We’re looking forward to introducing you to Yolanda Redd. Check out our conversation below.
Yolanda, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What do you think others are secretly struggling with—but never say?
The extent that people may live their lives for the approval of others. There’s so much of us that can get lost when we are looking to be understood. We shift and change for other people’s comfortability, to one day not being able to recognize ourselves or what we truly want out of life. I think this is an unspoken struggle people walk with in order to feel apart, or feel “worthy”.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Heyyy! I’m Yoli and I am from Los Angeles CA. I am a self taught artist and have been creating for majority of my life. My brand is HDIN.GEM (hidden gem), something I started in 2017 which stands for How Dare I Not Give Everything of Me. It started out as a promise to myself to do everything that I dream of just because I can. I created this space to give myself permission to exist in the ways I please. I am an Artist, Writer, Traveler, Hair Enthusiast and still loading. I like to paint portraits, landscape and some of my favorite fruits, the simple pleasures. All the things that make life beautiful. I am stepping into another phase with my work, one that feels more intentional, authentic and reflective of my growth. As of late HDIN.GEM has been really diving into some of my forgotten loves. I have been hosting Paint & Sip sessions as well as live paintings, and getting back to my writing and love of music. I hope to step more into storytelling with my work and allow a new level of vulnerability to be unlocked. I’m super excited to see the way HDIN.GEM continues to grow from this point on.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
Something that I used to believe as a child that I no longer live by is feeling like I don’t have a say in how my life feels or look.
If you are not taught the value of agency and autonomy, you will live your life by the words and validation of others. I lived a majority of my life like that, because for some reason I was unaware of my choice or say in the matter. I valued other people’s opinions over my own intuition and it created a world that I only recognized via other people’s POV. I now know that I get to create my own world, no permission needed.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
I stopped hiding my pain when I realized it started to bleed onto the things I loved. Hiding the pain initially was a way to keep moving, a way to not allow the past or hurt to effect the things I wanted. But overtime the pain would show up in other ways. How I reacted to situations, my fears and even how long I was able to hold on to good things. The pain made decisions for me and told me what I did and did not deserve. I started to use it as power when I realized the more I acknowledged it, the lighter I felt, Vulnerability and transparency helped transform the pain into something beautiful, something that helped me connect to others and also revealed the strength I actually possessed for not allowing it to destroy me. My art is a result of that for sure.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
I think my close friends would say freedom matters to me. Not being defined by one thing and being able to exist exactly the way I would like is important. I also feel like experiences, being able to go and experience something new and insightful makes me feel so good about this life.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. When do you feel most at peace?
I feel most at peace in solitude or in nature. Get me next to a body of water or next to some lush and I’m having a good time. I like to exist with no pressure and I feel like during these times I feel the most myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hdingem.co
- Instagram: @hdin.gem
