Advice From Darian Symoné: Have Guts And Be On Time

My Secret Job is a column that features individuals who skillfully clock into their day-to-day jobs while juggling their secret or not-so-secret endeavors. This month, catching up with individuals who managed to “hack” and disrupt what conventional work looks like by creating a path guided by passion.

Darian Symoné Harvin is the relatable multimedia correspondent, editor, and writer who knows all things beauty, pop culture, and everything in between. When she's not sharing her insightful perspectives and conversing with household names like Tracee Ellis Ross for publications like The New York Times and Teen Vogue, she's creating a platform for real-time discussions on culture, beauty, and current events, both online and in person, through Studio Symoné.

Harvin's transition from a magenta-themed Instagram mood board to building an engaging media company came from a desire to fill a community gap she noticed within various creative spheres she found herself in. Studio Symoné offers an open and passionate space with a beauty-centric lens that Harvin is well-acquainted with having an intuitive pulse on. Darian talks about community, starting over, and her amazement with Blue Ivy Carter's emergence during the Renaissance tour.

Shanna McGuire: Tell me about the inception of Studio Symoné:

Symoné Harvin: I feel that I have been gracefully building Studio Symoné my entire life. I’ve been a writer ever since I could remember. The genesis of Studio Symoné is my own love, fascination, and upbringing around beauty practices – and my desire to put a critical eye on the world of beauty by dissecting it at the intersection of pop culture and politics. Very simply, Studio Symoné is a media company that talks about culture and current events through the lens of beauty. And we do this through beauty news coverage and storytelling for our audience. I founded the brand in February of 2022 (before the trend-color-craze, surprisingly), and magenta is Studio Symoné’s primary color. It activates passion and power. It supports innovation and an imaginative spirit. It aids our spiritual journeys and urges us to find new avenues to explore who we actually are. This mindset allows us to serve an expansive group of women and femmes based on values, voice, artistry, social awareness, and the art of having fun. Most importantly, it allows us to break beauty standards.

SM: Who is the ideal Studio Symoné entity, in your opinion?

Darian Symoné Harvin: There are so many. Studio Symoné has already existed for many decades if that makes sense. It's already a brand with a lot of roots because it's based on being inspired by people's processes and how they've utilized beauty to figure out who they are. Across the 70s, 80s, and 90s, it's women like Tina Turner (may she rest in peace!) for her presence on stage, and I'd also say her commitment to her spiritual growth. Today, women like Kelis are expanding and showing the world how they are making life work for them. Or Serena Williams, who is deeply aware of how uncomfortable her presence has made white people in the world she dominates, yet continues to apply pressure on sports politics and beauty standards–win or loss. From a younger generation, it's someone like Blue Ivy Carter. The way she carries herself and accessorizes herself to feel comfortable is really something I pick up on when I see her on and off stage. Comfortability, feeling comfortable in your skin, or knowing the rituals and tools that will help you get to that place is a big element of being part of Studio Symoné.

SM: What does community look like to you?

Darian: To me, community feels like holding a desire to be part of something where you want to bring an offering and you want to contribute – not out of obligation, but because you know that being who you are and sharing extensions of that can propel others forward. Knowing that sharing what you have to offer can contribute to a wider space that can increase the quality of someone else’s life. And visa versa. I desire that when it comes to community.

SM: Speaking on community, is there anyone in your circle now you'd like to acknowledge or give credit to for their help or inspiration in creatively pushing you forward?

Darian: My friend Taj Rani Chrisp. She’s a fellow multimedia storyteller with her own video series, That’s That on That, and she will be the first one to remind me who I am. And I am forever grateful for that.

SM: Can you share a pivotal Studio Symoné moment that made you realize a community had truly formed and showed out?

Darian: I planned a park Studio Symoné meet up in New York City. The one request I made to everyone was to bring an offering: a small dish, flowers, something you made, or a piece of art or media you simply want to share. It rained, so I moved the location to Rhodora Wine Bar in Clinton Hill and didn’t expect anyone to bring an offering since we had moved to an establishment. But Rayven, #ssgirl and CMO in her work life, still brought her family’s archive of Ebony, Essence, and Playboy magazines for us to read through. It really created a moment for us to bond as we talked about media, beauty, Black people in media, advertising — and so much more. That moment was when I knew I had created something special because I had gathered a group of women who weren’t looking for a transaction but an exchange.

SM: Can you identify anything you consistently see lacking in the various creative fields you've worked in?

Darian: Guts. To do the right thing even when the industry makes you feel wrong about breaking from the status quo because it’s not how things are normally done. It’s hard to make sacrifices when your quality of life under capitalism is on the line, but at the very least, don’t hide behind DEI rhetoric to make it seem like you care.

SM: Let's do some quickfire questions — tactics you’ve set in place to avoid burnout with your work?

Darian: Taking breaks immediately when I sense I need to during my working hours, and not wait until hours later to do so.

SM: What is a trend you're currently pondering over?

Darian: Not really a trend, but I notice food virality is being brought to a whole new level. Recipes, cooking techniques, new appliances, ingredients, and traditional dishes are all being reworked to fit new media formats that demand a level of awe almost instantly if you want to be noticed. I’m genuinely curious where it’ll lead us.

SM: Thoughts on starting over?

Darian: Tough. Hard. Excruciating. Not fun. But transformative. And sometimes you don’t even realize you’re starting over until you look around one day and realize that even through the crying, things look a little more like the life you actually want, bit by bit. I’m going through a life and career change now, and I am not through it by any means, but this is what I know at this point.

SM: A quote you live by?

Darian: “It doesn’t always matter if you’re the first to do it. It just matters that you’re on time and show up when it matters.”