Today we’d like to introduce you to Dev Smalls
Hi Dev, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I picked up a sewing machine around 2016 but started taking it serious in 2018. I then went in the Army and got stationed in Korea in 2020 during the pandemic where I was forced to keep myself busy due to Covid at the time. While in Korea I would sneak off post and travel the country and gain inspiration through the culture. The bright lights, fashion, textiles, architecture, food and more inspired me to go harder at what I dreamt of so that I would be able to travel more places and see different cultures. After my tour in Korea I got stationed in Georgia and would travel to and from South Carolina as I was prepping to create the biggest cultural couture fashion and music event in the nation, called the Gullah Gala. The Gullah Gala now held at the International African American Museum which is the 2nd largest African American Museum in the nation has gained international recognition bringing in attendees from Germany, Morocco, California, New York and more.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Being a father of three girls and being on the road a lot makes a lot of what I do tough to deal with but at the same time my family is the reason why I do what I do. Spending years away from family is never a easy task so that bothered me a lot but I knew that everything would pay off and even though I can’t make up for lost time, I know I would be able to set my family up so that they won’t have to go through the same things as I did growing up.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I wear a few hats. As a creative I am the creator of “Highest In The Room” which is an art collective that I created in 2022 built to focus on creatives of all sorts. Under the HITR umbrella I would say my most prized creation is the Gullah Gala which I think has the potential to be just as big as the Met Gala if executed properly, and it will. I have that much faith in my team and I think that it will happen. My mindset alone sets myself apart from alot of my peers. I have years and years of ideas crammed in my head that I have yet to display. I’m also surrounded by love and I feel like a lot of people lack those things in particular which could hinder a lot of people throughout their journey. Being in the military also taught me a lot. I’ve learned discipline, patience, encountered physical and mental pain and learned how to overcome that so now that I’m in the business world, those obstacles make life so much smoother. There’s nothing that could break me but me.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Patience. How not to rush or force anything that’s not for me. Take everything at face value and move around the situation to help better yourself. In this field you can’t please everyone and you have to be able to recognize when something is a distraction. Some people you think is on your side sole purpose is to knock you off your pivot and you have to know how to deal with those issues when they occur.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.highestintheroom.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dev.smalls
- Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/groups/gullahgala/?_rdc=1&_rdr#
- Twitter: Highest_itr
- Youtube: Highestintheroom-HITR
