice getting elastic into
leg holes like I just I can't do it I need to
buy last or buy a spandex out for you, and she's
like don't be ridiculous darling here you go
So I get to practice that and nail that down
So we mostly make. Costumes for like big groups
like of dance like dancers And she actually just
signed with Ole Miss I think which is super cool
She's been like working her butt off to get those
kinds of schools and like as she should because
her work dude Her work is crazy good Wow, so
would this be like for the band or for the the
dancers? I don't remember which one Yes, so you
are a senior Yes, you're graduating in May. Can
you tell us kind of what comes next for you after
your time here with us at JCCC? Who's to say
I kind of want to go to FIT but that like means
living in New York Which like it sounds cool
for like the first 30 minutes and then you're
like, oh my god, I live in New York Too many
people all the time 24 -7 So it could go either
way I might Continue down FIT or just like stay
here and find something here. Who's to say? So
on the topic of being a senior Tell us a little
bit about the capstone project that's involved
with being a senior in the fashion program and
your involvement with it Um, so there's a fashion
show at the end of the year every year as a capstone
project and Each student gets to kind of pick
their own fashion line and like what they want
to do and it's so cool to see like everyone's
Personality kind of come out because you can
like literally make it whatever you want to make
it So as far as the designer students go, I don't
know what the merchandising students do. I know
they help. I just don't know what they do, because
that's not me. You start off with making your
concept board. And then you get your target customer
and nail that down. And then you present your
boards to your instructors. And they give you
a lot of feedback. And then from there, you do
your sketches. And then they present again, be
like, here's my sketches. Like them Please please
you have to like this. I don't want I don't want
to draw anymore. I can't do it And then you just
start designing and it's really cool to see like
an idea that like was in your head come to life
It's the coolest thing ever How many pieces do
you have in the show? Think seven you only are
required to make five, but I am extra Wow, and
what kind of pieces are they are they burlesque
pieces and I wish Actually it is based off of
burlesque dancers, but in The fashion industry
you want to have like a level of marketability
And so with burlesque it only like is a small
demographic. So my line is based off of burlesque
kind of vibe It's just like more more marketable
for a wider audience Gotcha. So circling back
to your studies here at JCCC Has there been a
class or two classes or a professor or an experience?
Academically that is just really spoken to you
and you know been really impactful for you Pretty
much all of it cuz like again when I first started
this I like I had a mild interest in sewing It
wasn't really a good thing but I was like a whole
I'm this is what I was made to do because some
people are Some people in this industry like
yeah, I was born to do this been doing since
I was six Mike That is crazy good for you I've
had a lot of like instructors helped me Come
down the path like joy. Love joy. She's the head
department. Shout out to joy. Love you And then
Audrey she also gives really good feedback break
is really good feedback Jordan I love Jordan.
Ashley, I love all of them. They're all so great.
I think my favorite class that really made me
be like, oh yeah, this is where I belong, is
the draping class. And that's because that was
the first time that you pick something that you
want to make. Because for the other classes,
you are working off patterns, and it's not your
stuff. You're just learning how to do it. The
draping class is the first class that you have.
That you sketch something of your own and you
can like watch it come to life And it is the
coolest thing ever. So how does it come to life
then? Do you make individual pieces of it or
do people help you with it? No, it's all on you.
So You can do draping with yeah, you can do like
flat pattern for some of it But most of the time
it's you have to drape it. That's like part of
the class is draping You make the pattern and
then you sew it all up do it yourself and it's
it is so cool it's so cool that is very cool
on the topic of cool tell us about your love
for a certain kind of vehicle oh yes so i currently
have a 1955 Plymouth Belvedere it's gorgeous
you guys i've had a lot of antique cars for my
life like i think i've owned at least 50 bare
minimum. A lot of the times we would have them
for a week before we'd sell them. My second favorite
car, I had a 1950 Studebaker Champion, but it
had a hole in the engine block and I'm like,
I don't have money for this. Is that the red
one that you showed me? No, that was the 57.
Oh, gorgeous. You guys gorgeous. It was a project.
So what is it about the Belvedere that made you
fall in love with it? Honestly, I think it's
just like a tie back to being a little kid again
with my dad, working on old cars. It's like a
piece of me that I still carry with me because
like, I don't know, I remember. When my dad first
started working on cars, I was nine years old,
and he was trying to get my brothers to go out
and do it with him. And they're like, oh my god,
no, we want to play video games. Go away. And
I was nine years old, and I had something to
prove. So I was like, I want to do it. I didn't
even intend on doing it to like it. I just wanted
to prove that I'm better than them. And so I
started working on them. And I was like, wait
a minute. This is actually really fun. My first
ever. Project car was a 1949 Pontiac fleet master
and it was covered in tar and I got the evil
work My dad's like here you go. Here's a heat
gun nine -year -old and a scraper get to work.
