Meet Radiance Bukari | Artist, Vocalist, Poet, & Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Radiance Bukari and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Radiance, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?

Four years into working in the healthcare industry, it became more obvious than it had ever been before that in order for me to stay sane and continue helping people in a way that I valued, I had to find another way to give back to both myself and my community . I am creative at heart, my first love being music and fashion, and later, poetry, but my life took an unexpected turn when I saw worlds collide: In 2018, I performed with my friends in the electronic group Spectacle at the Arise music festival, and spoke to a couple after the performance, not thinking much of it. A couple of weeks later, I applied for an administrative position at a clinic, and was contacted by the same woman I had spoken to after my performance, who turned out to be the hiring manager.

This serendipitous sequence of events is just one example of how my creative work and the rest of my life experience intertwine. I have learned so much about myself about how I interact with others and the power of doing simple things for people that make a huge impact in their lives because of my work in the service industry and in healthcare, but it never felt like I was using my skills to the best of my ability under the constraints of that type of work. Years later, I constantly find myself wanting to uplift my creative side that I hold so dearly, which is what brought me to tie-dye. Though sporadic, tie-dye has been a part of my life since my high-school days (shout out to Hannah York and the York family, who introduced me to an art that I truly fell in love with. I remember going to gatherings at their house where we would all tie-dye together; it became a large portion of how they brought people together, and unknowingly brought out my visual creativity.) I threw my own tie-dye party when I had some family visiting a couple years ago, and since then I had thought about starting my own tie-dye apparel line. It wasn’t until recently when I threw a tie-dye party to celebrate the completion of my associates degree, and was left with lots of leftover supplies and blank clothing, that I finally took the step of starting my business. It was that yearning for my creativity to shine through, the dichotomy of being a creative in the healthcare industry, that lit the spark in me to keep this dream alive by making it a reality.

*bonus serendipity*: last year I moved in with my grandparents and my grandpa gave me my keys, all decorative so I could tell them apart. The house key he gave me was tie-dye designed, so maybe it was destined for me. Who knows?!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

With a name like Radiance, it’s probably no surprise that I am drawn to everything vibrant. Most of my life experiences directly show that I can be somewhat of a stimulation junky, which is what I love about tie-dye! I love the idea that you can take something plain, and turn it on its head and bring so much life into it. I plan on doing customs, so nailing some of the most common tie-dye designs, like spirals and stripes, is what has been keeping me busy most of the time. I want to know that I can confidently repeat these designs to ensure that my customers will get the most consistent, and high-quality products.

I am proud of myself for taking on what I have so far; I have no experience in apparel, just a passion for fashion and a knack for lighting up space in whatever way I can. That being said, it has not been an easy journey and being self-taught can be really overwhelming at times. But the ways in which I’ve shown myself just how capable I am make up for every moment of doubt that I may face. Since we are still in the early stages of business, I am sure there will be more challenges ahead, but I am hopeful that we are ready to take on whatever may come.

Something that I am most excited about is opening up this vibrant art to black spaces here in Colorado. My first introduction to tie-dye apparel and crafts outside of my personal experiences was often at EDM and jam band concerts, and I did not see myself or many who looked like me in those spaces. The BIPOC community in the Denver/Aurora area has grown so much in the past few years, and I am extremely excited about getting more involved in my community in this way. Fashion to me is such a powerful form of self-expression that it just might be the perfect puzzle piece to accomplish the goal of bringing vibrancy into the hearts and minds of those who need it the most.  Bringing color into the forefront of our minds to remind us of our own and all that we can do with it (and because of it) is one of the driving forces that help me to stay focused and keep my quality and pricing in mind when working on my tie-dye projects.

The power of this brand is rooted in experiencing all the joys that life has to offer, which speaks to our motto: LIVE VIBRANTLY. We all need a reminder that it is okay to be yourself, that you are enough, and that just because the light isn’t visible doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. We all experience challenges that make it easier for us to forget about color, joy, and the true miracle it is to be alive today. I hope that my brand serves as a constant reminder of this magic. Because it is MAGICAL, and that magic lives in all of us.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

Colorado has so much magic, it’s hard to decide! But my friends have been showing me some beautiful new places that represent exactly that:

Fort Greene Bar – for delicious drinks, tasty treats, and an incomparable speakeasy-ish atmosphere, but better

Forest Room 5 – for those that like the idea of a tree house but don’t actually want to stay in one. Just have dinner there instead!

Meow Wolf – a new addition to trippy art installations in Denver, this interactive museum is like nothing you’ve ever seen

Hiking in Boulder – I couldn’t decide on one spot, as Boulder is giving beauty EVERYWHERE. Living there for two years, I would say that hiking in that area is a MUST to soak in that Colorado mountain beauty. That being said, there are so many beautiful spots in Colorado to soak in the sun or participate in winter sports too. Camping in Buena Vista is another location that blew my mind and reminded me of all the beauty that Colorado has to offer.

5280 Burger – I am an avid burger-lover, and this place knows how to do a burger RIGHT

Melting Pot – Even if fondue is not your thing, there’s some great history attached to the Littleton location that may be very intriguing to some (especially those interested in paranormal activity)

Fort Collins – there’s so much to do in FoCo, most recently I hiked Arthur’s Rock, which was immaculate! But they also have lots of delicious restaurants and great breweries for the beer-drinkers

H-Mart – one thing that I love so much about my home town is the abundance of Asian culture and cuisine! This marketplace is a staple of my childhood and would be a great stop when visiting Aurora. You never know what you’ll find in there!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

Once again, I must give a huge thanks to Jim and Beth York who treated me as their own when I was just a naive little teenager and introduced me to this beautiful craft that has transformed the way I see myself as an artist.

My grandparents, who have constantly supported me through every endeavor, deserve a huge shout out. My grandma Corliss has helped me put together a real workspace and allowed me to use their home as my “headquarters” while my grandpa Michael helped me to get the business side of things under control. I don’t know what I would do without them.

My parents have been extremely supportive and are already sharing so much useful information with me about their own trials and tribulations of their own business journeys. I am so proud to say that both my mother and father AND my grandparents are running their own successful businesses, and I am eternally grateful for their influence on my personal life and my business ventures, because having someone close to you who can help guide you through starting your own business is PRICELESS!

Instagram: @radicalcreationsllc

Facebook: Radical Creations LLC

Image Credits
Sipar Saydaliev