Meet Desiree Ve’an | Mini Influencer and Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Desiree Ve’an and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Desiree, why did you pursue a creative career?
I’ve always been a creative person. I remember taking art from kindergarten all the way to my senior year in high school. I love being able to create things even though I am my biggest critic. So me pursuing a career where I can create things for other people to see or for other people to enjoy just made sense to me. I can express myself through my pictures, videos, or the designs I make for my shirt line. I like being able to have an outlet where I can help get rid of stress and just be my unapologetic self. A career as an artist and as a creative gives that to me.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think the thing that sets me apart from everyone else is I don’t necessarily have an aesthetic. I’ve noticed a lot of people have one on their Instagram. They all want their page to look a certain way. Zero shade to those people because I know it’s a lot of work keeping that up, but I personally cannot do it. It definitely was not easy to get to where I am today. I went through a lot of trial and error to figure out how to get where I am today. I knew I wanted to create content, but I just didn’t know how. So I started looking at the big-name girlies who were doing what I wanted to do. I started to follow what they were doing. I would try to make sure I posted content where you could see my hair more, use hashtags, and just stay active with IG stories even though I wasn’t posting every day. I started to see my following grow and then that was when some brands started reaching out to me so I could work with them. I literally wanted to cry because I was working for months to build myself up as an artist and as a creative and it finally paid off. There were times when I wanted to quit because I felt like I wasn’t going anywhere, and that all the stuff I was doing was useless. In the end, I’m really glad I didn’t give up because I wouldn’t have this interview right now. I’m also excited to announce I finally opened my clothing line Casually Threads. You can find it at casuallythreads.com. I have a lot of things I want to do in life before I’m gone, so this is just the start of everything.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m a creature of habit so I would take them to the places I hang out regularly. I like to be close to home and to places I feel safe to be in. One of the places would definitely be Rodeo Goat. They have amazing drinks and great burgers. Also the area it’s in has so many things to do. There are a lot of other restaurants and bars that we could just walk around and have fun in. Also, it is within walking distance of Discovery Green. I like the area because there is something for everyone there. It’s also not too far from the famous graffiti wall. If a game is going on while they’re here I would love to take them to one. The energy is just different at a Houston sporting event.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are a lot of people that I would love to give a shoutout to so I’m just going to say a few. The first being my best friend Jasmine and her mom. The love and support they constantly give me is amazing and I am forever grateful for having them in my life. Jasmine is always there by my side with all the crazy ideas I’ve ever had and I can never really repay her for that. The second person is my older cousin Jessica aka Jess Marie. She is like the older sister I never had. Without her, I don’t know where I’d be in life honestly. She took me under her wing and helped me see a different life I could get if I put my mind to it. To this day she still helps me grow as a person and is helping me grow as a business person as well. The last being my old art teacher Mr. C, I learned a lot from him. At the time I didn’t realize how much I was learning about life and not giving up on myself or limiting myself to my comfort zone. Now that I’m older I appreciate everything he has taught me. So shout out to all of them because they helped shape me to be the person I am today.

Website: casuallythreads.com

Instagram: kaidasrey

Other: business email is kaidasrey1@gmail.com