Questions compiled by @momo_dubz, Answered by @SunflowerRaver
If you’re into the EDM scene or festival fashion, odds are you’ve seen her bright, smiling face on your Instagram or TikTok feed. From the way she styles her rave outfits to her creative photos and videos, she is an absolute rave attire fashion goddess. Hera or as most of us know her, Sunflower Raver, is truly the ray of sunshine we all need during these tough times. In honor of her most recent collaboration with FRW, we sat down with her for a little Q&A to get to know the gal behind some of the most iconic rave outfit looks of 2020 a little better!
(Insert photo of her choice)
THE THINGS THAT MAKE YOU, YOU:
Tell us a little bit about yourself!
So! There is a lot to unpack with my life, especially the pre-rave scene. I was born in Canada, but I moved to Seattle when I was a toddler. We moved there for my Dad’s job, then down to Arizona for a few years. When I was 12, my parents got a divorce (they have an awesome relationship though, I really lucked out with that). From there, my mom took my sisters and I back to Canada, while my Dad moved to Seattle. I spent the rest of my education in Canada which was actually pretty nice.
I mainly went to University for Rugby after I had graduated high school, but I still have no clue what I actually want to pursue for a degree, so I am taking a bit of a break from it. I have moved back to Seattle at this point. I currently live with my sister and we are right down the street from my Dad!
For work right now, I am a part-time barista at a coffee shop in downtown Seattle. I also work in Social Media Management at Freedom Rave Wear which is a dream job. I do consider my own social media a job as well, so I work quite a bit!
What are a few of your favorite non-rave past times?
I love playing rugby. It is one of my favorite sports, and it really helped me get through life. I meant to join a team in Seattle, but Covid hit.
I enjoy playing animal crossing, walking my neighbors' dogs and just playing around with my makeup. When it’s colder out, I really enjoy snowboarding as well. I used to head up to Whistler all the time in University because you got a sick deal on season passes as a student.
What do you feel most grateful for in your life?
I am just really grateful to be here. I have a really solid support network of people, and I am so thankful to have them as a part of my life.
What is your favorite mindful activity, being completely present in the moment, to handle tough times?
With the tough times that I have had to work through, the biggest thing that I have become very mindful with is acceptance for the things that I cannot do anything about.
Sitting down and evaluating a situation and looking at it and saying, “Can I do anything to change this?” If not, I have learned that I can’t force that change.
Now I still feel a lot of emotions, like frustration and sadness, but I let my feelings out pretty quickly so they are not bottled up, which has also helped quite a bit as well. Once I get my feelings out about something, particularly something that I can’t change, life becomes a bit easier.
What are your hopes for the future?
Honestly, I would like a home with 3 dogs. Of course to still be a part of the Rave/Festival Scene. But my biggest hopes for the future are to just be happy with who I have grown into.
I want to have experiences with those I love that make me happy. I love planning things out, especially when it comes to work and looks that I put together, but when it comes to my actual life, I am learning that it’s better to just see where it’s going to take me.
(Insert photo of her in her at a festival wearing FRW)
RAVE & FESTIVAL LIFE:
How did you pick the name Sunflower Raver?
My boyfriend Marc actually did! He had always called me his Sunflower, and he convinced me to start up a seperate Rave page since we had plans for a lot of future festivals and, well, not everyone on my normal instagram wants to see pictures of my butt.
Sunflowers are also my favorite flower. The seeds follow the Fibonacci Spiral, which is a type of “perfect” pattern found in a lot of things in nature. It also relates to the golden ratio, along with the flower of life (I studied art a lot, did a side project on all these things), which is really interesting for a flower. Also they get really big, and that is neat.
When did you get into the rave scene?
I Started raving in 2016! My first festival was Life In Colour in Vancouver!
When/how did you learn to shuffle?
I honestly learned everything online or through friends. It came down to practicing every single day, and finding a groove in it. I also did a month long shuffle challenge that my friend Katie brought me into, and that was a big help.
What’s your favorite sub-genre of EDM?
BASS HOUSE
Top five favorite artists?
UGH HATE THIS QUESTION it changes like monthly. So my current go to artists right now are:
Wuki
Dr Fresch
BTSM
Wooli
Alok
What is your favorite part about raving?
Just feeling the vibes there. It feels nice to forget about the stresses of life for a day or few and just be with people I love.
What’s your go-to festival food?
Chickie Nuggies :) with mayo to dip them in, because I am gross and love mayo as a condiment.
If your rave fam had to give you two festival superlatives what would they say?
Hmmm, “most likely to pass out before the headliner” (i am a tired girl) and “best photographer.”
What are your best/most memorable festivals set and why?
Louis The Child at Paradiso in 2018 was super special. I was sitting on the Hill with Marc in a ball of tears (I love Louis The Child so much) and he was just rocking me back and forth to the music. (Better Not was playing. It’s very special to me)
And the Conscious Crew came up to us because they thought I was like, having a really bad trip or something. I was crying VERY hard. They checked up on me, and while both me and Marc were totally sober, it was still a really funny moment.
