We recently connected with Tatia Wilson and have shared our conversation below.

Tatia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

I’ve taken many risks in life. Some successful, some disastrous but were all essential ingredients into who I am today. I left my hometown of Philadelphia as a single mother, leaving my 1st daughter with my mother, to work at the graphic department of American Express in Florida. However, things did not work out as expected, so I had to get another job that did not align with my passions or intended career. This led me to being introduced to the beauty industry by my then husband and as a result invested in designer perfumes to sell to salons and barbershops. The business grew from selling perfume to beauty supply. With the revenue, my business partner and I opened our very own beauty supply store and salon. Beauty supply stores and salons in both Miami and Atlanta for 15 years. But I always believed art was always my calling and so I took the risk of finally investing in my art and it is going well so far.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Art has always been a part of my life. Raised in a Jamaican household full of culture, music and with a father who was an artist attributed to my gift. I attended college and majored and minored in fashion illustration, fine art and graphic design. Life at times can send you down different paths but art was always apart of me. I became the official tshirt and banner designer for The Annual Philadelphia Caribbean Festival from 1992 to present day of which my mother remains the coordinator. Now at the age of 51, I am finally fulfilling my long desired dream and passion to become an established artist and one day owning my own gallery and looking forward to my pieces becoming a part of someone’s home decor.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

If my life was a movie, the title would be “Resilience”. Throughout my life I have faced obstacles that would make anyone question their strength. I have been molested, a single mother, married for 17 years then divorced, loss of businesses due to betrayal and my accountability of mistakes of trusting without due diligence with anything my name is attached to and a pancreatic cancer survivor. However, no matter what I’ve been through, I have 3 beautiful and intelligent daughters, true love landed at my feet and I am still able to be inspired by the beauty of the world and my life that surrounds me!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Most of my life, I find that I was a person who was afraid to say no. I have learned to take accountability for my own sadness and happiness. I have learned that it is ok to be selfish without feeling guilty. Loving yourself is also a required self care!

Contact Info:

• Website: Chateauadele.myshopify.com
• Instagram: @chateau.adele
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093842100771

Image Credits
31st Annual Caribbean Festival photo by Gabby Goldfinger