Conversations with Erica Holloway

Today we’d like to introduce you to Erica Holloway. 

Hi Erica, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Shortly after leaving art school in January of 2014, I left my hometown of Austin Texas, and made the journey to sunny Los Angeles. With just two small suitcases in the trunk of my sister’s Nissan Sentra and the hopes of finding a new creative outlet in a city with so much opportunity. I was able to secure an internship and began working as an administrative assistant at a French fashion company located in the charming city of Vernon, just southeast of downtown. It wasn’t long until I began to daydream about the various creative career possibilities that the city had to offer. In this momentous time, I met an inspiring producer that became a close friend and mentor. This friend introduced me to commercial costume designer Keith Wager, and we hit it off. Keith then began to hire me to assist on various productions and regularly referred me to other costume designers. After about six months of working on large-scale commercial campaigns, I was able to join the IATSE Local 705 Union with a membership classification of Women’s Custom-Made. During this period, I spent time on another business venture with my sister Natalie and her husband, Max called Bala Bangles. Our family-owned business, Bala, came into fruition, and I focused my efforts full-time as the Brand Director for Bala. In true start-up fashion, my role came with a multitude of responsibilities outside of creative. After two years, we were able to successfully expand, and I made a series of strategic hires so I may focus more on the creative development of the brand. I then became Bala’s Content Director, which I held up until October of this year. My time at Bala has been incredibly transformative, and after four and a half exhilarating years, I’ve decided to take a break to explore other endeavors as a creative professional.

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?
The freelance lifestyle is accompanied with constant change and pressure to adapt to new work environments. My experience as a freelancer helped in my transition to full-time and helped me manage the uniquely unpredictable happenings that affect all aspects of startup businesses. The most important thing I’ve learned is that it is immensely important to take care of your physical and mental health by any means necessary, both are crucial factors in ensuring long-term success both personally and professionally.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I’ve been kindly referred to as a Jill-of-all-trades. I have strong creative vision, coupled with a tenacious ability to take a project from concept to completion. My specialties are in creative/art direction and brand marketing. I am most proud of my contributions at Bala and left a legacy of work that helped shape the creative tone and defining visual/editorial characteristics of the brand. I have a deep love for questioning the status quo and thinking out of the box. 

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I believe success to be the satisfaction you get when you know you’ve applied your best efforts to achieve a detailed and measurable result. Success happens when you know you put forth your best effort to create a positive impact or result.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearesterica/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dearesterica

Image Credits
Christiano Hermoso
Chris Olfers
Erica Hollowa
Sylvé Colless
David Vassalli
Sarah Pardini