

Have you ever seen someone working in an industry, career, or business and wondered how they got there? When a new trend of pop-up installations became popular in Instagram culture, I wondered who created them. Going down several rabbit holes later, I was led to set design and all the ways you could exist in the world of interior design. From designing activations at a music festival to designing a set for a music video or a TV show, set design can look a variety of ways. My first taste of the magic of set design came during a visit to an Atlanta staple, T.I.'s Trap Music Museum. The sorceress behind some of that magic?
Meet Marina Skye, owner of Set By Skye.
Skye's business specializes in both set design and creative direction. Her passion and undeniable eye has led her in quite a few rooms and has caused her to be a name that's dominant in conversation surrounding the set design world. In addition to being a collaborator for the Trap Music Museum, she has designed projects like the interactive art exhibit Motel 21 with rapper 21 Savage. The Atlanta-based visionary also serves as the art director for Epic Records artist Jidenna.
After hearing Skye speak at the Trap Music Museum, I had to find out how she carved her space into some of the most recognizable and creative set design projects out there right now. Here's what she had to say.
xoNecole: How did you get started in set design?
Marina Skye: When I graduated from college, I was doing marketing and working at IKEA. [While] I was working at IKEA, my brother was shot and killed. He went to Morehouse while I was at Clark University and he was actually shot and killed at Morehouse a week after his graduation and a week before his birthday. Needless to say, that was heart-wrenching. When intense situations happen to people, it kind of slaps them in the face. It made me figure out life literally is too short. If I'm not doing what I want to do right now, I've got to figure out what that is.
So I started a clothing line. I started a vintage online store and things were going well. I was a new business owner trying to figure things out, but it was bringing money in and that was a blessing. A year into the fashion business, I realized at trade shows, I was paying more attention to the spaces I would make for my clothes to be presented, as opposed to actually paying attention to the clothing I'm supposed to be selling. Once I realized that was really what I was spending most of my time on, I started to research what that job was and it was creative direction and then set design. I never really looked back after that.
Courtesy of Marina Skye
"When intense situations happen to people, it kind of slaps them in the face. It made me figure out life literally is too short. If I'm not doing what I want to do right now, I've got to figure out what that is."
How did you build your current set design company?
I did a lot of photoshoots with my best friend who is a photographer just to create my portfolio. And from that, I started doing sets for parties in Atlanta and that's kind of how people started to hear about me. I became the set designer for an escape room in Atlanta and the business was literally me and the owner. Now I know God put me in that position so I could figure out how to be a small business owner. That job really helped me figure out how to be my own boss because I was working so closely with the boss of the company.
After that, I started my own business and it was probably a year and a half of trying to just figure out where money was going to come from. There was a lot of figuring out stuff but every project I had, I just made sure it was a little bit bigger than the previous project so I could work my way up.
How does your background in fashion play a part in your design aesthetic?
Honestly, unless I'm doing a set specifically for a fashion line, fashion doesn't really play a big role in what I do. However, I personally tend to wear extreme outfits, so people have kind of come to know that about me. It added to the brand because it was also an element of surprise, if that makes sense.
I have realized that I'm almost like a method artist when I'm into a specific job. I live my life in themes. I wake up in a different theme every day. I then have to categorize my projects by themes. If they don't have themes, I give them themes because that's how my mind works. I feel that my project reflects my fashion as opposed to my fashion reflecting the projects.
Courtesy of Marina Skye
"I live my life in themes. I wake up in a different theme every day. I then have to categorize my projects by themes. If they don't have themes, I give them themes because that's how my mind works. I feel that my project reflects my fashion as opposed to my fashion reflecting the projects."
What is a typical day or workweek like for a set designer?
Every day is very different because the projects that I have are so different from each other. That is because I do a few different things, like stage design and music videos. But everything starts out with a general concept that we have a conversation about with the client. If the project that we're doing is in the city, I meet them in person at the venue. We do a walk-through and I talk to them again in person about what they want. We bounce ideas off each other and then I go back home or to my office and I create a visual for them.
The visual includes a color theme board, basically a general mood board. All of my thoughts are put in something for them to see. Then I send that over to them and they let me know whether or not this is the kind of direction that they want to take. From there, I create a budget for them and my budget is extremely itemized. I'm very big on my clients knowing exactly where their money's going. I am very upfront with every single thing that's going into the project. Once I buy, my team and I come in and then we just get to work.
How did you combat imposter syndrome as you began to work on bigger projects?
