Eric Blake Parks: a Phoenix dream and Los Angeles achievements
Eric Blake Parks is a freelance wardrobe stylist in Los Angeles who has worked in retail with an eye to fashion growing up. Eric likes working out in his personal time. He says, “I’m not the most fit person, but I love working out because it’s the perfect destresser for me.” Here are his achievement answers!
What did you want to be when you were younger? Please tell us about how those dreams transformed into your present/ future dreams and achievements.
I love this question because I wanted to be everything from a baby heart surgeon and actor to a marine biologist to a chef and one day I realized I was never passionate about either of the dreams and once I came to that conclusion it led me to the craft that has been in front of my face the whole time, Fashion. I’ve always been around fashion. My grandma was a designer and a model back in her day, and my mom was always super trendy and just the chicest woman ever. There were always Vogue and Instyle magazines laying around the house, but it wasn’t until I saw the Rachel Zoe Project on Bravo when realized that you can make a career out of making people look good. And ever since that moment I started doing odd jobs and random test shoots in Arizona, which led me to Los Angeles, and where I am now!
2. What barriers or hurdles did you overcome in trying to follow your dreams?
My biggest setback that I had to get over was the fact that I lived in Phoenix, Arizona. When you think of the fashion capitals of the world you definitely don’t put Phoenix on the list. (Ha!) So I had to pick up and move my talents and dreams to sunny California--which has been the best decision I’ve ever made. Not only do I get do what I love but I get to do iit n Los Angeles where art and creativity thrive!
Another obstacle is when moving to a new city and you know absolutely no one, it makes it hard to connect. So when I got here I enrolled into some classes at the Art Institute to get to know other people in the industry. I also started attending a creative faith based community called Mosaic and they had a Fashion ministry. Once you get a tribe and work hard, you’ll be so well connected that jobs will start flying your way.
3. What advice would you give someone following in your footsteps?
Some advice I’d give to someone who wants to be a wardrobe stylist would be to ALWAYS be the light on set. The fashion industry is kind of ugly and if you’re giving good vibes and pleasant to be around, things tend to work out best for everyone ! Also, work hard and have skin thicker than an alligator, and if you’re assisting, you need to be 67 steps ahead of your boss. That means doing things that need to be done before he or she tells you do it. Also, there’s so many lanes you can be in terms of styling.
When I first moved to L.A., I thought I wanted to be an editorial stylist, and boy, was I was wrong!. I actually found that I love personal shopping because of the one on one relationship with my clients. So get out there and try everything! Last thing-- always remember to have fun!
If you have any questions for Eric, please type them in the comments below. Eric will answer questions about his story and his work. So feel free to ask away!
