Meet Sierra Prescott of Pasadena

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sierra Prescott.

Hi Sierra, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Growing up there were 2 things I really gravitated to. Starting young, I found an interest in cameras; taking pictures, capturing moments, putting a scene together, it all was fun. Of course I did normal kid things like being outside with sports and inside with video games. Combining the 2, XGames became a cultural beacon and collided with Tony Hawks Pro Skater’s release and the radical cartoon Rocket Power. It felt like the combo platter of how my life played to a tun from that moment on. The time was 1999, and skateboarding and photography were now my whole world.

Fast forward to college, I went straight into Brooks Institute, a now defunct but then technical and meticulous photography undergrad. Three years later had my bachelors in commercial photography and started my career working underneath a heavy hitter, Peggy Sirota. After outgrowing my time there, I moved on to work for another photography team in a similar but different vein, celebrity + fashion and music. Between the two experiences I learned a lot about the industry and way to run a business. After a handful of years working for others and feeling antsy, I decided to drop it all and start my own business. It was a risk I felt willing to take, and was thrust into the real work of trying to make a creative endeavor happen.

Headshots and portraits were my new normal, freelancing for a ton of agencies around LA. As freelancing goes, work came in waves, and during those slow times, I went out skateboarding. The year was 2012, and my love of combining skateboarding and photography waltzed back into my life. I started capturing myself, practicing tricks, dressing up in some random color palette, finding fun walls or locations and being my own subject. If I found something I liked visually, I ended up putting it on Instagram, sharing my ‘work’ and play for the world to see. After a trip to Mexico where I skated so hard I broke my board, I started to get noticed. That brand, Z-Flex, sent me a message saying, ‘seems like your need a new board. What’s your address?” and it began. I started skating and taking more content, next being noticed by Vans and appearing in their blog, boxes of shoes came flooding in with follows and I was having fun.

SO now I was juggling a photo careers and a blooming skate career, ‘modeling’ for brands and taking on my own projects to post. The term ‘influencer’ was born, and I was officially one of them. After 5 years of getting attention, Penguin Random House/Ten Speed Press reached out to me about making a book. It was a gnarly request– me? Published? It was a dream come true. So I worked with an editor to make the proper proposal and then I was off- booking flights and doing research, by the end of 2019, I had made a book. Shredders; Girls Who Skate came out in 2020, right around when the Olympics welcomed skateboarding.

Life was RAD– So rad it let to another creation, I was asked to design my own skateboard. Worked alongside Paul Schmitt and Mike Vallely to create 2 original shapes with the phrase, LIFE IS RAD. A unique skateboard and a functional cruiser board. They were my babies. Ever Rad was created to follow, putting out it’s own board graphic. Needless to say, fun and grateful were an understatement. Life was organically flowing in a way I could have never dreamt. I had a permanent smile on my face.

Fast forward years of creating for a long list of brands from all angles, the blend of my two passions was in bloom. Now 37, I’m onto a new venture– Dopamine Skinwear. I am the lead creative working directly underneath the CEO to build a new brand for the active groms of this world. Skateboarding, Surfing and growing from there, we make products protecting the skin of big kids and young teens, along with building a team of athletes to support. Taking care of their skin is one part, but nurturing their individual passions and talents is another. Helping these groms build their passions into a life they aspire. Giving them support to be seen, heard and to practice their passions into- well, whatever they want it to be. Either a full time soul skater like me, or an Olympic Athlete. The choice is theirs and we’re here to help and share their story. We’re only just beginning.

Life is Rad, never stop doing what you love and before you know it, what you really love is what you do for a living. Life is short, work hard, have fun, and stay flexible. You never know how it could go, but keep your head up and stay positive. I’m rooting for you.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
You can’t really get anywhere without some bumps in the road. Pacing your own way always brings out some struggles, but there aren’t any mountain tops without valleys. One of the struggles of being a freelancer is you go from slammed times to quiet months and figuring out how to navigate that with financials was always a learning process. Saving is pretty important when you’re on your own, and more importantly, collecting on payments is not always easy. There’s no regular pay when you do projects, and sometimes big brands or companies just don’t want to pay you after it’s all said and done. Or, they way to pay 6 months later. It’s pretty impossible to rely A/R in this world, so being on top of follow ups and contracts is all part of it. But hey, I get to do what I love, just can get hard like anything else. Something that complicates that is that I’ve more or less considered myself a ‘No’ girl. Most business owners completely scoff at this, because I’ve turned down a lot of money in my life. But I do it for one clear reason– If I don’t want to do the project, I’m not going to do my best work. And I didn’t get into this world to make as much money as I can, I want to do what I can represent myself with. If I don’t believe in the brand or product, I don’t want to take the money and drag my feet through it. It hasn’t always been the easiest but I know what’s true to me and associating myself with teams and brands I like is more important than the pay out.

A specific bump in my road was my book being released in 2020- no book tours, no showings. Took a little of the spark out of this massive achievement in my life, and most likely led to less people knowing about it. But it’s still out there, still being sold, and still marks a rad time in skateboarding.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a photographer who specializes in moments, specifically within movement and food. Moments that feel alive, real and make you stop for a second. Seeing something from a different point of view, the in between moments, the expressions that make you feel something, the candid reactions, drips, drops, mouthwatering scenes you can smell with your eyes. Playing with light that tells a story, invokes a mood. Shadows telling their own story, selective focus emphasizing one part of a scene. There is rarely ever one photo I think is the ‘best.’ I capture a lot of what’s happening that all work together to tell the story. I like playing with color, warping what we see into a way that looks different, picking certain colors to make brighter, contrast that sharpens what details are made to stick out. We already see everything with our eyes, I like to play with that idea and hone in on a feeling.

I think one thing that sets me apart is I work organically and am quite flexible and on the fly. I don’t like to be rigid with my ideas. I like to create a scene, and work within it. Nothing forced, but felt. I’m constantly scanning the scene for a moment to capture, I work fast and always aim for authenticity in my work. I want to understand the people in front of me and what their strengths are, and focus on that. My goal is always to make something love the way they look. The ‘I’ve never seen myself that way’ comment always makes me happy. I like different.

What’s next?
Building Dopamine Skinwear is my current goal- it’s a living breathing brand that shifts with the times and as we learn what’s working and what doesn’t. The only constant is change, and changing as we grow takes being open to always looking around, not just work with our heads down. I am excited to get to know more talent from around the world, and do my best to tell their story and make them feel confident in their own future. Being able to do what you want is a blessing, having someone support you on the way is incredible.

On a personal note, work has been my whole life. But I plan to start a small family soon, and I’m beyond thrilled to support and be there for my future family. Listen to them, love them and support them. It’s another dream (that will) come true.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sierraprescott.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sierra_prescott/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sierraaprescott/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sierraprescott
• Other: https://linktr.ee/sierra_prescott

Image Credits
Celina Kenyon (photographer)

Talent:
Waylon and Peeta Kenworthy
Koa Morehead
Wyatt Hammond
Dylan Hecker
Mazel Paris
Shion Suganami

Restaurants:
Bar Clara
Iddylwild Tavern
Damian