A Chat with Model and Poet: Dove Eleanor

Image: Kiera Simpson (@kiers)

Dove Eleanor and I connected through initially unassuming circumstances as I geared up for my trip to cover NY Fashion Week SS25’. I discovered one of her only poetry related reels by searching the hashtags, “poetry” and “new york”. Little did I realise that she would be visiting London the following week where we first met in person. As a result, we decided to organise an interview and photoshoot with Dove, who is a model directly positioned between both the fashion and creative industry.

Having been interested in the career path since she was a child, she’s carved out a space for herself in both NYC and London’s modelling industries. A model primarily, Dove expresses herself through a medium she never expected, poetry. Her works showcase the earnestness of the feminine experience as she traverses many intersecting identities. Through this medium, she documents her personal experiences which speak to the grander existence of women generally. 

We sat down with Dove at a coffee shop in Bedstuy called Playground, eventually ending our conversation in a nearby park. Kiera Simpson, photographer, had a few conceptual images she wanted to shoot, highlighting the quintessential NYC cityscape.

We quickly discovered that for Dove, despite being an incredibly talented model, there is much… much more than meets the eye. Read below to get a glimpse into our chat about finding yourself in NYC, pushing past childhood blocks, and allowing yourself the space to feel, without it becoming crushing. 

So Dove, how long have you lived in BK? 

Five months now.

What brought you here, are you from NY?

So I'm from New Jersey. I was working and living in Philly and then I finally moved to NY. Originally to Harlem and then Far Rockaway in Queens, then Astoria, and now Brooklyn.

We should talk about our coffee orders because I feel like that's a fun insight.

So Dove, what’s your go to?

Oh! This is literaaaaaal crack that I have at least once a day. It’s an iced matcha latte with a shot of espresso and honey - it's so good. This was a double shot, the barista said it comes with two so I was like “period!”

Image: Kiera Simpson (@kiers)

You say you moved for work - what do you do? 

Ok so I model. I got into it because I always wanted to be a superstar and I was obsessed with America's next top model so I started when I was fourteen. 

I was a really bad kid so my parents wouldn't let me model. After my first paid shoot, they didn’t let me work as punishment. I was always grounded. I didn’t have a phone for years. I had to bring an Ipad to highschool… I'm not kidding.

So for my 16th birthday, I said, “This is all I want in life. Please just let me go to this casting for fashion week”. My mom did it behind my stepdads back because he hated me… but she said “Okay have your brother drive you”. She didn't think anything would come of it but I went and got booked for seven shows.

I had never done runway before, but it's in my blood. My mom was a model and my grandma too. I didn't really know this as a kid though, it wasn’t a driving factor. Each person kind of went a little further. My grandma was too scared to come to New York but she was like “That Girl”.

So you've been modelling since you were 14?

Yeah but I took a hiatus and came back at 16, slay.

So you’re a multifaceted creative, you also act and write? 

I do a little of everything, it's kind of insane. I think because my mom always had me in a million things when I was younger, I just love so many different things. I grew up dancing, singing, and acting so naturally I enjoy all of those things to this day. Poetry was a random thing.

Out of all of my passions I never thought I would be writing poetry. It just came out because I’ve always loved writing but I was never confident in being a poet.

So what do you like to write about - tell us about your poetic/ creative vision? 

Basically it really is just like a diary for me that has turned into poetry from experimenting so much. I write a lot about my experiences of being a woman in the industry, mental health stuff - yeah all that, it's a lot.

I hate when people are like “are you okay” but like, it's just a poem. I'm just jumping into that space and back out when I’m done. Sometimes it gets too deep though. Especially when I'm writing all day, so I sometimes need to take a break. 

When you take a break, what does that look like? 

For me it’s not that I’m stuck, I’m genuinely just protecting myself and refreshing to be able to come back more clear headed. I kinda just let it go and come back when it wants to.

It makes really good art but you don't want to hurt yourself in the process. I don't want it to make me crazy.

I was going to say… 

Right, like… I'm already crazy but I don't want to become a crazy artist, I don't want to actually become insane. 

What do you feel about the creative scene in New York? 

It's definitely its own breed of energy - very chaotic, it’s a lot. That translates in my work and my mental health. Very go go go, it's very sporadic, when I went to London I just felt like it was more grounded there.

If you could tell your younger self something to keep her going after what you know now, what would you say to her?

I would tell her, hang in there sister, you’re about to go on a riiiide. But also the plans you have for yourself are not always what is going to happen. What may happen could be better than what you planned, just go with the flow, follow your passions, just be yourself.

Looking back on myself when I was twenty and first moving here, I was so uncomfortable, wearing mini dresses and going out to the clubs. Look at me now…. Like this is so much more comfortable to me.

What is your favourite thing about the city, what does it offer you? 

I’d say inspiration. Genuinely there’s inspiration on every corner. I love the people, I love the connections, talking to strangers. Serendipity moments that happen, and just meeting artists, connecting, creating … It's amazing. 

People talk about it all the time that NY is a vortex. Sweet D Labs mentioned that if you think of someone within eight hours you’ll see them… and that actually happened to us. 

I know omg it's freaky! One time I was crying about this guy. I was literally sobbing in the street and I'm not kidding, he popped up. 

He turned the corner and was like “what’s wrong are you okay?”

What does it mean to you to be able to express yourself through fashion?

It's very important to me. Growing up, my mom was literally me in a different form, I always loved seeing her wear whatever she wanted.

Being in relationships with straight men has actually dimmed my sparkle a bit. Whenever I would dress cute I would be judged by them for being “too slutty”. Whenever I dressed “too masculine” they would say things to me like “you look like a boy”. So its super important to me now to wear whatever the fuck I want, to do my hair and makeup however I want.

As a model as well that’s taken away from me a lot. I can’t cut my hair. I can’t get tattoos. I have to keep my body the same. I don't have full independence over how I look. So my clothes, my hairstyle, my makeup, my words, my art - that’s how I express myself.

When it's been taken away from you, you want it so much more.

For many creatives, It’s important to trust your process despite boundaries that prevent us from seeing light at the end of the tunnel. There is often hope there, but sometimes we can’t quite see it yet. Walking into the dark may be the only way we can expand our creative inclinations. All the while, radical vulnerability via new mediums creates brand new pathways we would’ve never conceived of. Dove’s many talents and poetic works are a direct testament to that. 

Dove is an all around creative force to be reckoned with in the NYC modelling industry and beyond. One thing I will note is that in addition to her many talents and lethal face card, she’s one of the loveliest, silliest gals I’ve had the privilege of meeting in the industry so far. Dove implores us to sometimes drink a supercharged matcha (double espresso in tow), push for the career advancement you want, and take some risks, who knows what you’ll be capable of.

You can find out more about her day to day by following her on instagram at @doveleanor and read her works on her poetry page @anaddictsbrain.

Image: Kiera Simpson (@kiers)