Today we’d like to introduce you to April Flowers.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
As a reflect on my life, I have been in love with learning, music, singing, dancing, fashion, hair and make-up. I was four years old and discovered I could sing. I had no idea how powerful my voice would be as I blossomed and my voice began to grow stronger. I discovered fashion, hair, and make-up, after my father died when I was twelve years old.
The evolution from the twelve-year-old to the fierce singer, model, performer, TV Host, entreprenuer and future designer April Flowers which exists today and who is exploding with powerful and creative joy was birth out of many hardships.
The story that I am telling and the journey that I am revealing began so early.
At 3 years old, my mother and father legally separated. I was a daddy’s girl, so I missed him dearly. I began singing soon after that. I was 4 years old and my brother was 2 years old when we started singing in the back of my mother’s 1972 red two-door camero. My brother and I became the singing entertainment at our family reunions. I sang day and night and made up dance rountines to my favorite songs as early as I can remember.
What was funny was I acted so nerdy in School that nobody knew the full gament of my gifts! My dreams of becoming a famous musical artist! I was extremely studious in elementary school, I began to enjoy winning dance contests and fell in love with public speaking after reading the biography of Mr. Fredrick Douglass and wanted to become a writer. I began playing the flute in the fourth grade and loved the smooth tones created that floated magically into the air.
By 12, I was the smartest kid in my school with the higher state test scores and I took 2nd place in the all-district spelling bee. The whole school was proud of me.
I would say that it was my 12th birthday when I began to explore almost every artistic outlet that I could find after watching the movie “Purple Rain”. I adored the creative freedom that Prince took to create his unique brand, style and music.
Prince and my mother were mavericks when it came to being “unapologetically themselves”. I wanted to experience that same freedom of expression.
Later on in year in my 12th year, my dad died. My dad was my everything. In response to his death, I decided to begin to write poetry, create choreography for popular songs and began to write and sing songs. I also started designing and creating my own clothing. I would watch my mother cut patterns and sew. My mother made clothes for us since birth.
I decided to make my own clothing. I sketched the drawings, designed the patterns, picked out material and hand-sewed outfits.
I remember the kids at school asking me where I purchased my outfits. I laugh now when I think about their reactions when I told them that I made my own clothing. They could not believe it.
I never thought that anything I did was special or talented gifts. Being a creative was the way I explored, understood, embrassed and expressed myself.
About a year after my Dad died, I began to focus on getting a great education. He always thought that I was smart. I decided that I would earn a scholarship to go to college by making all “A’s” on my grade card!
So, I really didn’t get back into music publicly until I was a junior and my little brother and I wanted to sing in our school’s version of “Night at the Apollo”. They ended up canceling the event for that year. However, during my senior year I joined the drama team to be in two productions of two musicals and my brother and I won the “Night of the Apollo” that year. I still have the trophy.
I ,also, graduated 5th in my class out of 234 and was voted ” Most Scholarly” for my senior class. I earned a full-tuition scholarship for my undergrad and graduate years while I attended Park College for Communication Arts (print journalism), Secondary English Education, and Educatiinal Administration, K – 12.
My college highlights were being recognized for my writing, oratorical skills, and winning another talent show for singing and the Park College’s Harvest Festival Homecoming Queen for Fall 1994.
Currently, I started my 27th year in education as an assistant principal at Frontier School of Excellence. My educational journey has lead me to take varies leadership positions as a teacher, lead teacher, department chair, cheerleader sponsor, club sponsor, lead team member, vice principal to head principal of two elementaries in Kansas City.
Over the years, I have always been drawn to fashion, hair, makeup and communication. I was born to be a model, brand ambassador, TV host and influencer. My name is April Flowers and desire to inspire and empower.
In my 20’s, I began to participate in hair shows. I don’t know what it was about my hair and style, but people loved it. I modeled for about four different hairdressers. I was powerful then, even helping one hairdresser to win first prize for a “behive” hair design!
After really reaching to higher ranks in the school system and becoming a mother to three children and dealing with the deaths of my mother, youngest brother and grandmother, I decided to focus on continuing to address the needs of my family.
It was after about 20 years in education that I hit a snag in life. I left the educational profession. I had served as a turnaround principal for two of the lowest performing elementary schools in the Kansas City Public Schools.
Turning around schools is hard work. It had taken everything out of me. Literally! I lost my singing voice and didn’t have time or a desire to write poetry.
