Meet Jade Syan | Artist, Model, Designer

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

Hi Jade, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?

You’ll always know when to keep going. At the end of the day, no one will understand your vision the way you do. It’s up to you to bring your visions to life. Keep going especially when your goals are within reach. Sometimes you just have to push just a little bit longer and harder. Once you finally reach your destination, you’ll be glad you kept going.

This is something I felt with modeling and our clothing line. I’ve had moments where I questioned my timeline or where I’m actually headed. The past two years have been peaks in my journey and if I gave up, I wouldn’t have had the opportunities I’ve had. Seeing what I have accomplished in the past six years has given me motivation to never give up. I’ve heard before that as an entrepreneur, sometimes it can take about five years to start seeing the fruits of your labor. I can agree with this. If this is what I can accomplish in this time frame, and as an independent model, then I can’t imagine what’s next. If this is what my brother and I could accomplish within the first year and a half, then I really can’t imagine what’s next.

I honestly don’t believe in giving up. There may be a time in your life where you need to pause and take a break. It may not be the right time to bring certain things to fruition, but never give up. There may be times where you feel the need to make revisions to your dreams. There can also be times where you realize something isn’t for you or it isn’t your passion anymore, so you let it go. Always remember that this is your journey. Social media makes it easy to compare yourself to others or make you feel like you’re behind in life. We all have our own timeline and have to move at our own pace. Sometimes you never know what someone else went through to get to where they are now. Your hardships and overcoming them is what makes your journey unique.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

My name is Jade Syan. I’m a 25 year old model, artist, and designer from Louisville, KY. I’ve been modeling for six years, and I’m currently an independent model. My brother, Isaiah Bey, and I have a clothing line together called A New Dream LLC. The brand itself was my brother’s vision, and I’ve helped along the way to bring his vision to life. I ended up designing the crown logo for our brand along with other clothing pieces and logos.

A New Dream is a luxury streetwear brand. Our mission is to spread awareness to the mindset of living a life with no limitations. A New Dream is a movement and lifestyle. We want to empower others to always follow their dreams despite how hard their path may be. There’s power in persistence and perseverance. We aim to offer substance and quality on a global scale.

Throughout these years, I’ve had amazing opportunities. I was selected to walk for Fllumaé in NYFW (New York Fashion Week) in 2021 and featured on the NYFW website. Last fall I worked as a brand ambassador for Gatorade. Earlier this year, I was featured in a campaign for Hibbett and Nike during Nike Air Maxx month, along with my brother. It’s rare for Nike to do this, but I’m thankful that the team allowed us to feature our brand. Isaiah and I also became influencers for Hibbett and City Gear.

As a child I always had a love for art, especially drawing. I used to watch my dad sketch all the time. As I got older, I had a passion to become a fashion designer or maybe even a model one day. In college I even picked up graphic design.

Modeling has been a dream of mine since I was very little. For the longest, I thought my height was something that would keep me from achieving that dream. Six years ago my friend, Elexis Allen, was just getting into photography and wanted to use me as a model. I posted photos from the shoot to Instagram. From the time I posted the pictures, I gradually started to have more photographers reach out to work with me.

I feel like I was born to create. As a child, I always felt like I had to choose one path. It’s crazy seeing it all come together and me becoming everything I dreamed of. It took a lot for me to get to where I am now.

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 huge foodie. My favorite place to eat is La Bodeguita de Mima. It’s a Cuban restaurant in Nulu. Nulu is in between Downtown Louisville and the Highlands. It’s a super cute and vibrant part of town. I love to eat places that are authentic and aesthetically pleasing. La Bodeguita de Mima is this big yellow building on East Market Street, you can’t miss it. Cuban food is one of my favorite foods too. Another place I love to eat at is 8UP! 8UP! is Downtown Louisville and is on the top floor of the Hilton Garden Inn. The interior design is amazing and it’s a rooftop, so it has a beautiful view of the city.

I love to be in nature. My favorite parks are The Waterfront and Cherokee Park. I have a love for being by water and The Waterfront is right along the Ohio River. It’s honestly my go to when I want to relax and clear my mind. Cherokee Park is pretty big and has a lot of trails. It’s very scenic with a lot of greenery and hilltops. I’ve done quite a few shoots at both of these parks.

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?

My brothers are the only ones that I can truly depend on no matter what. We came from poverty, but always had each other and made a way. My dad and grandad always worked, so they weren’t around as much as a sense of guidance growing up. My grandad (poppy) was the most frequent father figure in my life, but he passed away in 2021. My little brothers have been by my side every step of the way. We had a complex family dynamic growing up, but I can honestly say that I was somewhat of a mother figure to my brothers and they kind of acted as father figures to me. It was always just the three of us, we are inseparable.

A book that has been very impactful to my path as an artist is “Art & Fear” by David Bayles and Ted Orland. This book helped opened my mind when it comes to creating and not being confined to the status quo. It speaks on the common thoughts and doubts that many artists have when it comes to art-making. Challenges such as how your art is perceived to others, why some art doesn’t get made, and even why some artist give up along the way. My greatest takeaways from the book is, “…becoming an artist consists of learning to accept yourself, which makes your work personal, and in following your own voice, which makes your work distinctive.”

Website: https://www.jadesyan.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jade.syan/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jade-mckissick-ba9992180/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jade.mckissick

Other: https://anewdream.shop/ https://www.amazon.com/shop/jade.syan

Image Credits
Ke’Ondris Hughes, Brayden Hale, Mariah Kelly, Alexander Diego, Weslie Rowan, Ja’van Carr