This girl is truly beginning to bloom for all to see. Divine, what an amazing name, right? Sounds otherworldly, ethereal, even exotic. Yet, Divine is one of the most approachable and kind people that I have met. I met Divine through a friend a couple of years ago, but to this day I have only had the privilege of actually having a conversation with her this year. You know how it gets at SCAD. You meet someone awesome, you see them everywhere, you say, “we should grab coffee” or maybe you just think, “I should get to know them.” Then, the rest of the quarter whirls by and you are left with the exhaustion of all-nighters and the thought that maybe you missed something. Breaks happen and all you want to do is rest and nothing gets done. We all have met amazing people with whom it simply wasn’t the time to connect with. For me, it always comes around to another time when we are supposed to connect. This year was the perfect year to finally connect with Divine because I had just launched a new SCAD ATL branch of Her Campus, while Divine had also launched her new, gorgeous magazine, The Syndicate. We had so much to talk about and I probably could have talked for hours about the exciting task of leading a publication. She does it with such finesse and her team is straight up some of the best people I’ve met at SCAD. Luckily, I asked for an interview. So, with no further delay, here’s a little more about the lovely, Divine Philemond…
When did you attend SCAD? And what did you study?
I started in 2014 and I study Film and TV.
Where are you from originally and when did you first realize you wanted to go to art school?
I’m from all over the place, but I claim Atlanta as my home. I’ve always been pretty artistic. In the 8th grade, I was days away from orientation at a private Performing Arts high school when my family decided to move to Georgia.
What are you most passionate about in life and why?
I’m really passionate about the arts. I know that’s pretty typical, but I love being able to express yourself and communicate through a different medium other than talking. Talking can be so exhausting and art, whether it’s visual or music, or written, it’s another form of communication I prefer.
You recently launched a new, underground arts magazine called The Syndicate, what was your inspiration for this?
I’ve interned/freelanced at different companies, and I noticed a frustration with content creators who were women, particularly women of color, where they often felt that their voices were being stifled because they carried unpopular opinions. So, I wanted to create a place where forward thinking creatives, mainly women, could express their ideas without fear of beingjudged.
The Syndicate sounds like a CIA operation (lol) – what’s the story with the name?
The definition of the word is basically what we are “a group of individuals or organizations combined to promote some common interest.” We promote the freedom of intellectual, though as it applies to women.
Image courtesy of Divine Philemond.
What was your inspiration for starting this magazine and what is your ultimate dream for it?
My inspiration was to create a place where marginalized women had a voice, but it could also be a home to the other people who were willing to support us and our vision. The ultimate dream for The Syndicate would be to drop the “mag” and become a full-fledged production company that focuses on short form literature, and long form film/documentaries by women and women of color.
What is your ultimate dream for yourself?
My ultimate dream for myself is to really change the culture of entertainment that we live in. Everything is done for shock value and I’d like to reintroduce the nuance of a well thought out and honest piece of writing or film.
What inspires you to write and what is your favorite topic?
I gain inspiration from a lot of things, sometimes an event I’ve experienced or sometimes even the sound of a person’s voice. My favorite topic to write on creatively is crime, because I love exploring that very thin line between the lowest level of our humanity and our animalistic nature. Non-creatively, I like to write about politics, because of similar reasons.
Image courtesy of Divine Philemond.
Do you consider yourself to be an activist? If so, what do you think is the role of an activist?
I do, I really do. I think the role of an activist is to educate, not only the victims but the perpetrators, too. If someone doesn’t know better, how can they do better? As activist, it is our role to present facts and logic and to allow people to make their own decisions.
What do you think about modern-day feminism? Do you consider yourself to be a feminist?
I do consider myself a feminist. I think modern day feminism is great. I feel like the central message is simply, “mind your own business” and “don’t be a d*ck.” It’s not that hard to be a good and fair person. I think that’s all we’re asking for at this point.
What’s the most interesting thing about you?
The most interesting thing about me, I’d have to say, is I’m pretty boring and vanilla. I get tired of hearing myself talk, so it always surprises me when people think I’m interesting. I love to tweet though, that’s my guilty pleasure.
If you want to learn more about The Syndicate, follow them on Instagram and Facebook, where there will be links to their articles and plenty more amazingness.