IU alumna Stephanie Stewart grew up surrounded by music. With her father, David, playing guitar with various Bloomington bands and a proximity to the IU music scene, the performance world was always appealing to her.
After spending a few years modeling, Stewart has returned to Bloomington to start producing one of two planned musical projects.
“I always wanted to be part of a musical project,” Stewart said. ”I would go to all the shows in town and was friends with a lot of bands. They told me if you like music, you should just start your own project.”
The project, which will culminate in an album, focuses on turning Bloomington into the stage for a video series that mimics that of the popular genre of Bollywood, Stewart said. She is working with her father and keyboardist friend Mike Stone.
“I love Bollywood films,” Stewart said. “I love how they have a story and musical acts that are just so gorgeous and so poignant. I want to create one kind of like that using Bloomington and, if I travel places, adding that footage in as well.”
Stewart edited most of the music videos shot so far using the resources available at the Monroe County Public Library, and the current installations are available to view on her YouTube channel.
Stewart said she did not study music or any kind of arts classes at IU. Instead, she graduated in 2012 after studying at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs and the School of Global and International Studies.
She said the global recession and the idea that arts-related careers may not be the best use of her full scholarship played into her decision to study something unrelated to art.
“Honestly, I think if you really love art, you should really just do it,” Stewart said. “You’ll research and learn about it on your own, but art really makes you think.”
After graduation, Stewart applied to and seriously considered joining the Peace Corps — the path of foreign relations that her two areas of study steered her toward.
Stewart said after doing some photo shoots with a local photographer and posting the photos online, she was approached to model. From there, she felt drawn to the creative world once more.
After getting a start modeling for a photographer in Chicago, Stewart said she pursued that career path for four years. She said she traveled to places from New York City to Istanbul but the lifestyle became exhausting by the end.
“It’s a hard grind, it really is,” Stewart said. “You’re always alone, even if you’re with other people. Once you hit 25, they pretty much call you a ‘classic’ model. So it was time to do something else.”
Stewart’s history and experience with the business side of the modeling world helped inform her on some of the similar skills she would need later in the music world, she said.
She read Donald Passman’s “All You Need to Know About the Music Business,” which deals with contract law and principles of joining the industry. From there, Stewart said she realized the importance of music image and what she did and did not want to do as she entered the new career.
“A lot of people don’t understand this, but as an artist, you produce a product and then you perform it for people or you sell it,” Stewart said. “How you present yourself really determines how your career will go early on. The first year is crucial.”