Oh my gosh. Wow Is that a really rare car these
days are they easy to find I can't imagine they're
inexpensive there So the one that I have is a
two -door which only I think just about 50 grand
were produced and I don't know how many are like
rotting in fields or like parted out it's the
NT car community it's like it's getting increasingly
smaller because like cars wreck things degrade
it just it's part of Aging and it's probably
very very pricey as a hobby No, especially like
when it comes to like like body work and like
mechanical work is like Sometimes there there
are things that I mostly do on my own But then
some things I just like I'm not even gonna mess
with this they can go to the shop I don't even
want I don't even want to touch it. I don't want
to touch it You also have a few dogs, too I like
to joke that I'm slowly becoming Corolla DeVille
because I have a love for fashion. I have two
Dalmatians. Their names Comet and Cupid. Comet
just turned two, which is crazy. I feel like
I just got them like two seconds ago. Yeah, happy
birthday, baby, baby. So when you do have free
time, which I can't imagine is very often given
how busy and how crazy your schedule is, how
do you like to spend your time? Oh my gosh. This
summer, the like... Hobby of the week was camping
and rock climbing outdoorsy kind of stuff But
then I also do my grandma hobby. So I've got
like crocheting and then sewing obviously Oh
cooking a dog training was one Super into the
gym right now. I don't know what happened. I
don't know. It's just like if there's a hobby
you can think of I probably haven't I'm really
into like the crafting of letter opener handles
like all right that's really really nice like
if you like like good carving em or like you
can make clay ones like just letter opener handles
so like okay so the letter okay so not the stabby
thing you know and that you stab in but what
you hold okay what do you like how do you do
that like I usually just use clay. I'm a huge
nerd and I played Tomb Raider and this and one
of the One of the the game she's got this like
really cool like dagger, but it's like a letter
opener I was like I've got to have that and then
I made it I was like wait, this is actually really
fun That's so cool. So how do you stay organized
when you juggle so many different, you know responsibilities?
You're pulled left right into the center. How
do you usually? I I've tried things like because
people always like use a planner Lose it like
no or like I lost Siri and then she's like actually
I'm not reminding you. I hate you. So I use Yes,
so like structured is an app and I think you
have to pay for it I don't know. It's like a
dollar a year. It's super worth in my opinion
I don't even notice that my Apple takes it out
on my like account it shows you your entire day
hour by hour and it will like you can tell like
You know, I need to go to grocery shopping this
week. I need to go Pick my little brother up
from the pool and I need to get my hair done
and it will like find slots of time for you where
it belongs so you don't even have to think about
it because usually like I don't even have time
for this because like When you get like locked
up when you have all these things to do like
I don't even want to do it Don't even put on
the schedule. I'm not doing it. Yeah So do you
have a favorite place here on campus that you
like to study? Do you study off campus, here
on campus, in the fashion area, someplace else?
There's not really a place like to study the
classes I'm in anymore just because a lot of
it is like hands -on and so So you're required
to be there in the salon? Yeah, I'm usually in
the in the lab because I have like big tables
and like working with Like doing fashion design
you need a lot of space like a ton of space like
I have my own hobby room in my house Just because
I tried to do it so when I was living in my apartment
I would do on my kitchen floor and like it was
it was terrible and we had a cat I was my roommate's
cat and he would he would like knock stuff over
and like step on things like you're in the way
like I Can't do this. So I have my own hobby
room because you just need you need a lot of
space Yeah, so the lab is my favorite place to
be or honestly, there's like this like little
bench thing like right outside this place Yes,
it's in the corner. I don't know. I like little
spaces like fit nicely in that's like my corner
when people are there like ruins my whole day
yeah if you're watching this is my corner it's
my turf so are the lab hours pretty accessible
or do you have to come between X and Y time or
can you kind of come and go when you want I mean
I come and go when I want shout out to Alex Alex
is our little lab assistant they're so wonderful
they usually host like host open labs it's allegedly
from like 10 to 2 But like if we need to get
stuff done, they're willing to like stay behind
and like, you know, like be there I'm like, I
love you so much. That's wonderful. Yes So what
would you say to someone who were to say to you?
