Makayla Godden, a senior textile design student and creative, currently living in San Francisco. She thrives off creating stories through her art that can be made into something that is long lasting with true value. Her inspiration comes from people around her along with the people she looks up to, in all forms and color.
She began her journey as a textile designer around four years ago due to her long time fascination with color and her dreams to see people wearing her designs in “their own unique ways”. Her designs stand out in style, having a fun and imperfect yet recognizable look. Like all creatives, Makayla sometimes struggles with expressing her creativity, in which she enjoys listening to her favorite music, people watching, traveling and watching films. Once she does that, she then starts working in her sketchbook while working with different mediums in order to find the shapes that inspire her within.
A couple strengths we discussed include knowing who your target customer is, being aware and confident with your own personal style, and “not being afraid to think outside the box”. These are a couple strengths that have helped Makayla in producing her senior collection in collaboration with a fashion designer. The collection includes “a total of six outfits with all of [her] prints on them”. She is most proud of this collection because of the hard work and effort she has put into the project while in the middle of a global pandemic. She has now found a successful alternative way to produce her work, by hand, at home.
From there, we started discussing a couple problems we had faced that have made us the creatives we are today, to which she said:
“I’ve honestly had many problems but it has made me the designer I am today. An issue I have
come up against my whole life is not feeling good enough. I used to compare myself to many
others and felt a bit lost because I have grown up with a lot of people around me telling me “no.”
I’ve had adversity through a lot of different phases of my life. Through faith and hard work… I’m
still here. I’m still getting my degree. I found something I am truly passionate about that doesn’t
even feel like a job. I believe the hardships that I have come across my whole life shaped me to
be confident, taught me to treat others with respect, and taught me to keep going no matter
what anyone says.”
Through past experiences comes motivation and hard work. Setting goals is a good place to start. In Makayla’s perspective, it is important to stay “happy and healthy” and create “a great environment around [you] wherever” you are. Her goals for the next couple years are to keep working on her craft and continue to learn how to become stronger for the future and we have nothing but the utmost faith in her.