Making space for yourself to flourish is such a vital undertaking we must all make in our lives, to grow in a way that fulfills us holistically. Embarking on such a mass undertaking as a young Black woman in America, it takes a little more effort and elbow grease to solidify yourself in an industry that's dominated by men.
So I Introduce you to SockX, an Orlando, Florida native who has made a name for herself in the music video production world, known for her colorful and unique sock selection on set, she has become the woman you call to get your vision brought to life on set. SockX always had a passion for teamwork, being a former point guard on the basketball team, team building, and collaborative creation is second nature to SockX. Her introduction into production started as a model.
"I was a model first but I hated to wear makeup and wearing heels. And I was more comfortable at pretty much telling people what to do, versus waiting 12 hours on set to do nothing."
If you've had any kind of on-set experience this is par for the course in many circumstances, (HURRY UP AND WAIT) and it can feel like your valuable time is being wasted. SockX was able to ease into her calling quickly, transitioning from talent on set to creative director on a production in a matter of weeks.
So what is a creative director you might ask?
The primary role of a creative music video director is to bring to life the artistic vision of the artist or band while creating a visual narrative that enhances the song's message and engages the audience. Some of the key responsibilities of a music video director can include concept development, pre-production, directing, post-production, budget management, and collaboration. Overall, the creative music video director plays a crucial role in bringing an artist's vision to life and creating a visual experience that enhances the song's impact.
So with that opportunity and the success that came from it, SockX was able to understand the role she was made for was ultimately producing. But even with that knowledge of self, coming from a smaller market like Orlando to a bigger market such as Atlanta things sometimes need to fall into place the right way.
"I definitely have been blessed and the situations I've been put in, you know, coming from Orlando, and nobody knowing what a creative director is, but me still pushing forward still...So when I came to Atlanta, about like, a year and a half ago, it was one of those things where I feel as if I said, Oh, I'm a creative director, everybody was like, whoa, okay, yeah, let's work. I wasn't used to that."
And things did fall into place for SockX besides being a producer she has had the opportunity to manage music artists, most notably Derez Deshon. Her team-building, leadership, and creative qualities were recognized and she made the most of it. Being able to assist an artist with management but also the creative processes of making content for their fans.
SockX thrives in these types of fast-paced male-dominated environments when asked about her experience in working in these types of conditions she said,
"Honestly, being a woman has its pros and its cons like anything else. They look at you as dainty but then you pack a powerful punch. And it's like, WHOA, OKAY! She really does this. Now it makes people want to step up their game like I kind of underestimated her, let me get myself together. But that's about it. I guess the only downfall is that they underestimate you, a man will try you as a woman. And that's honestly it. Other than that there's no real downfall to being a woman in the industry. Now. Do we have to work harder for jobs? Yeah, because it's male-dominated."
SockX is a leader, and has worn many hats and also created a company to house the many hats she possesses under one umbrella, and that umbrella is SockX VisionX ProductionX her goal for her five-year-old company ultimately is to be a destination for any artist to get all their needs met to be successful in the music industry.
"And as far as vision wise I've been able to connect my circles together so like having these independent artists and taking their music and putting them on movie sets...this year as I said is the closest to my vision that I've ever been. But again, this is only the first year that I've felt like this. So who Who knows where it will be in the next like, you know three to four years I am moving pretty fast like you said it sounds like I'm very seasoned but I'm still a little wet behind the ears I still got a ways to go"
I've been fortunate enough to experience the force that is known as SockX in action on set a few times, most recently for social media sensation Kayla Nicole and her video "I Hate It Here" and as I took behind-the-scenes photos of this working set SockX was doing her thing behind the behind the scenes. I asked her about her experinece in working this video.
"The experience for that one was kind of crazy because I think that was the most fires I ever put out, I put out a lot of fires like A LOOOOOT of fires, and that was the biggest fire I've ever put out in my experience as a producer. The location thing was a crazy a** situation like I said it was an experience."
SockX also let me know about Morray's most recent video 'Broken Vows' and I had the opportunity to see her in action. She explained,
"It was a full circle moment to work with Morray, my brother did the behind-the-scenes for Morray and was tasked to produce a production. My brother wasn't well versed on the production side so he called on me to bring the vision to life. The other full circle moment was when my artist Derez Deshon had a song with Morray, and Morray fell in love with my work ethic, so it wasn't any question when looking for who would produce the video, Morray let it be known it was a no-brainer. We are going with SockX."
SockX is on her way, she is blazing trails and cultivating a community of creatives to provide solutions for musical artists' problems visually, she gets it done. Continue to follow her as she keeps ascending to new heights in the music video production world.
You can follow her on Instagram at "socks_5" and also check out the videos of the work we discussed with artists Kayla Nicole and Morray.
Be sure to check out SockX's interview with the hit new podcast "You, Me, And A Cup of Tea" on YouTube with Sydnee!
