I met Grace at Tritt Elementary and we went to school together all the way through college. We were in the musical Annie together and we also used to sit in the back of our eighth grade history class and put liquid glue on our hands, wait till it dried, and then methodically peel it off. I have no idea if she remembers this but it was cathartic and we thought we were hilarious / too cool for school.

Reality is: we were both typical teacher's pets. Nice, well-behaved little white kids for whom the American school system is unfortunately designed. Now, we are both much less interested in behaving, trying to make our livings off the internet economy, and giving our parents, who never worried about us before, large, passive-aggressive heart attacks in the process.

Grace is someone I have long admired and respected and I'm so glad we've finally gotten to know each other on a deeper level in the past few years – fun reminder to turn those school-yard acquaintanceships you've had for years into real, meaningful friendships, you never know where they'll take you!

TELL US ABOUT YOU!
hello 2 internet friends, irl friends, & strangers. i'm grace, a yung professional human being who is literally just trying to make it thru life and gain some wisdom in the process. my mom recently described me as a 'non-traditional person' and even though i seem sort of normal from the outside, i think non-traditional describes me well.

i like thinking about the internet, experiencing nature, taking pictures, screenshotting everything, and making collages. (disclaimer: i also like other things but those sounded nice together and fit well with the theme of this interview)

on the profesh side of things, i just finished my master's degree in emerging media at UGA. i've worked in website maintenance, influencer coordination, & social/digital media strategy for companies and individuals. my current professional/personal/passion project focus (it's literally everything to me ok i cannot overstate this) is shades of grace. im still working on the mechanics of what exactly shades of grace is; it's gone from a lifestyle blog to a 'revolutionary content platform' (lol) to the legal moniker for all of the freelance digital media and content creation work i do. who knows what it'll be in the future. i'm excited to find out. check me the frick out and lemme know what u think.

WHAT ARE YOUR CAREER GOALS / DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE?
run shades of grace as a real business without giving my parents a heart attack about my financial security every day. grow my skills and my network and work with people all over the world. interview more meme experts/digital creators. contribute something of social and cultural value to the world. become a professional critic of the kardashian-jenner media empire and continue to convince others that just because mass cultural events seem vapid, we shouldn't ignore them. pop culture tells us so much about the world we live in and the values a culture holds.

i just want to be happy, learn a lot, make others happy, and teach ppl shit.

WHAT ARE YOU EXCITED (LISTENING TO / WATCHING / WORKING ON / DAYDREAMING) ABOUT LATELY?
excited about: road trips, new beginnings, strength & flexibility (mentally & physically), finishing school & making my own schedule

listening to: glass animals, princess nokia, the soundtrack from i love dick, lizzo (thx kate), and this song by kamaiyah which was my anthem the last two months of schooL

watching: don't hate me, but the past month my sis and i have watched like five seasons of made in chelsea, a horribly OTT british 'docu-drama' that's people on the internet describe as a mix of the hills and gossip girl. it's on hulu and it's absolutely awful. i love it. but when i want to sound cool, i tell people i watch a lot of documentaries. (it's true tho and i'm always looking for someone to watch depressing documentaries with me. hmu)

WHO DO YOU ADMIRE?
first of all, is it a cop out to say sarah? how impressive is it that she's run (and grown and evolved) this website so successfully the past few years. her ability to relate with others and love for expanding her mind inspire me v much.

megan maloney. she is 1. an incredible friend 2. a boss ass bitch and 3. who i have to thank for like half the music i listen to. (read her SZA album review ppl)

i admire my family. my mom is a force for good, but don't you dare cross her. my sister is a persistent, quiet, mischievous, lizard. my dad is the best man i know. <3

WHAT DOES STYLE MEAN TO YOU?
i was struggling to find words for this answer and last night i read this piece from real life mag on how the act of sharing what we wear online and the medium of the internet itself are both changing fashion and ultimately, personal style. one of my fave lines: "...style is both a strength and a vulnerability. when you leave the house, you have no choice but to be seen; getting dressed is a way of making a pitch for yourself."

i think that idea extends beyond what you wear. the way you carry yourself through the world, the actions you repeatedly take, are part of your style and your pitch to others about what you value. make em count.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE GO-TO LOOK LATELY?
since i've been in nebraska the past month i've been bundled AF.

we're talking at LEAST two layers on the bottom, 3-4 layers on top, a hat, and snow boots.

so. many. turtlenecks.

sometimes two turtlenecks @ once.

it's been a truly ~glam~ winter u guys.

thx for listening to me ramble. go visit shades of grace. bye!

behind the genius: grace ferzely