We recently connected with D’asia Simone and have shared our conversation below.
D’Asia, appreciate you joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
As an artist and creative, I am absolutely more happy. There is this sense of freedom and sovereignty when you can focus on creating and living in your ‘Zone of Genius’. The reward is even greater when you are paid for doing what you love. I’ve been blessed to experience this since the beginning of my journey. Simultaneously, I have always had a regular job since the age of 15. As someone who values stability, security, and consistency, I always appreciated having the benefits that come with a job such as healthcare benefits and bi-weekly pay. Some of my jobs have also played a role in enhancing my skills that I often use in my own business and creative projects. It has also helped me as a creative because I have had the opportunities to invest more into my projects while also affording my necessities. Over the past years, my 9 to 5 jobs have paid for my travel, projects, and more. While having a job has its benefits, over time it started to feel less beneficial when I realized that I was trading my time for money. Money is energy, constantly flowing, and is accessible in various ways. Time is so valuable and cannot be returned once it is gone. In that moment, that’s when I realized that I needed to change my mindset around my craft, money, and jobs. Jobs have definitely been a tool for me thus far, but it does not compare to the time that I spend being in a constant state of creativity and freedom. Those moments are way more valuable than the 8 hours spent at a job, and losing a little bit of creative drive when focusing my energy of tasks that I am not passionate about. After learning about Human Design, and reading books such as The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks and A Happy Pocket Full of Money by David Cameron Gikandi, I’ve learned the value of pouring my energy into things that bring me excitement, satisfaction, and fulfillment, operating in my Zone of Genius, and allowing the universe to form around that version of myself. Having a regular job was only meant for me to survive and take care of my basic needs, but it is not a necessity to have when there are so many other options to receive consistent income and have my needs met. All I needed to do was change my thinking process, open myself up to the options, and focus on doing what I love and what brings me the most joy. Since doing that, my creativity has produced so many breakthroughs, ideas, opportunities, and a constant flow of money.
D’Asia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My name is D’Asia Simone and I am a multimedia artist, with a focus in music, performing arts, and visual arts. I was born into a creative and musical family. I began my artistic journey as a child, where she sang in the church and school choirs, attended art camps and theater classes, vocal and guitar lessons, and performing at community events. As a child I was spend a lot of time watching my great-grandfather and cousins play piano and other instruments, sing, dance, and more. I attended modeling school where I did my first photoshoots and absolutely fell in love with being in front of the camera. My great-grandfather was also a photographer and valued capturing life through any lens he got his hands on. He was the camera man of our family and has captured so many photos and home videos. In every photo and every video, I was always front and center and ready to be in the spotlight. I also found my love for being behind the camera too. My grandfather would let me test out his cameras and at the age of age of 12, I had my first digital camera and camcorder. I bought myself an Olympus SZ-10 at the age of 14, and have been behind a camera ever since. No matter what interests we had, my family always made sure to nurture all of our creativity and passions. I would sign up for every talent show, audition for every musical and in my spare time, I spent time writing songs in my room, creating songs on Garage Band, and recording cover songs to upload to Soundcloud and Youtube, taking photos either in front or behind the camera, and just creating. My first love has always been music though. I have been in music and performing arts since I was a child, but I officially made my artist debut in 2018 after moving back to Cleveland in 2015. My first few years were focused on reconnecting myself with home. I eventually joined a dance group, an modeling and acting agency, and attracting my group of friends through networking and similar interests we shared. I released my first original song in 2018 on Soundcloud along with a music video that I treated and creative directed for. That experience of creating my own music and visuals and seeing the result of my vision lit a spark in me that I knew was powerful. It wasn’t just an exciting feeling. It was a feeling that reassured me that this was a part of my purpose. Since then, I have performed on many stages, released various projects and visuals, and have explored my world of music and visual arts. In tandem, I have explored my visual arts and my artistic style through practicing photography, cinematography, creative directing more projects, collaborating with other artists, and even being booked to photography concerts and more. Over the past six years, I have really explored the many layers of my creativity without any limitations. I continue to allow myself to be led creatively to all of the places in which I feel called to. Sometimes it’s in music, sometimes it’s in creative direction, other times it will consist of me being behind the camera, and sometimes it will consist of me being the muse and in front of the camera. I always pay close to attention to what feels the most in alignment at that time. I am free and move fluidly throughout my journey. There are no limits to what I can do. The most important thing is that I feel excitement, satisfaction, and fulfillment in all that I am a part of.
