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Dreaming her way… to SUCCESS
Although just 20 years old, Kisavi Jayawardena is an exception and that is the reason why she is in the spotlight in this week’s Scene Around.
She says she has two dreams – one is to be a fashion designer and the other is to be an author – adding that her dreams are a gift she has been blessed with from God, and her talent…inherited from her parents.
“My father has always encouraged me to be true to myself, starting with how I dressed. I remember how much he stressed on me dressing the way I wanted to, instead of following trends. He has always encouraged my creativity, from buying me supplies to make jewellery, to hair dye and tattoo sheets.
“He gave me that space, as a child, to practice my art, through fashion, which I am incredibly grateful for. He is also my first friend, and my best friend, in fact.”
Kisavi went on to say that she was a quiet kid, without many friends, and that her father was the greatest friend she could ask for.
“He pushed me to follow my dreams, even when I would doubt myself at times. He and my mother are my biggest supporters. They urged me to keep pursuing my creative abilities. So I follow my dream of designing and creating my own clothing brand, for my father, while I write and pursue my dream of being an author, for my mother.
Although born in Sri Lanka, her parents moved to Oman, when she was just one year old, and shegrew up there.
Referring to her work as an author, Kisavi said her main genres are horror and thrillers, but also enjoys exploring different avenues and genres, such as melodrama, tragedy, and romance.
Another fun fact about Kisavi is that she is a big movie geek.
“From production and film-making, to directors and cast, to the story behind it all, I am a huge fan of films.”
Being a quiet child, she says she didn’t particularly excel at anything. “My only strength was my creativity. I wasn’t the type to speak about how I felt. The only way I could express my emotions, and my identity, as a child, was through my writing, and fashion.
“I believe I lived out most of my time in my own mind, in made up worlds and stories, with imaginary characters. And when I wasn’t doing that, I was envisioning and sketching out designs for clothes and jewellery.
“I have loved fashion for as long as I can remember. Colours, patterns, fabrics, and accessories, it’s amazing how anyone can create an identity with fashion. You can either choose to fit into a specific social class, or group, or choose to stand out boldly, just by putting together an outfit. You can read a person by the way they dress; their interests, their jobs, their hobbies, etc. Fashion, I believe, is a visual way of narrating a story about oneself. And it’s one of the best forms of art, since you get to wear it!”
Kisavi says she grew up listening to her mother narrate fairytales and other bedtime stories, adding that she only realised the power of storytelling when she came to Sri Lanka.
Kisavi Jayawardena: Designing and creating her own clothing brand…in the pipeline (Pic by Thisali Jayawardena)
“Having spent most of my life in Oman, I was heartbroken when I had to leave. I began pouring out my feelings into poetry, but I didn’t think too much about it.
“It was at La Petite Fleur Academy, where my life changed. And it was there that I fell in love with writing. Bernadine Anderson, the school founder and principal, changed me. She provided me a safe space to explore my identity, to express my mind, and to speak up freely. The scared little girl I was in Oman, was pulled out and polished by Mrs. Anderson. She was the first person, other than my parents, to believe in me. And that was all the confidence a child could ask for.”
Having her passions in both writing and fashion, Kisavi realized she needed a job that combined both.
“So I looked into working at a fashion magazine. That way I’d be able to write about fashion. And during my Christmas break, in 2018, I interned at Cosmopolitan Sri Lanka. This was my first time, experiencing the working world.”
She says at 15, she was enthralled by the fashion and media industries; from the photo shoots to the writing, to the editing, to the fashion shows.
“It was as though I was living out the life of a protagonist in a 2000s rom com.”
Her internship at Cosmopolitan Sri Lanka was only for one month, and then she went back to school to continue with her Advanced Level Education and graduated in 2020.
“My principal helped me get an internship at Scanwell Logistics, in the finance department. I then got my first job in 2021, working for ChoKoLAATe Magazine, as a writer and project assistant. I started writing my collection here.
“We had many monthly campaigns at our magazine, and one campaign was for suicide prevention. I remember I had previously started up a thriller story on the blog, where chapters would get uploaded every Friday, to get readers engaged. My boss asked me to use my creative writing skills to write a short story for this campaign. I had previously had the character of Maddie/Madeline (the protagonist in the story If Only I’d Known) in my mind, but I hadn’t found a story for her. So I used her to explore the grief a mother would feel, of losing her child to suicide.
“My family had dealt with a lot of difficulties from our move to Sri Lanka, and it was something my sisters and I found incredibly tough. I myself had dealt with feeling suicidal at times, not being able to find any bit of hope in my life back then. So I used that emotion, and thought about how my own mother would feel, losing me. I based Maddie on her.”
When things were falling apart in Kisavi’s life, and when her whole family had to face indescribably difficult situations, it was her mother that held it all together, she says.
“She proved to be one of the strongest and toughest women in my life. A mother’s role is crucial in a child’s life, and I realised just how powerful my mum was during these difficult times. It was because of her that we all managed to come this far.
“Both my father and mother are my greatest strengths, and it is because of them that I write today and have the courage to follow my dreams. “I’ve also been blessed with many wonderful maternal figures and mentors in my life. They’ve each impacted my life greatly and have shaped me into the woman I am today, which is why I’ve dedicated my first book, ‘Shades Of A Mother,’ to them.
“I wrote this book wanting to explore and bring light on the difficulties and grief a mother faces. And although the short stories aren’t joyful, I hope they bring comfort and healing to the readers seeking it.”
‘Shades Of A Mother’ will be launched on Saturday, 19th August, 2023, at 5.00 pm, at One Galle Face, 4th Floor (Sarasavi Bookshop).
If you are in the vicinity of One Galle Face, on 19th August, at around 5.00 pm, Kisavi says she would love to see you at her book launch.