Blanck Lite Issue 8 Blanck Lite Issue 8 | Page 12

IBRO DELI With Love from Kosovo H ello, I’m Ibro Deli and I’m a 20-year-oldsinger, songwriter and fashion influencer from Kosovo, a small place in eastern Europe. Growing up has never been easy. The tides always rise and fall through life’s journeys but the only thing that matters is how I define my problems and the solutions I employ in solving them. Every time I succeed in solving a problem I become a new person, it feels like I reinvent myself. I own a coffee bar in Prishtina as well as some other small businesses here and there. It’s inter- estinghow my passion for music and fashion is completely different from my 9-5. But it’s excit- ing and I’m happy I’m ableto manage both suc- cessfully.It’s been a year since I started focusing more in my music career and I’m working real- ly hard to reach my goals. If there is a fashion city in Kosovo, it is undoubt- edly Prishtina. The city has a collective interest in fashion. Kosovo has the youngest population in Europe and they’re affected by social media and they follow the trendslike the rest of the world. It feels great to see a lot of people in my city expressing themselves through fashion and I know there’s so much more that we can offer. The idea of using a Rooster for this shoot was so unsuspected. My friends and I were talking about animals and their characteristics and my 12 / BLANCKLITE / OCT 2018 / www.blanckdigital.com mind immediately went to Rooster, I’ve always liked them. I often say that the Rooster is my spirit animal as I believe we have so many things in common. Roosters are deep thinkers and of- ten considered to be honest, bright, communi- cative, ambitious, capable, and warm-hearted. They possess astrong sense of self and respect and seldom rely on others. Right now, I’m focused on my music career as this is really what I love to do. I love expressing my art through music and fashion and this is my safe space. I’m working hard to put out new work but I’m taking things one step at a time. I draw my creative influences from everything and everydaylife. Working in a creative field requires a tough skin, and the music industry is no exception. Band, label, manager, agent or promoter they’re all bound to face more than a few bumps on the road. The trick is learning how to deal with dis- appointments and continue to move towards your goals without getting side-tracked. If I have words for my younger self I will say ‘surround yourself with people that inspire you, people you can learn from. Learn to value your own voice because you are going to be a bit of a hard driver when you grow up. So, do me a fa- vor- remember to take a breather every now and again, and don’t feel guilty about it’. 13 / BLANCKLITE / OCT 2018 / www.blanckdigital.com