We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful YOGI DADA. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with YOGI below.

YOGI, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

My most meaningful project to date is my production, “GRAFFICA LIVE!” based on my award-winning film, “GRAFFICA”. The film is based on my journey as an Artist and the influence of African culture and urban graffiti on my style of art. It is laid against the backdrop of Black and white characters I created during the beginning of the pandemic. The story is told through African drumming, dance, rap, poetry, and song.

The live production, “GRAFFICA LIVE!” is a powerful live immersion experience that shares the beauty and power of Black culture in way that is transformative for audiences and makes an artful impact.

As an Artist, my greatest joy and satisfaction comes from leaving a positive impact on the world around me.

YOGI, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is YOGI DADA. “Yogi” is a childhood nickname from Yolonda, and Dada come from the philosophy, “dadaism.” A thought philosophy that states, “Art is whatever you believe it is.” I am an Artist for humanity, desiring that whatever I do impacts other humans in a deep, spiritual way.

I have been into everything creative since childhood from dance to theater, music, and visual arts, and completed my Bachelor of Fine Art from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. During my collegiate experience, I became very discouraged that I did not have the gift to paint and stopped painting for 17 years. I worked as an Optician. During those years, my mother’s prayer was that I would return to my passion for art. She was the first person to put a brush in my hand and give me an easel at 4 years old. She transitioned to be with the Lord in 2009, but she did see me pick up a brush again for the first time in 2008. By 2010 I hand painted my first set of what is now known as “Dadas”, hand painted earrings. They were big, flat pieces of wood I designed with funky motifs on the front and back of each side. Business exploded, and by 2012 I created Yogi Dada LLC.

Since that time, I have had multiple celebrities “rock dem Dadas” including Jill Scott, Melanie Fiona, Floetry, Countess Vaughn, and several others. In 2018 I studied with Hermes in New York City alongside fifteen other handpicked Artists as a part of an Artisan program funded by NEST Artisan Guild out of New York. That same Summer I took the plunge to return to canvas and created my first series, “Go Back to Africa.”

My Clients are mainly women who have a story to tell. They are bold, self-aware, and courageous and they enjoy celebrating their triumphs in a way that is their own. My Clients have raved for years that “Dadas make me feel good.” Today, they have a spiritual experience with my artwork that uplifts and inspires. I provide a personal design consultation to understand their story and what they want to say to the world. I consider myself a freestyle, precision Artist, as I do not sketch my designs, but create from spirit to wood. My style has become a recognizable energy and has reached international Clients are far as Portugal.

Alongside my visual arts, I am also a performing Artist which includes Poet, Author, Vocalist, African Djembe Drummer, Cellist, Sign Language Artist, and most recently award-winning Filmmaker. I am immensely proud of my first film, “GRAFFICA”. It is a short documentary I created, produced, and directed, in 2020 at the height of the pandemic telling my story of growing up as a young black girl in a predominately white community in upstate New York. I found my artistic identity through spiritual connectivity to African culture and the environmental influence of urban graffiti. The story is told against the backdrop of multiple characters I created in black and white design. The film comes to life with African drumming, poetry, song, and rap. “GRAFFICA” has won multiple awards including “Best Feature Film” Black Lens Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham, AL, “Award of Excellence” Fire Island Film Festival New York City, “Official Selection” Black Film Festival in Austin, Texas just to name a few. It was recently requested to showcase at the “Bushwick Film Festival” in Brooklyn, New York. The film was produced and partly funded by the Dorothy Jemison Day Theater of Alabama.

With the success of the film, I decided to launch a live production, “GRAFFICA LIVE!” which premiered April 23rd, 2022, and received rave reviews. It played to a beautiful, multicultural audience in my home church of St. John AME Church downtown Birmingham, in conjunction with the Magic City Poetry Festival as created and lead by the Alabama State Poet Laureate, Ashely Jones. What makes me most proud of the live production was the opportunity to highlight Black Student Artists from local middle and high schools. It was amazing! My team and I are working to take the production on tour throughout the Southeast and the country. My purpose in sharing the production is the transformative impact it has on the audience to discuss challenging topics in a safe and fruitful way.

Overall, I desire people remember how I made them feel. I pray they feel inspired, uplifted, and closer to their Creator. My story, “It’s all God.”

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding part of being an Artist is that I have always known this is what I wanted to do. I meet so many people who have no idea where their passion lies and it is exceedingly frustrating for them. It is a foreign concept because I have known since I was a little girl that I wanted to be an Artist.

My special blessing is that my Mother saw the gift early and fostered it. My family never tried to sway my passion towards a worldly idea of “success”, but always towards where my heart found its joy. The reward is knowing that I am doing exactly what I was created to do.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Alongside the beauty of doing what I love, there are two additional points that drive my passion; 1) helping young Artists live in their divine freedom, and 2) inspiring others to recapture the passion of their youth.

I am passionate about educating young Artists to be prepared with the right tools for their journey. It is the equipping that is the responsibility of the teacher, not the direction.

In my opportunities to meet with adults, I find many have a deep sadness for the loss of their creativity. Many were led by parents to find a more “suitable” career, and they are miserable. Because I know what it is like to lose years following the system of the world, I aim to inspire others to courage, to revisit the joy they had as a child.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.yogidada.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yogidadaart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YogiDadaWorld

Image Credits
Photo by KP Studios Birmingham, AL