I think I deal with imposter syndrome all the time. There's always a level of quick self-doubt. I feel like if my dreams don't scare me, they're not big enough. So I'm comfortable with it, and I'm getting more comfortable as time goes by. As my dreams get bigger and my accomplishments get bigger, I am getting more comfortable with the sense of being uncomfortable. The combination of not knowing what I'm supposed to be doing, mixed with the general, yearning to figure it out slapped any doubt in the face. But as the projects got bigger and the responsibilities got bigger, the doubt definitely got bigger as well. So I think imposter syndrome now is a bit more than it was in the beginning, but I'm also growing more comfortable with that.
Courtesy of Marina Skye
"There's always a level of quick self-doubt. I feel like if my dreams don't scare me, they're not big enough. So I'm comfortable with it, and I'm getting more comfortable as time goes by. As my dreams get bigger and my accomplishments get bigger, I am getting more comfortable with the sense of being uncomfortable."
What was the toughest setback/obstacle that you overcame while pursuing your career?
Not having the funds that I would have liked to have in order to create the projects that I wanted to create. In the beginning, I was doing a lot of stuff for free just to create my own internship. It was very stressful and sometimes depressing, when I'm trying to focus on being a creative, but also trying to figure out how I'm going to pay my rent. The biggest obstacle was just having to balance being an adult while trying to pursue dreams. I literally worked my ass off for this. I had no choice but to be strong for myself and just keep moving. It built this thick skin for me and that's invaluable honestly.
What is it like being a black woman working in male-dominated environments?
I want to make a very particular, very specific note that my general personality is very bubbly. I say all that to say being a woman in a very male-dominated sector has been a very interesting journey. Sexual harassment is very real. It's something that I think a lot of my friends are also in with their specific industries. We talk about it behind closed doors, but I think it's time for us to make these things known so people really know what's happening.
I've had very difficult situations. I've been in very uncomfortable situations being the only woman in groups of men at random hours. I've been in situations where things could have gone very wrong, but the men are respectful. At times there have been difficult situations where clients clearly did not respect women. And I had to figure out how to woman up and make sure that they understood that my opinions matter just as much.
Courtesy of Marina Skye
What was your favorite project to work on to date and why?
I will definitely say that the Trap Music Museum was my most challenging project. It wasn't just because of TMM, it was because I was in a relationship that was extremely difficult. I was dealing with someone who had mental health issues, and I didn't know until after. It was a very difficult time for me because we were working so hard on TMM, 13 hours a day for three months. We were not even paying attention to the fact that T.I. would come in with C-SPAN in the middle of the day and do an entire interview, or CNN would come in and we were not even paying attention. But the culture was being created as we were literally creating the culture. So my favorite and challenging project would be the Trap Music Museum.
My other favorite would probably be working with Jidenna. He is one of my closest friends and he's so funny. Working with that team on 85 to Africa, it challenged me in different ways. It challenged my mind in different ways. I think the Trap Music Museum challenged my set design capabilities and my body but working on 85 to Africa definitely made me have to think in different ways. Jidenna was a very easy person to work with because unlike a lot of artists, he knows what he wants. He also is open to collaboration and understands that his team brings him places.
What is your dream project/set that you want to work on?
I want to experience the space of high-end fashion. I'm very interested in the creative process that happens for runway shows. I also am addicted to music festivals. I'm fascinated by Coachella and Bonnaroo. These festivals not only have the stages where you can see live music, but they also have activities. There's a lot of art and culture that goes into three-day music festivals. I would love to just be a part so there are more people that look like us being represented in these music festivals.
Then there is a goddess by the name of Ruth Carter. She's phenomenal. There are a few women that are creatives in general that inspire me. She is in the top three. Just because of the projects that she has worked on, the fact that she is unapologetically black, and the way her mind works is fascinating. I would love to work on a couple of movies or films where I'm the set designer, the art director, or production designer for a film and she's the costume designer as well.
What can we look forward to from Set By Skye going into the future?
There are a couple of businesses that I'm thinking about bringing to life. I will say that I would love to, specifically for Atlanta, create an ongoing interactive-themed experience for the city. Something people can go to and every month it changes to a different theme. I would love to do something that is more like Candy Utopia but with my own spin.
For more of Marina and Set By Skye, follow her on Instagram.
Featured image courtesy of Marina Skye
Laterras R. Whitfield On What He Wants In A 'Future Wifey' & Redefining Masculinity
In this week's episode of the xoMAN podcast, host Kiara Walker chopped it up with Laterras R. Whitfield, host of the Dear Future Wifey podcast, for a raw and revealing conversation about personal growth, faith, and the search for love in a way that resonates.
