Meet Aspen Grazier | Fashion designer and model

We had the good fortune of connecting with Aspen Grazier and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aspen, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I always knew I was going to be in an artistic field from a very young age, probably before I could even verbalize it. For a while I thought I was going to be a cartoonist and when I started at CCAD I spent the first semester as a comics major. Instead of doing homework for that class I would go to the library and spend hours looking at all the archived editions of Vogue magazine from the 80s. With some help from mentors I finally connected the dots that fashion was always the thing I was most interested in and switch majors to fashion design. While it took me a while to find out what field of art felt right for me, an artistic career was always something I knew I wanted to do, I don’t think I ever even considered other options, it was just something I always knew about myself

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As an artist who is still a student I still have so much to learn and it’s a constant process figuring out what connects with me creatively. For a while I thought I wanted to design very deconstructed street wear garments but the more I do research and learn new techniques my work has been pulled in a very romantic feminine direction. The one thing that has remained a constant is using crochet in my work. Currently I’m working on developing a much more refined approach so I only use lace weight/finger weight yarn to create a very fine weave and drape as opposed to the look of a chunky granny square. Finding the time to explore everything I want to while also keeping up with school has been a very hard balance to find.
I think most artists had a difficult experience growing up in some capacity, I think it’s a big reason why we become artists in the first place. Due to this most of my art comes from a very personal place. Every piece I make has some memory or experience attached to it, you can’t separate the art from the artist

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would definitely say my favorite spots for something sweet are Belles Bread or Pattycake bakery as well as snacks from Mediterranean Food Imports Dada Matcha bar has the best matcha in Columbus
The stores I frequent the most are Prologue bookshop, Smartypants, and the Columbus Antique mall
Whenever I can my absolute favorite activity is getting my nails done at Fuzz nail salon in Clintonville

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?
Casey Immel-Brown and Celeste Malvar-Stewart are two of the most amazing designers and just the most amazing people who have helped me more than they’ll ever know on my creative path I’ve also had the incredible fortune to work with Lindsay Berndt, one of the most talented and creative photographers in Columbus

Instagram: @aspen_grazier

Image Credits
Claire Brown Chawis Saelim Lindsay Berndt