I admittedly had to look up what makes a good fashion designer and photographer. Off the top of my head, these are the skills I need to do my art well:
Problem-solving, spatial awareness, product deconstruction and reconstruction (reverse-engineering), fabric awareness (draping and silhouettes), color theory, patience, eye for detail, drawing ability, visualization, styling ability, patternmaking, knowledge of film photography settings, editing skills, composition/placement, lighting, technical photography skills
Because of my background in engineering, I have a lot of problem-solving, spatial awareness, and reverse-engineering skills. I think I’m pretty good at being able to tell when a composition or color combination looks off, but I struggle in elaborating why. I think I’m also good at eyeing new trends in the fashion sense and have a good base in drawing to make sketches of pieces.
I need to learn a lot of the more technical “textbook” skills required for my creative work. This includes fabric awareness (draping and silhouettes), color theory, styling, patternmaking, camera settings (dslr and film), editing skills (photoshop), composition/placement, lighting, etc.
There are also some non-technical skills I need to work on in the creative space which are patience and an eye for detail. A lot of times I just want to finish a piece, so I won’t take the time to iron down a hem or line pieces up as well as I’d like. The issue is, once you sew down something, it is really hard to take it back out. Therefore, I need more patience and need to learn to “measure twice and cut once”, so my pieces are made with more love and care. I definitely need to take the time to enjoy the journey instead of the end goal.
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