Laterras Whitfield Believes Men Should Pursue, Not Persuade
“Let me know you exist, and I’ll do the rest”
Whitfield is a big advocate of a man’s role in going confidently for the woman he wants. “Men should pursue, not persuade, and women should present, not pursue,” he said. He’s open to meeting women on social media but isn’t a fan of bold approaches. “Don’t shoot your shot at me. … Let me know you exist, and I’ll do the rest.”
His ideal woman?
“She has to be a woman of God… I judge a woman by how her friends see her… and most importantly, how she treats my kids.”
Infidelity, Redemption, and the Power of Self-Control
“Being disciplined is the most beautiful thing you can offer”
Once unfaithful in his previous marriage, Whitfield has since transformed his perspective on masculinity. “Being disciplined is the most beautiful thing you can offer. That’s what true masculinity is to me now.” He has also committed to abstinence, choosing self-control as a defining trait of manhood.
Whitfield’s journey is one of redemption, purpose, and faith—something that speaks to women who value emotional intelligence, accountability, and the power of transformation.
Rewriting the Narrative Around Black Masculinity
What masculinity, legacy, and healing mean to Whitfield today
“My dad taught me what not to be [as a man] and my mom taught me what she needed [in a man],” Whitfield said. While his father wasn’t abusive, he wasn’t emotionally or affectionately present. “Since I didn’t see it, I never got it either… I would look at my dad and say, ‘I want to be a better father.’ ”
Adoption had always been on his spirit, influenced by TV shows like Different Strokes and Punky Brewster. This mindset led him to take in his nephew as his son after a powerful dream confirmed what he already felt in his heart.
Want more real talk from xoMAN? Catch the full audio episodes every Tuesday on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and don’t miss the full video drops every Wednesday on YouTube. Hit follow, subscribe, and stay tapped in.
Featured image by xoNecole/YouTube
10 Women Dish On How To Have An Easier Sisterlocks Journey
Not too long ago, I decided to binge-watch the series A House Divided while it’s on Tubi — and now that I’ve finally checked out every episode, I have three immediate takeaways. One, I don’t know why someone had to die damn never every episode (literally — LOL). Two, Paula Jai Parker really should get more acting gigs, and, for some reason, I want to see her and Tisha Campbell in a series together. And three, Demetria McKinney and Taja V. Simpson really are some beautifully sexy women.
Also, when it comes to Demetria, specifically, she almost had me wanting to get some sisterlocks. Almost.
What Are Sisterlocks?
Between the financial commitment and time, I don’t think it’s something that I will be doing any time soon. That doesn’t mean that I don’t find sisterlocks to be pretty close to stunning, though, which is why I was inspired to pen this article because, it’s all about women who have sisterlocks and what, via their own personal experience, they would advise to those who may be wanting some…but have questions.
The Pros and Cons of Getting Sisterlocks, According to 10 Women
So, if sisterlocks is something that you’ve been strongly considering as of late, these 10 women (plus a pro-sisterlocks post from Demetria’s Instagram page, see above) are gonna share with you what you should ponder about ‘em — just so you can make that kind of move with as much ease and as little regret as possible.
*I always use middle names in pieces like these, so that people can speak freely*
1. Nariah. “Locked” for Six Months.
“PLEASE INTERVIEW NO LESS THAN THREE CONSULTANTS and Shellie, please put that in all-caps! Just like it takes a minute to find the right partner or right therapist, same thing goes for a loc consultant because, if the energy is off, if they don’t respect your wishes or they don’t care about the maintenance of your hair, it ain’t gonna be good. I messed up because I first went with someone who had nice looks on her Instagram page, but her attitude was so nasty that I ended up wasting money and time with my first installation. It almost kept me from getting them altogether! I took my time to find the right fit and my consultant now is like family. I look forward to my retightening appointments and my hair is longer than it has ever been.”
2. Devin. “Locked” for Two Years.
“Have a damn budget! I don’t regret my sisterlocks one bit, but I will admit that I seriously underestimated the cost for upkeep. My installation was $600 which I didn’t mind because installing is the foundation and you want to get your locks right. But it’s important to get your retightening done no more than every eight weeks and that runs me $200 per visit. Do the math and I’m spending around $1,200 a year just to upkeep my locs, so if your money is already tight, sisterlocks is something that you might want to put a pin in until another time.”
