Rodshaleek Avonti Pino

brand ambassador | writer

Buffalo, NY

5 favorite musical artists of all time?

1. Sade: She’s so soulful and my parents named my sister after her.

2. Lauryn Hill: I grew up listening to her and I love how she speaks up on important issues.

3. 2Pac: He influenced my father so much and he also came from a family of activists. My favorite songs of his include Keep Ya Head Up and Dear Mama. I also look at him as an insightful poet.

4. Jhene Aiko

5. Khalid

How do you keep your creative drip going? 

I love following creative pages on Instagram. I use the algorithm to my advantage by liking posts related to art, photography, music or poetry. The result are various types of creative posts that flood my feed. I like to stay inspired by others and I definitely enjoy watching new documentaries whenever I can to learn about different creatives and inspiring people.

If you could talk to your favorite creative for an hour, who would it be and why? 

It’s hard to chose a favorite, but possibly Ava DuVernay, the talented female filmmaker behind the Netflix docu-series “When They See Us”. Watching it not only moved me, but it was interesting to see the impact it has made within the justice system recently. For example, after the series aired, Linda Fairstein, a prosecutor from the famous case was forced to step down from several boards and was dropped by her publisher after the public learned more details of the case. I was also intrigued by Ava Du Vernay’s Netflix series, because I studied and graduated with a degree in English and Developmental Psychology from Medaille College in May of 2018. I would ask Ava what inspired her to bring such a compelling story to the big screen.
 

What is the last thing you learned?

We all need someone. No one can do anything entirely alone.

What are you working on right now?

I promote different makeup products as a brand ambassador for a local Buffalo cosmetics brand, She’s Bomb Cosmetics.

What inspires you?

Literally, everything inspires me; from the old vintage clothes my mom has passed me down to my stylish friends. I like to keep up with what my fave artists and fave influencers are buzzing about. I also love thrifty looks and thrown together looks. One of my fave things to do is reuse a piece that I’m tired of and reinvent it in a new way where it looks like a totally different outfit. I like to be versatile. One day, I may be in sweats with my hair in a bun feeling great. The next, I could be in a long wig with makeup.

Describe your dream job. 

My dream job would be one where I don’t have to clock into with a rigid schedule but something that allows flexibility and residual income. Basically, I would make my own schedule be my own boss in whatever way I can to make money, whether that be through online writing, modeling, being a brand ambassador or something closely related to either of these things.

What skill(s) would you develop of you had more time?

I would take singing lessons to improve my voice even more. I absolutely love singing. I received awards back in high school for it, but I never had professional training. I can only image how good I could get with some training!

 What playlists or shows do you enjoy?

I love Spotify playlists. My favorite playlist is Are and Be.

Oprah’s interview of the Exonerated Five on Netflix is also something I consumed recently.

What do you think the future holds for people of color in creative industries? 

I believe people of color will continue to make bigger strides in creative industries and continue telling their truths through various mediums of expressions such as film, music, poetry, different forms of art and so on. I think the future is bright with more ownerships and more businesses. I see flourishing businesses around me now that inspire me personally.

What advice would you give to your younger self? 

I would convince my younger self that she’s beautiful naturally and convince her to stay away from flat irons. Seriously though, my advice would be to have more self love and acceptance because what makes me different makes me beautiful.

What advice would you give to creatives of color looking to pursue their passion full-time?

Never give up, as cliche as it sounds. Stay true to yourself and don’t try to change to please others. Even when things don’t seem to be picking up, stay true to yourself. Whether you realize it or not, you’re inspiring someone.