Today we’d like to introduce you to Sebastianie Pompee.
Sebastianie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Hmm… now that I’m way older and deeper into my creative crafts and what I desire for that to look like in the near future, the story of how I started seems like a dream.
I was 4 years old going on five when I first moved to the States; culture shock was very prevalent to me at such a young age. As if this move wasn’t major in itself, the first few years were films in itself; there was constant rolling around and transferring in and out of schools.. my family would move so often.
At that young age, I didn’t understand how great of an impact this huge move was for foreigners from a country with less access to the dreams of America.
So as time passed, I started reading books to feed into my curiosity… as I turned the pages, so did the pages of my sketchbooks while I transitioned into middle school. I started creating… anything; poems, short stories, sketches and doodles of faces and dresses.. everything.
Later into middle school, after creating so much on notebooks and iMacs, I started learning what the concept of thrifting meant to me, personally. My parents would always swing by and get my brother and I a few things here and there but… the question stood “What if you started being intentional with what you chose? Instead of settling?”
It’s high school now and I’m reconstructing pieces that I’ve bought from local thrift stores and maybe using a bit too much bleach whilst at it. I’d cut up old pants into shorts because, hello.. it’s Miami! Mom, I’m hot! Now the collars of shirts are being cut off to show my shoulders with a side of acrylic paint to add an edgy saying.
Sophomore year comes around and now I’m able to share my love of the arts with my peers; a custom shirt here, a cut up shirt for the pep rally here, a couple more shorts here… I even started selling outside of my high school and to supporters outside of Florida. Life was too sweet!
It’s senior year now and all of a sudden I’m known as a braider in the school. It was as if every year I ventured off to a new pathway; the paths were never ending.
Art was my escape from a reality that I didn’t really want to fully understand at a young age. What I did understand was that time is always going to pass by and what I did as those moments went, was create. Thats all I knew to do; create with time.
My story really stems from the curiosity from the inner 4 year old me who made that huge move to America. This curiosuity continues to build my creativity as I age…
I’m at the point in my life now where it’s evident every second how much God has graciously allowed me to master so many crafts. My goal now for the near future is to give back to the young children in the world who, too, are confused but run away and hide behind different mediums in creative arts. My journey has been written to inspire and to tell stories that are left untold whether from me or the girl two continents away wishing to trade places with me.
Through every hairstyle I create, every photoshoot I direct, every project that I sew, every page that I design, every story I write, every child I teach, every moment that I capture… I aim to bring an idea of what the culture of creativity has always meant to me; community. I would like to say I have grown into the pants of a traveler and I bring my experience into all the forms of art that I do for work. And thats my story as an entrepreneur in the creative industry; business has always been my art and my art is a story that has been in motion since the age of 4.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t been a smooth road at all which is why my escape routes have always been my art. One of the struggles I had along the way was leaving the city that I originally created a mark in, to create another one as an out of town college student. The transition was smooth but the move back home officially was a bit tough to handle after graduating college. I wasn’t; aware of the dramatic change a hairstylist would have returning to her home town after 4 years.
This was around the time that I was also falling in and out of love with doing hair… It wasn’t giving me the same thrill that it used to.. So I started mixing things in together in the hot pot. It took me a few years to understand how to leverage my business in a way to cater to more than one kind of client.
I was a hairstylist who also modeled and designed her own clothes. What?? Okay so I learned to use a professional camera and the love for hair started picking back up again. I was now the one scouting for models to try different braid styles, throw on street styled outfits, and crawl into Miami with a Canon and 35mm lens. Through a struggle, I learned another art which was diving into creative direction. Now all I needed was a comb, a camera, and a few hangers with pieces crafted by me.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a creative stylist located in Miami, Florida. I specialize in storytelling with braids, fashion styling, and creative direction through art, beauty, and film. If I were to say what I am best known for, it’s for my style; I don’t really have a go to fashion style; what matters to me is making things fit to me and my personality… If it doesn’t fit, I’ve always made it work. But then, you can’t forget the braids because they go hand in hand. I’m the hairstylist to wear a nice fit every single appointment day.
What sets me apart from others is that everything I do powers up the other; none is greater than the other. My skills all are a domino effect of something that I presumed as confusing, maybe failure, struggle, or even a win. Everything I do exists because I’ve never fully stopped to let go and try something new; I’ve paused and taken breaks and always found my way home.
Home is the powerhouse that all my talents have created; from braiding over 11 years, fashion illustrating for over 15 years, and working with students for over 6 years… and now freelance photography going on 3 years. What I’m most proud of is my ability and willingness to always create in so many ways.
What does success mean to you?
Success to me has no definition but rather a feeling.
To me its a feeling that allows you to kick your feet back, relax, intense your shoulders, and unclench your jaw without having to worry about anything whether it pertains your career, personal life, financial comfortability, or even intimate life…
Success to me feels a lot like peace.. the ability to just be.
Pricing:
- Photography Packages: Starting at $250
- Braiding styles for men, women, and kids starting at $150
- Wardrobe Styling: starting at $50 per outfit moodboard or $100 per package
- Custom Pieces: starting at $75 per hour
Contact Info:
- Website: https://imsebastianie.as.me
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/xfashion_killa
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastianie-pompee-363442235/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@imsebastianie
- Other: https://instagram.com/xblessedroots