So, I left the school, the title, and the salary for peace. During that time, I walked with GOD and asked him his will for my life.
I began to start singing daily and began attempting to write songs again. I also started to begin looking into fashion modeling.
I wanted to hit the runway again for fashion sake. I loved hair shows and decided to walk in one hair show and then another three months later. It felt so powerful. It was just what I needed.
I then built up courage to walk in a fashion show casting call where you have to be selected by a designer to walk for the show. I was selected and so happy.
Three days later in November of 2017 after being selected, I found myself in the hospital with a kidney infection that went septic. I almost died.
But God saved my life again. I forgot to mention that in 2006 that I was hit and run over by a delivery truck while I waa walking on the Plaza in Kansas City, Mo. I survived again. God has a complete mission for my life.
I decided after that near miss of death that I was going to try to achieve everything I wanted including modeling. It was almost not meant for me to be in the fashion show.
I wanted to walk so badly in my first fashion show. I prayed and prayed. I was facing not being able to walk in the show. I was devastated.
Then, a freak accident occurred and the apparatus had to be removed from my body. However, this accident allowed me to be able to walk.
I didn’t walk in that show. I strutted. I fiercely strutted. It was the beginning. The world met April Flowers the fashionista, the model, the brand!
I was becoming free to be me. I had asked God to allow me to go to bed and wake up being my authentic self. He has allowed this for my life.
So, I decided to go full throttle with modeling. I only stand at 5 foot 2 on a good day. And, after being sick after the kidney infection and reconstructive surgery, I am considered plus-size.
This second go around with modeling, I was 45 years old and I just turned 49 yeaes old.
I have walked in some of the best and largest fashion shows in Kansas City, including Kansas City Fashion Week, West 18th Fashion Show, Local Fashion Show, Runway Review with Christian Michael and Omaha Fashion Week over 20 other shows. I love walking fiercely in fashion shows.
My style is dramatic and with a great deal of flair.
I blame my parents for my love for fashion. Although both of them have passed, both of them loved to be stylish and fashionable. I get it honestly. I still thumb through family albums. My parents were so beautiful.
I have been the brand ambassador for several Kansas city based brands including Regal Status, 79ROZE, Danae and Dakota, Duckout Clothing, and Deep Rooted.
It is fun helping to tell the story and embody the mission and vision of another person’s brand.
It really helped me renew my desire to want to build my own fashion brand. I am getting closer to achieve this dream!
Now, I have begun to work behind the scenes with local fashion shows. I served as the Director of Inclusion and Community Development for the Runway Review of Christian Michael. I also served as the designer liaison for the West 18th Street Fashion Show.
I love being in front of the lens and in back of it as well. It helps me test the water to see if production is great.
Also, I am about a year into being a TV host for Fabutainment. A broadcast company that captures entertainment and fashion features. We are currently broadcast on the channel on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV.
I have always wanted to be on TV and I have moved my brand to those airways. I will soon begin my podcast and hopefully my own show in 2022. I am so excited about everything that is happening.
I used to tell my students years ago that I would have my own TV show. I told them I would be the next five letter word. I would say there was Opera and now there is April.
I would laugh. But I know it will come to fruition.
I plan to fully vet the April Flowers, the woman and the brand; the designer, fashionista and plus-size model.
I still am in education and finished my 26th year in education as an assistant principal at a local high school. I was recently nominated and received recognition as a finalist for staff member of the year.
I am going to keep pushing and growing and will continue to help others grow!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There were so many hurdles along the way of my becoming April Flowers.
Early in my life at age 2-years-old, I had to wear Becker cables to address the fact that was extremely pigeoned-toed to the point where it totally affected my ability to walk.
My mother found a specialist and I was treated for my ailment for three years. I had to sleep in those cables. They were attached to my waist, down my legs to my shoes. I was able to stop wearing them at the age of 5-years-old. I didn’t wear my first pair of regular shoes until I was 12 years old.)
If my mother did not seek that treatment, I probably would not have self-esteem or have been able to model. You have to be able to walk a straight line on the runway.
Also, my mother made sure that I had braces for my teeth at the age of 12-years-old. I have this big pretty smile because my mother made sure that my teeth were straight.
I was the only kid in my school who had braces. I mean it. The kids would make fun of me.
I am able to smile more because of it. She spent a great deal of money making sure that I was going to be alright and that I would not be ashamed of anything about my physical appearance.
Again, I am able to be model, singer, TV Host and personality because of my mother and father.