Shellie here: If you want to read up on various costs of sisterlocks per state and what you are actually paying for, you can do so by clicking here.
3. Rochelle. “Locked” for Five Years.
“What I wasn’t prepared for is how careful I had to be with my locs. I mean that damn near everything was clinging to my locs, especially lint, and that was aggravating because it didn’t just mean that I had to tie my hair up at night but, to an extent, I had to watch what I wore as my locs got longer too. Definitely wrap your hair up in silk or satin at night and be careful wearing a lot of outfits that create lint. Go easy on your hair products too. Lighter ones seem to prevent lint build-up. Oh, and you can brush your sisterlocks if you do see lint. I prefer to use a wide-tooth comb, personally.”
Shellie here: For tips on how to properly brush your sisterlocks, check out the YouTube channel Still Nia Bia’s post “Brushing Your Locs/Sisterlocks.”
4. Kerenne. “Locked” for Four Years.
“You shouldn’t be out here styling your locs on your own by going ham with the shears or dyeing them without talking to your consultant first. I do recommend dusting your locs in between retightening appointments, though. Just because your hair is loc’d, that doesn’t mean you won’t have fairy knots and tangles and dusting your ends yourself can help to prevent both of those things.”
5. Ashley. “Locked” for Three Years.
“Sisterlocks aren’t like braids where you can just find someone who does them for fun and trust that your hair will look like you want it to. You really need to go to a certified consultant — someone who has been professionally trained. Girl, I tried to let a friend who does twists start mine and it was a hot ass mess! There is a special technique that comes with creating them, so find someone who knows how — and has a portfolio to show you before you get in their chair.”
Shellie here: You can find a professional sisterlocks consultant in your area by checking out the Sisterlocks website and going here.
6. Kristian. “Locked” for a Year.
“I have always been a product junkie. You can’t do that with sisterlocks, not in the beginning anyway, because if your hair stuff has a lot of oil in it, that can cause your locs to unravel. You also need to watch how much stuff you put on your scalp. You need to keep your scalp and hair moisturized but you need to avoid build-up too.”
Shellie here: A woman by the name of Latoya Jackson has a YouTube page with a post that’s all about what she does to properly moisturize her sisterlocks. You can check it out here. Oh and if, for whatever the reason, coconut oil isn’t your thing, Alisha Richard is another sisterlocks YouTuber who has some product recommendations for you here.
7. Oriah. “Locked” for Seven Years.
“Even though your locs will have you thinking that your hair is single strands, it’s not. If you just wash your hair like it was when you had relaxer, you are gonna get your feelings hurt. ‘Braiding and branding’ is the method that really is best because you need to keep your locs from slippage [coming apart] and you need to avoid tangles as much as possible too.”
Shellie here: If you’re like me and you’re more of a visual learner, check out the YouTuber Ifeyinwa and her post on how she washes what she calls her “microlocs” here.
8. Zeeyanne. “Locked” for a Year.
“When it’s time to freshen up my hair, I like to interlock. If you don’t know what that means, it’s when you use a tool to retie — or retighten — your locs. Since I do the edges of my hair on my own, interlocking gives me the results that I want. Just a tip in case you need some time in between appointments to stack your paper up.”
Shellie here: Although I personally think that it really is best to get your sisterlocks professionally done, there are women who are doing pretty well with going the DIY route. An example of someone who interlocks her own hair is a YouTuber whose channel is Life. Love. Locs. You can watch how she does it here. A few examples of interlocking tools that are available are located here, here and here.
9. Nykah. “Locked” for Six Years.
“I wish someone had prepped me for the initial six months. The installment took forever. I didn’t like how it looked on me for about three months because I had to adjust to all of the tiny parts [on my scalp] and there wasn’t a ton of length. I had to make financial sacrifices because once you start sisterlocks, you can’t really skimp on your retightening appointments — especially at the beginning. It’s almost like you need a therapist or life coach, just for sisterlocks…and I’m not exaggerating. I have no regrets now, but the adjustment period takes A LOT of adjusting.”
10. Paulette. “Locked” for 10 Years.
“Unless you are using extensions in your sisterlocks, your own hair is creating the style which means that you can weaken your locs by over-styling them. My hair is past my butt at this point and I directly connect that to consistent retightening appointments and leaving my locs alone. Find a couple of styles that you like and try not to switch them up more than a few times in between your appointments. If you want your sisterlocks to really flourish — keep your hands out of them! Do that and you’ll probably have longer hair than you’ve ever had before in your entire life!” Beautiful, sis. BEAUTIFUL.
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