Being Unusual Saves You: In Conversation with Chandler King, owner of BusyBdy

Gifted and passionate - Los Angeles-based artist and designer Chandler King, also known by the alias Chvndler, is the muse behind the reputable brand Busy Bdy - home of quality handmade summer must-haves, such as her best-loved Lettuce Pants. Busy - an acronym for being unusual saves you - are words that Chandler lives by and, essentially, is how she has managed to manifest the life she once desired. "I think I'm living proof that if you believe in it enough, it can and will happen!" - shares Chandler.

In this conversation, Chandler and I discuss the ideas behind Busybdy, her love for music, and how she has used creation to overcome heartbreak. Every question I ask unravels the synchronicity of her journey. From family history, life circumstances, and her natural desire to create, Chandler's journey is a testament to following your heart and being true to who you are - even if that is a little unusual.

Trutuyou: Who is Chandler and what do you do?

Chvndler:

I'm from Baltimore, MD, but I moved to LA when I was 19 for school. My first passion is music. I went to school for fashion marketing at the art institute in Noho, but only because they weren't offering a music degree. About a year into fashion marketing, they built a brand new studio in the school and added an audio engineering major, so I switched. In 2017 I graduated with my associate's in audio engineering; my goal was to be able to record myself at home and make my own music which I eventually did end up doing.

In 2019 I started working at Dover Street Market in Downtown LA, which was probably my best-paying job ever in LA. I met a lot of amazing people there and had a lot of amazing experiences, but on January 3, 2020, my grandmother passed away. A few months later, the store closed down because of COVID-19. It was a crazy time - a lot of healing that I was so happy I was able to do. I ended up being off from March-October, but that time is when I found sewing, bringing us to where we are today!

Trutuyou: It seems you've possessed a creative passion in everything you've done, from music to fashion marketing to sewing. Where does this desire to create stem from?

Chvndler:

I think my desire to create honestly comes from my emotions. I'm a Virgo, and I'm always in my head about everything. Last year when my grandmother passed, I was going through many other personal changes: healing, losing friends, etc. Creating was the best form of therapy for me. I feel like I wrote some of my best songs during that time, and then I also found sewing, a brand new outlet that I ended up falling in love with.

Trutuyou: When did your love for music begin?

Chvndler:

I've always loved music. I can remember being a kid in my parents' backseat, singing my heart out to whatever they were listening to at the time. The first album I ever had of my own - that I used to play on my blue boom box- was Destiny Child's "Writings On The Wall." My music taste has everything to do with what the people in my house were listening to. My mom loved Brian Mcknight and Lauryn Hill. My dad was more of a Motown and Temptations guy, and then my brother introduced me to rock and alternative music later in my life. My grandfather was in a doo-wop band in Baltimore in the '50s-'60s called The Plants. Music has always just felt natural to me.

Trutuyou: It's amazing how everything meant for us shows up at the perfect time - like sewing for you. At what point did you decide to create Busy Bdy?

Chvndler:

The idea to start the brand was actually just a joke at first because all my friends were like, "Okay, let me find out you about to have a whole brand," and we'd laugh about it. I started posting the things I was making on Instagram, and people started wanting to buy stuff from me. I was like wait; this is actually a thing! So I started taking it more seriously.

Trutuyou: What's the inspiration behind the name Busy Bdy?

 

Chvndler: 

The name came from another brand I started in 2019 when my niece was born, called 'Being Unusual Saves You,' an acronym for Busy. The meaning behind it is that being unusual could literally save you from working a boring job or ending up somewhere in life that you don't want to be. I wanted her and other kids, but adults too, to know that if they believe in themselves, they can do whatever they want!


@busybdy

Trutuyou: I love the meaning behind the name and how you were able to tweak it to fit the intention of your new brand so perfectly. How would you like people to feel when wearing Busy Bdy?

Chvndler: 

I want people to feel good and confident in what they're wearing. I want them to go out and be complimented on their looks: to feel proud to tell people what it is. And, if they know the meaning behind the brand, a little about that too. Everything I do is super intentional, and the main goal of making clothes or anything I do is to make people feel good.

Trutuyou: Let's talk more about Chandler, the songstress. One of my favorite songs of yours is "Do," tell us a little bit about the inspiration behind this single and your latest record, "Trouble."

Chvndler:

"Do" is about how sometimes I go into these disappearing acts to figure myself out and trying to explain that to someone. But also trying to explain to that person that even though I'm difficult at times, I'd be really unhappy without them.

"Trouble" came after I cut off an ex I still love dearly. It's about a situation you know probably isn't any good for you or either of you. But in the end, being able to say even though we can't speak right now, I hope you know I'm still loving you from afar.

 

Trutuyou: On a more personal level, what's one thing you've learned to overcome that you are most proud?

Chvndler:

I'd have to say heartbreak, which has come in many different forms for me, whether that be relationships, friendships, family, or life. Last year I was tested by all of these things in different ways. Emotionally, it was one of the toughest times in my life, but today, I'm proud to say that I was able to heal through them by creating. I have become so much better as a person because of the things that I've been through in the past. I am very proud of how I've handled things that others may not have handled with such grace and that I didn't let them harden my spirit or keep me down for too long.

Trutuyou: That's beautiful. It reminds me of a quote I once read: "creating is a form of prayer." I'm happy that you've been able to experience peace & new life through your creations. Lastly, in your own words, what does it mean to live true to self?

Chvndler:

Living true to myself is doing exactly what I'm doing now. I left the highest-paying job that I've had since moving to LA to pursue my dream. It was scary at first and still sometimes can be, but I'm the happiest I've been in a while. I feel like my true self: doing all the things I said I would or could! Seeing the things I dreamt of or have always talked about appear in my life on a daily has been so refreshing. I hope to continue inspiring others who might be like me, working that 9-5 just because it's "safe." I hope they quit their jobs, follow their dreams, and believe in themselves fully. I think I'm living proof that if you believe it enough, it can and will happen!

Thank you Chvndler!︎

︎ : Busybdy.com
︎  : Chvndler
︎  : Busybdy
 ︎ : Chvndler 

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Text & Interview by 

︎ Daija Green

Founder