Oh, I'm really interested in fashion, but I don't
think I could study it I can't go to JCCC. What
would you say to those folks? I would say yeah,
you absolutely can I did not think that I was
gonna be doing fashion and now I'm making an
entire fashion line like I before I started Well,
you should have seen the stuff I was making when
I operated sewing machine I didn't know what
a seam allowance was and so I was just sewing
right on the edge of the fabric and all came
apart like What am I doing wrong? You learned
so much in such a short amount of time and like
It's like for all people like I've there's different
people of all ages Backgrounds and it's like
it is so wonderful I think it would be really
cool to be a part of someone's journey. Like
you were saying that Joy is working with, what
did you say, Ole Miss? Oh no, Erin is. She's
at my job. Sorry about that, Anne. That she's
working with Ole Miss on some costuming. How
cool to get to see your work on a screen, on
TV or on a dance or a wedding or something like
that. To know that something you put your heart
and soul into is a part of somebody's special
moment. That's gotta be huge. And that's forever,
right? Nobody can take that from you. forever
so yeah so is there anything that you have made
for yourself that's just your favorite thing
wear it all the time think it's fantastic or
is it harder to make clothes for yourself than
it is to make clothes for other people it's kind
of a mix of both like right now I'm not gonna
make anything for myself because I'm already
doing so much. I'm like if I have to sew anything
else I'm gonna drink a jean jacket through a
straw. I don't want to I just can't do it. I
just don't have time to make stuff for myself
I just like I don't want to make stuff for myself
when I first started sewing I would make stuff
for myself because like I don't want to make
something for someone else and have it be like
totally screwy I'll be like so degrading like
here's your shirt. It has four sleeves That's
your problem, so I started off making myself
also because it was hard to find clothing that
was like pin up for me because the stuff online
it was just like poor quality and just didn't
like it was just gross and I lived in a small
town so there was no stores near me that had
that so I was like well gotta learn up yeah now
to make it myself That is so exciting. That is
so exciting. If any of our listeners were to
want to see any of your designs, do you have
a website? Do you have an Instagram? The fashion
show is at the end of the year, so if you want
to come to that. But I also do have an Instagram,
Atomic Addy. I only post occasionally on there.
I probably should post my stuff, but I'm incredibly
lazy. So I told you in our pre -interview that
sometimes I like to ask a fun question of our
guest. And my fun question for you. Given how
many, you know, ions you have in the fire, how
many balls you have in the air, you are so busy.
Let's say you had a gajillion dollars and no
time commitments. You don't have to be at work.
You don't have, you know, a big showcase that
you're planning for. What are you gonna do? How
are you gonna spend that money and spend that
time? Oh my gosh. Um, I spend the time just like
laying down. Maybe sleep a full night. Maybe
have a home and sleep in. Yes. Um, what would
I do? Oh my gosh. Don't know I'm like perpetually
poor, so I don't even know what I would do I
would I would first of all I'd pay back all the
people that I I borrowed from it back in the
day Oh my gosh like back in the day. I was like
I was really poor so sorry mr. Johnson You had
to pay all my band tabs. Love you. You're so
great for that, so I pay all them back, and then
I would put money in the students accounts who
are also in the same position that I was because
it just sucks being poor dude it's like oh god
I don't want to do this so as we're coming to
the end of our time together today is there anything
that you'd like to say anything else any parting
words that you'd like to share with our listeners
and our viewers on YouTube or yes I have two
quotes that are like forever ingrained in my
brain um I have procrastination is the cost of
the life that you could have lived and fear of
embarrassment is the thief of opportunity so
if you're scared to do something, just be like,
who actually cares? Why am I embarrassed? Embarrassment
is optional. Embarrassment is a social caller.
You don't have to be embarrassed about something.
You could just do it and be like, OK, who cares?
Absolutely. To be cringe is to be free. Absolutely.
Fall into the cringe. I am a singer, right? Studying
music at 53 at JCCC. One of the reasons I waited
so long is because I was embarrassed and I didn't
want to be judged. Okay, judge me all you want.
You're only being judged from below people who
are actually on their grindset and like doing
with them and like being successful They're not
gonna look down on you for trying to be like
a loser It's the people who want to keep you
down with you. That'll be like, what is this
weirdo doing? You are only judged from below.
I love that. That's amazing You know, I mean
the choice is yours, right? You couldn't say
I'm gonna I'm gonna stop my dream and put my
dream on hold because I'm afraid of what you're
gonna say Yeah, or I'm gonna go live my life
and be happy and you know what if you want to
laugh and poke and make fun of me Yeah. At least
I'm having fun. You know what I mean? I'm doing
the things that make me happy. So yeah, say that
again. What was your quote that you said you
only are judged from? Below. Below. Love that.
All right. Well, I think this is a great place
to close. Thank you so much, Addie, for being
with us. Of course. Thank you for having me.
Good luck on the Capstone. We can't wait. When
is the fashion show and how would our listeners
get a ticket to come? Allegedly, it's April 18th.
I want to say it's it's like it's sometime in
April. Tickets go so incredibly fast. So you
have to be like like Taylor Swift, you know,
when she puts her tickets on sale and all the
Swifties are like, I got to reload it. So that's
what you got to do. And if you want to get tickets
you got to be like on it yeah I don't know when
tickets drop I wish I did so would that be on
the website JCCC .edu I believe it is like a
bunch of links you can follow I imagine to get
there and if anybody has any questions you can
always send them to me at cupcake Jen 1972 on
the socials and I will happily send those on
to Hattie and we will get you the answers that
you need We bid you a farewell from here in the
Student Center on the campus of Johnson County
Community College. Tune in every Wednesday when
we have new episodes of Student Stories. Thank
you again, Addie, for being here. Yes, of course.
Me too. Bye, guys. Have a great one.