This past week, we had the pleasure of grabbing coffee with Maya Moore (@onehandedoverdressed), a multifaceted creative known for her content creation, modeling, and disability advocacy. Maya’s passion lies in portraying her unique perspective of the world and imparting her narrative. Through her artistic endeavors, she works to educate people to be more inclusive in their daily lives by keeping accessibility and representation front of mind.
Continuing our celebration of Black History Month—see the world through the lens of Maya Moore and learn what drives her creativity.
Kinn: What is your favorite form of creative expression?
Maya: My favorite form of creative expression is photography—it’s just really cool to see the world through somebody else's eyes. And I really, really like showing people how I see my world, myself, other people. So photography for sure.
Kinn: What is your favorite thing about yourself?
Maya: My favorite thing about myself is probably my eyes. I never thought they were cool or anything special or beautiful because they were just plain brown my whole life, but as I've gotten older, I've really come to appreciate them. And I think eyes are just so expressive and you can tell what somebody's saying or not saying just by looking at them. So I love my eyes.
Kinn: What's something that not a lot of people know about you?
Maya: Something that a lot of people don't know about me is when I first had my amputation, I was really nervous to meet people and go out in the world before I had a prosthetic. So one of my good friends at the time, when I would get weird questions or stares, we would make up stories on the spot. Things like I got attacked by a shark or a bear or I was in a seven-alarm fire or a test-tube baby. Just the weirdest things. But it helped break the ice and it helped me approach it through humor. Just seeing my disability as something that I didn't need to be ashamed of, that it was completely normal and just part of who I am.
Kinn: What is something you want to tell the world about?
Maya: That disabled life is not tragic or sad or something that needs to be hidden. I think that disability is beautiful. I think that we're intuitive, we are inventive, we persevere. And I think it would be really nice to see that shift in the way that the world sees us as well.
Kinn: Who is someone that inspires you?
Maya: My mom, for sure. I really admire how, growing up, she made a point to bring these amazing, phenomenal women around us. Women who had their own businesses, women who were single moms. All of these really inspiring women in my life. And I'm grateful for her, but I'm especially grateful for her just surrounding me and building a community of strong, amazing women. I owe everything I am and have today to them.
Kinn: Lastly, what has been your biggest milestone?
Maya: I would say there are two. One for personal life would definitely be reaching my 13 years in remission. I'm a cancer survivor, and that's always just going to feel cool and special. I'd say the second is the startup. I am really, really excited for what's to come in just building something that I feel like the disability community wants and needs. And really trying to build this space within fashion, or contribute my part to building this part in fashion for people with disabilities.
Learn more about Maya and her work here.
