Meet Trailblazer Chandra Nguyen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chandra Nguyen.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Chandra. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started out as a small girl with big dreams from the small city of Spartanburg, SC. I always kind of new that Spartanburg wasn’t for me but I didn’t really know what “home” felt like to me until I moved to Colorado. From a young age, I always liked everything I did. I mean literally. I did soccer, gymnastics, piano, violin, art, and more. And I was always good at what I did. But, I never understood the usefulness of all this when people were asking me what I wanted to be when I got older.

Funny thing is, I didn’t even realize you could be everything you want until just a month ago. I was working on a fashion show and everyone I met introduced themselves as several things. I mean we had a DJ that was also a photographer, writer, and designer, a model that was a make-up artist, non-profit activist, business owner, you name the profession and I bet we had someone there and more. They made me realize a whole person is made up of different parts. You can’t just describe yourself with one title when you are so much more.

At the end of the day, I got to where I was because I failed. I took the first job offered to me and it ended up being a bust. I failed as a societal defined “Young Adult”. I was unemployed and depressed. I had no friends in a new state. But then I took that weakness and made it something wonderful. I took all that free time I had and drove my butt up to Denver to meet with several creative professionals. I worked my tail off to learn what they knew and I met incredible people. I started my own photography business from that experience and even dabbled into modeling. The moment I started my own business, I felt invincible. I felt like the world was mine for the taking and I could do anything I set my mind to. I even gained the confidence to take on interviews and landed a full-time marketing position at a great company. Because of Denver and its inspiring community, I could finally be a marketer, economist, model, photographer, graphic designer, artist, and more. I found my home where I could be who I wanted to be whatever that was. I honestly would not be who I am today if I never came out here.

Has it been a smooth road?
The two main struggles I dealt with were being a new young professionals right out of college and telling myself “I can’t”.

Rule of thumb for new professionals, small companies do not want to hire you. You are a financial risk to them that they do not have time to perfect and train. Big companies do not want to hire you unless you’re the best of the best. They have such a large some of the applicants, if there’s nothing spectacular about your resume, chances are it was automatically filtered out. Because of this model, I became so desperate to be perceived as successful and chose the wrong environment for me. I highly recommend employment agencies for any new professionals. This is how I landed my current job that I adore. I ended up getting a contract position that allowed me to develop my skills and put a trustworthy company on my resume. The best part is throughout the whole process, and I mean WHOLE, start to finish, I was wined and dined, constantly check on to see if this was the right fit for ME. Not the company, ME. For the first time, I felt like the cards were in my favor.

I think a lot of people can relate to the struggle of fighting yourself and telling yourself “I can’t”. This attitude stifled my growth as I grew up discovering my love for so many aspects of life, but the voice in the back of my head telling myself “I can’t” make it a profession. I can’t do anything with it so what’s the point? When I finally told myself “I can” that’s when the whole world of possibilities came to me. Stop telling yourself “I can’t” make it to that 9:00 PM art class because I have work in the morning. Try it once

We’d love to hear more about Lunar Studios.
I specialize in Marketing, Graphic Design, Photography, and Modeling. I am proud to say this because this all goes very hand-in-hand. With my business, the majority of my work is photography. I am proud to tell my clients I am a model so that when they feel awkward or less than themselves, I can coach them through the entire process. I try to treat clients as I would want to be treated: very authentic and patient. I will often start off by learning a little bit about my client and start playing music to make them feel comfortable. I think music is a great way to get into your character. It helps you envision the feeling and essence you are trying to capture in your photos. Then, I take you through the journey of a model’s mind: get a firm stance and start to tweak one body part at a time, moving through the environment as if you owed it. I also take a lot of pictures and send back as many pictures as possible because I understand that everyone’s tastes are different. Where in one photo, I think you look AMAZING, you may like another photo that is just slightly angled differently. These details set me apart from other photographers. Other photographers, you buy their eye and what they think is beautiful. For me, I like working towards what you think is beautiful.

So much of the media coverage is focused on the challenges facing women today, but what about the opportunities? Do you feel there are any opportunities that women are particularly well-positioned for?
I think there are so many opportunities out there for women to take by the balls. I mean as an Asian woman, I can’t believe the first major Hollywood feature of an Asian woman (Lucy Liu) was during my time. I also heard on the radio a stunning young African American woman talk about how many unprecedented “First Black Woman” titles there are out there and I think wow, because we were so stifled previously, we now have the opportunity to paint something beautiful on this empty canvas. Every day there is a new female CEO at a major company and that’s what I love to see. I see them, I see myself, and I see other women and I watch as we all take what we deserve.

Contact Info:

• Website: lunarstudiosllc.com
• Phone: 8645411494
• Email: chandra.nguyen@outlook.com
• Instagram: @Chandradez

Image Credit:
@rocco.hugo, @Nunzioru, @davidb5280

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