Today we’d like to introduce you to Aidan Skye Jameson
Aidan Skye , we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born in Georgia, but I grew up in Roanoke, Virginia. I lived in a remote area as an only child, so I always found myself turning to nature for inspiration, and I feel like this connection sparked my imagination. My dad was a musician and always encouraged me to seek out more art. He always knew so much about movies, so I was exposed to a lot of films at a very young age. I also started to take dance lessons at the age of four which my mother supported. I loved to dance. It kept me grounded and still does today. I was a dancer for 14 years. There were two things I cherished the most growing up: dance and film. I was fascinated with movies. Every time I watched a movie, it left an impression on me. I truly felt them come to life before my eyes. I guess this sparked my creativity, and I was lucky enough to have parents who fostered that curiosity in me. And that curiosity never left, so I started to seriously pursue film in high school. I took all the film classes available, and I wanted to learn the history of it. I had a great teacher who really showed me that film was not only art but also a career. This is when I started to deep dive into all the roles behind the scenes, and I landed on costume design. I even found out my dad’s mother was a costume designer in Atlanta. This sort of acted as the final puzzle piece when it came to deciding what career I wanted to pursue in college. Once I knew what direction I was going in, it was easier to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Once at SCAD, I knew I made the right path for me because costume design just sort of clicked. It was something I could learn to understand and truly appreciate. Now, I can’t imagine myself doing anything else. I’ve graduated, and I still feel there is so much to learn. And I’m really eager to seek out those experiences.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In high school, my mom worked up to four jobs at the time in order to support my academic career and dance lessons. I also maintained part-time jobs to help us stay afloat. My favorite job I had was at a big movie theater. Anything extra I made, I spent on a ticket at a local theater called the Grandin Theatre. I would go there up to five times a week if I could. I watched everything there. I would just go alone. I think I prefer to see movies that way. Also I would sneak into theaters at my job when we weren’t busy or if I was on my lunch break. I think this saved me in a lot of ways in high school. I really struggled socially, and it was hard for me to feel like I fit in with others. Movies sort of became my escape from all that. So was dance honestly. It helped me express myself in ways that words couldn’t.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
In college, I studied Costume Design at Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia. Outside of the classroom, I remained engaged in my peers’ projects in hopes of fostering industry connections down the line. For me, these student film sets would evolve into professional productions such as Todd Haynes’ May December. I was so lucky to work and learn on a production like that as an undergrad student. I feel like it helped set my course for the rest of my time at SCAD. As a senior, I costume designed for Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at the Lucas Theatre. Myself and my co-designer, Sierra Stoliar, designed and actualized 200 costumes for the musical to immerse the audience into the life of Carole King. I was one of the selected students of the 2024 graduating class to receive an Outstanding Achievement Award. It was special to close my time at SCAD with that kind of recognition. Now, I’m working in the Georgia area pursuing any industry job I can get! I’ve also been lucky enough to start getting work on independent films. I think it’s important for people just starting out in their career to strive for industry productions, but it’s also important to feed the more artistic side of you with smaller projects in a designer position. That’s how you maintain your growth as a designer while also learning from the bottom in the industry. But in terms of my actual costume design work, I strive to create designs for characters that are woven into the fabric of the narrative, adding depth to every seam of a costume. I never want a detail to go to waste. If it’s there, I want it to be there for a reason. I love to go down a rabbit hole when I design. I believe a character’s own perception of their world is integral when fabricating a costume. This can be conveyed through use of color, texture, shape… Everything matters. I always want there to be layers of relationships between characters and their story, and I want to show that through what is on their body. I want my designs to reveal the hidden psychology and personal experience of a character, while taking inspiration from the world around them. I think because of my upbringing, I always go back to nature and art. When I look at the veins of a leaf, I see a fabric. When I see a Hilma af Klint painting, I see a pattern for a costume. Art is a full circle experience for me and my work.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
2020 is kind of a blur now. I think so much was happening so fast. I feel like the lockdown helped people get back in touch with their creativity, but it also deeply affected so many people. For me, I was still working for some of it, but obviously schools were closed, so I spent a lot of time alone. I tried to keep busy by watching movies and shows I never felt I had time to watch. Funny enough, I’m currently working on one of those shows now!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://aidanskyejameson.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aidanskyedesigns
Image Credits
Dawn Roberts, Kazimir Skye, Dalton Rice, Aidan King, Tim Boroweic, Yuuki Shimizu, Fenn David