My hair had major setbacks until my adult life. My hair fell out because of hair perms when I was 5-years-old and 11-years-old.
In the sixth grade, my aunt decided to cut my shoulder-length hair into an afro two weeks before my sixth-grade year. It was terrible.
My hair would always grow my hair back quickly. My mom saved the day again and began styling my hair. She grew my hair out. It became long in high school.
So, I celebrate hair in so many different ways. I have worn almost every hairstyle with my favorites being a fade with 360 waves and my afro.
I am a natural hair girl and I love my afro. It makes me feel free and why wouldn’t I want that freedom!
I would say the deaths of my father when I was 12 and my mother and younger brother at 28, and the recent death of my oldest brother this year were emotional setbacks.
I live each day for them. I am going to live this life to the fullest. It is hard though. They are not here to see me and all that I am doing.
My brother who died this year in March made sure to tell me how proud he was of me. I feel so blessed to have spent the last two weeks of his life with him. We laughed, cried and reminisced. Cancer is terrible.
The two instances of me facing death with being hit and dragged by a delivery truck in 2006 and in 2017 almost dieing from a kidney infection causing me to have reconstructive kidney surgery were some huge obstacles. I am here though. I MADE IT!
I really would have lost my life both times. But, it wasn’t time yet. So, I just kept going.
All of the challenges made me stronger. I am SO strong now.
I have to continue to be a role-model for my three children and grandson; all of my former and current students; all women entreprenuers; and actually any one who has a dream and desires to impact the world.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As a singer, my voice has grown deeper and more story telling. The quality of my voice has been enhanced over time. Singing has always been my first love. Currently, I have a song on Spotify that I co-created with the vocals and the concept of the song. I performed my first song that was produced in Jan. 2020. I plan on making more music in the future.
Also, I plan to have a podcast that specializes in featuring the lives of women entrepreneurs. Women have to tell their stories. We are always fighting for our place in the world. We are warriors!
Natural Evolving Woman is a movement to recognize and celebrate women. Using their natural gifts to create art or go into business is beautiful. Also, capturing the evolution that women go through is amazing.
It must be captured and the story must be told. I want to help reveal and help them tell the story.
And it is ultimately so powerful being a woman. Especially now, it is very important. This has been the year of the woman.
Eventually, I will have a show that will air on TV in 2022 called, VIBEZ with April Flowers through FABUtainment TV.
Additionally, I have joined area fashion show on the board of directors for the Runway Review with Christian Michael and West 81th Street Fashion Show.
In education, I was nominated for the Excellence in Education for Staff member of the Year for Charter School. It was great to be recognized. I was the only vice principal to be nominated. I am the vice principal at Frontier School of Excellence for safety and conduct.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
COVID has taught me so much about life.
1. You need to cherish your loved ones. I lost a loved one, my brother during Covid. He died from Cancer and it was so hard to deal with.
2. You need to meditate. Daily, you need to allow yourself to dream and think. It will help you relieve some stress.
3. You need to watch your diet. If you didn’t that Rona weight was hard to get off. If you eat better, you can sit around and not gain 20 pounds.
4. You have to protect your energy. You could keep negative people away with Covid. You didn’t have to accept invites by citing that due to Covid.
5. You are never too old to dream. Whatever your heart has desired, you should go for it. Covid gave us a lot of time to think and dream.
6. You can start a new business during the worst of times.
7. It is everybody’s job to keep everybody safe. You have to keep yourself healthy and others. Wearing a mask and getting a vaccine will help all of us.
8. There are more efficient ways to do most things. Zoom made meetings and learning happen. ZOOM it!
9. Wearing a mask can help reduce the spread of the common cold and the flu. The numbers were so low during the season of Covid I might keep wearing the mask to protect myself.
10. Time is a resource that you should not waste. I realized that when we were shut down, I spent more time doing things that mattered. I didn’t run to the store for items that I didn’t really need to get.
Pricing:
- Brand Ambassador: $50 an hour. Brand Mention: $50.00
- Modeling for a runway show: $100.00 (Negotiable)
- Vibez with April Flowers Shirts: $25.00
- Red Carpet Hosting: $50 an hour.
- Creative Directing of Styling: $50.00
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/natural.evolving.woman?igshid=19e2dry3k76pz
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/April-Flowers-Page-105095107883266/
Image Credits
Mark Padigos Jerome Hutchins Photography Francesca Williams
