Happy Black History Month from Hoot! To celebrate the month, and Black people in the creative industry, we wanted to take the time to honor and acknowledge Black Columbia and Barnard alums working as creatives and changing the game. Keep reading to hear from path-breaking Barnumbia graduates on how to make it in the industry as a Black creative.
“I just like to vibe and have fun, you know?” is the mantra of Lauren Onelum, a 22-year-old Nigerian-American Taurus and storytelling multi-hyphenate from L.A. Lauren (BC ‘22) who decided to attend Barnard on a whim, after falling in love with the school while attending a fly-in program in high school. And that whim turned out to be the start of an engaged, creatively enriching college career: Lauren recalls her most pivotal experiences, and the spaces where she found her people, being from her time at Hoot, Bacchanal, and Joe’s Coffee, where she served as the Art Director, Design Chair, and Barista, respectively. In class, she studied French to English literary translation and discovered a love of language. She views translation as one of the most creative aspects of literature and writing, as it involves getting to rewrite and rethink a text.
“If you think of it like a prism or color kaleidoscope, each language is like a different view through that. Working in translation was another aspect of my creative experience on Earth.”
As Lauren has a vast variety of experience in the creative industry from styling, working in marketing and PR, and photography, storytelling is her passion, the focal similarity across her experiences, and what she seeks out in any job or project that she pursues. She sees a story to be told in everything from creating a meal, a magazine, or curating an experience, to her time as a barista at Joe’s where she would advise patrons on what pastry they should get or try to figure out what drink they might like. She believes when you try to convince people why they should do something, why they should buy something, or why they should go to some event, there is always a storytelling aspect involved.
Lauren comes from a family of storytellers, and it is something that she has enjoyed since she was a child.
“I think my family in general, we're all talkers. And we love telling stories. We love listening to people we love, meeting new people, and hearing their stories. “
While at Barnard, with storytelling at the forefront of her pursuits, Lauren gained experience at a range of different startup fashion companies.As a sophomore, Lauren interned at the PR Agency Purple where she learned about how marketing works and clarified what she wanted to do with her career. At Purple, Lauren gained a lot of responsibility as she would act as the “mini brand manager” for major skincare brands such as IIia and Dr. Jart. She describes her experience there as one of her proudest moments as she was trusted to help these brands figure out what their stories would be and would see her ideas and decks land in major publications including Condé Nast and Variety.
Another project that she was excited about was being able to work on a translation project for a Barnard professor in which she was responsible for doing archival research and translating works.
“Translating is a lot of storytelling.t's a lot of arguing why you use a certain word or why you think your word is better than someone else's choice or whatever. So I felt really proud of myself that my professors recognized my ability to choose a word and stick with the word even if they didn't agree with it. I could argue my point and be validated.”
Lauren describes herself as a multi-hyphenate, always having multiple jobs because of her diverse interests. She doesn’t see herself ever doing just one thing, as she loves to learn and loves to learn within different fields and experiences.
Lauren has worn many hats in the creative industry, and being from LA, she has always had a good sense of the creative space, how it functioned, and how people operated in the space. With her experience and interaction in the creative industry, she has some advice for aspiring creatives.
“Always remember who you are, and what your values are. And at the end of the day, people are people. Just because they might produce something that you think is cool, doesn't mean that they are someone who shares your values and is going to treat you in the way that the people you already have a relationship with will treat you.”
Lauren expresses concern over the ease of getting wrapped up in the excitement of the industry, how much other people are doing, and the constant pressure to compare yourself to others, and emphasizes the importance of respecting yourself and being proud of how you present yourself.
“Because at the end of the day, you want to feel happy with the way that you act and in the way that you portray yourself. The way that you make other people feel is the most important thing.”
Lauren feels that many people in the creative industry are more focused on getting ahead and being the one to be recognized. She emphasizes that “there's room for so many people, there's space for so many people, so many people contribute to this one final product. You can be nice to people you don't know, it's not going to kill you.”
Lauren is also inspired by Black creatives who echo the same things that she does, citing Kendra Austin(@Kendramorous) and Candice Braithwaite as particular favorites. She watches their content to stay inspired, make sure she is following her own advice, staying true to who she is, and following her own desires in the creative space.
Currently, Lauren is living her best life in Paris, working as an English Teaching Assistant and hoping to work freelance in the creative industry soon.
“It is like the most bizarre, incredible, jarring, nurturing, and spectacular experience I've ever had in my life.”
Every day for her has been a journey, whether good or bad, and she shares that she is learning so much about herself. Lauren has been lucky enough to have incredible experiences with the community she has and friends she has in the industry, including being able to have some crazy experiences during Paris Fashion Week. She does note, however, that there are good days and bad days as life is life, the racism is different in Europe than in the states, and Paris is more conservative than New York or LA and these are all factors to contend with if you are interested in working in Paris one day.
Other advice that she offers to aspiring Black creatives who hope to work in Paris, is that you have to put yourself out there, be persistent, and ask people for opportunities. Lauren also advises being aware of and conscious of the American ego.
“I think sometimes when you come from the States, especially a big city like New York, there's a tendency to think that you know more than other people, or that you have a better perspective than other people. That American ego, I think it's very real like; I see it all the time. I even have to deal with it myself, myself because I'm in someone else's country. Like, this is another country, they have a different way of doing things. Just because I do it differently, and I like my way better, doesn't mean it is the right way.
“I think in entering another creative space, while you might have really good ideas, sometimes taking a backseat, and letting the people who have already been in that space for a long time have the front seat is an important thing. I think it is an important mark of respect that will open more doors for you when you are more keen to learn instead of telling in the beginning.”