At Paradiso the Following year, I was with Nate, who is my current boyfriend, and during Illenium’s set, we had a really special moment just crying together and snuggling on the hill. That festival really helped us grow together in our relationship. It brought us to a deeper level of connection and love.
What is your favorite festival and why?
Shambhala because that event was just insane. There is so much to do there, and so many different artists to just vibe to whenever. It was so much fun to explore. It was really a home away from home, but better since it had music pretty much 24/7.
What’s your dream festival and why?
Tomorrowland for sure. Me and Nate have agreed that we want to have a joint Bachelor/Bachelorette party there, once we get married. It just seems so crazy.
What is one valuable life lesson you’ve learned from raving?
Live in the moment, and be present. You don’t get these moments twice.
(Insert photo of her in her favorite set from FRW)
RAVE FASHION:
Do you do anything special to plan out your looks?
Not really, I just throw things together and hope for the best. Sometimes I will buy extra things if I feel like it’ll look good together.
Aside from your new line, what is your favorite set from FRW?
I really love the Lucent White Reflective stuff. The micro-kini is super cute, and I feel it’s super easy to dress up.
What’s your favorite festival accessory?
Definitely any hair accessories. I love doing festival braids with outfits, and I feel like they really elevate a look without having to do anything extra with your hair. It’s also so easy to manage at an event.
What’s your favorite festival hair style?
Half-Up Half-Down Space buns. Although I like adding color to the space buns.
What’s your favorite pair of shoes? (And do you actually keep them on at events lol)
I love YRU’s so much. I wear their Matrixx High runners to nearly every event and they are so beyond comfy. I find them pretty easy to shuffle in as well which is nice. I am usually fine lasting like, 8 or so hours in them, but I wear insoles which helps a lot.
What are the five things every raver should have in their bookbag at all times?
Portable Charger, Chapstick, Wallet, Tampons, Finger Puppets
(Insert her favorite TikTok video here)
CREATING CONTENT:
How do you draw inspiration for your TikTok videos?
I get a lot from just scrolling through my FYP! I take a lot of inspo from the POV TikTokers, because I think they do a really good job of twisting audio to fit a narrative. I have some go-to video ideas that I can fall back on like shuffling videos, or beauty videos which are really quick and easy to make.
I also try to keep up with trends as much as I can, and see if I can spin them into something rave related.
What has been your favorite/most fun video to make so far and why?
The one where I measured my bra size because people kept saying that I am not a DD. I just think overall it was hilarious. I did turn comments off because somehow it made it to Incel TikTok?? But I just thought it was funny that people don’t realize that your band size plays a big part in your cup size. I’m technically a 28DD (can never find that size so I wear a 32DD) so while my cup size is “large” the band size makes them pretty small still. People are honestly crazy.
What tips do you have for other rave babes for at home photo shoots?
- Make sure you are shooting with good lighting!! It is so important. The best photos that are going to get you noticed and reposted are going to be well-lit.
- Have your body take up the majority of the photo. You don’t want to be too far back in the photo. Too much negative space takes away from the photo, and you want to give a photo more dimension. Standing too far back takes that dimension away.
- Get either Adobe Lightroom or PS Express. I use PS Express as my go-to editing app. You can fix the lighting so easily in there, and adjust certain colors saturation, and luminance. It’s beyond helpful especially when shooting indoors.
- Get a ring light!
What are your favorite apps to use to add fun effects/backgrounds to your photos?
Okay so in order I use:
- PS Express: Good for lighting changes
- Facetune: (ugh I KNOW BUT HEAR ME OUT) You can edit a new background in Facetune super easy and stick any photo in the background. And it works pretty well. I also use it for any skin smoothing (which I have been trying not to do as much), enhancing my makeup or certain accessoires on my outfit. And Adding Light Effects!
- VSCO: I use for filter, and last minute lighting adjustments and cropping the photo!
- Pics Art: Just for fun things like fairy wings or clip art.
When you’re editing your photos, you don’t want to over-edit anything. You want to adjust it to enhance the photo. Having things too smooth, or too filtered can make things look really fake. Your photo is already perfect because it’s of you, and you’re beautiful, so don’t take that away with over-editing.
(Insert photo from the collab here)
The Sunflower Raver X FRW collab is one of the most versatile lines from FRW to date. You can find some of your favorite signature FRW styles like high hip bottoms, high waisted thong, bandana and bikini top in a beautiful bright orange and yellow sunflower fabric. Or try one of the new products in this line like the reversible tube top or arm sleeves. Finish your vibe off with a coordinating beach towel and a super cozy XL blanket! The styles in this collection are also swim-friendly. Snag your fit today while it’s still in stock!