After the release of my
Following the release of my EP ‘Pluto’, I began working on a new single and a visual art exhibition. I decided to build a virtual art exhibition around my song, which consisted of the song, an introduction poem with audible narration, behind-the-scenes photos, videos, notes from myself, and more. I have been wanting to find ways for people to connect with my art directly and intimately. I have tested the traditional route of music and video releases and there has always been this disconnect or this feeling of “something is missing”. The virtual art exhibition is ‘direct-to-consumer’ and allows me to include people into the entire process of my creations without all of the extra noise. My exhibitions grant me the opportunity to highlight the art of every medium I am creating in, and displaying it in one space. People get the chance to experience my musical process, my journey around the process, my emotions, and every single element, even down to the scents that I like to diffuse while creating and the colors that fill the room from my LED light bulbs. My first exhibition was virtual and I will continue to build on that. In the near future, I plan to translate my virtual exhibitions to in-person, hosting various events both nationally and internationally. I am a multimedia artist, so an exhibition is the perfect way to dive deeper into the many different layers of my art through every mediums, whether it’s music, visuals, fashion, etc. In addition to my music, visual releases, and exhibitions, I am developing a YouTube series, where I share more of my personal journey beyond the music. The series will showcase different facets of my life and creativity, blending storytelling with activities I love, offering a deeper connection to my art and process.
In 2021, I started a company called Two Fourteen where I offered digital marketing and creative services. I primarily focused on branding and web design, but over time, I have shifted my brand to a creative studio. Through my brand, I am now extending my vision to other artists and creatives, offering services such as creative direction, photography, and cinematography. My services are open to various different industries, but my recent focus has been music, entertainment, and fashion. Two Fourteen is my playground where I can collaborate with other creatives and experiment in the ways that I desire to. While D’Asia Simone represents me as an artist and brand, Two Fourteen represents my vision and all of the creative ideas that are conceived in my mind. I am excited to continue expanding my brand in addition to my own personal brand as an artist. I don’t see myself as just a musician or singer. I am an artist and the brand. When people see my work, I want them to know that it is me, D’Asia Simone, whether I am creating my own personal projects or extending my vision to others through Two Fourteen. All in all, it is all D’Asia Simone.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative is the freedom and enlightenment that I have when creating. It’s the authenticity that exudes from me when I have a creative breakthrough or idea. It sparks a type of excitement that lights up inside of me. Those moments bring me so much joy and are simple reminders that I am on the right path. For example, when I’m writing and recording songs, I always get so excited when I come up with a good melody or lyrics. During my sessions, I like to freestyle and get a feel for the music and during that moment, that’s when I begin to develop the song. I impress myself every time because I sometimes can’t believe that this is what is coming out of my mind and out of my body. I have even recorded sessions where you can see and hear me get excited in the moment. That’s a feeling that can never be bought or replicated. I feel the same way about performing live on stage, curating my visuals, and creating in all of my other artistic mediums. The other rewarding aspect of being an artist and creative is that the creating never feels like work. When you’re moving authentically in your purpose, doing what you love, and pouring your energy only into what is satisfying, exciting, and fueling for you, it feels as if you gain more energy than lose it. It never feels like work for me. I released an entire EP over the course of 6-7 months and I did majority of the work on my own. Still, despite the release being a lot of work, I felt so much fuel inside of me and that kept me going. That is a feeling I hope to always maintain and have in everything that I do. I realize how important it is to be intentional and focus on what my soul truly desires. Everything outside of that holds no relevance. When I’m operating as my fullest self, I realize how life flows so effortlessly for me. I feel full and purposeful. That is something that I will always cherish and I intend to continue living my life according to my design.
How did you build your audience on social media?
I’ve been on social media for quite a while. I started back in 2010 on Youtube and Tumblr, singing vocal covers, posting photos, and more. At the time, I gained over 10,000 followers on Instagram and had a nice amount of followers and subscribers on Youtube and Tumblr. By 2016, I had deleted all of my old accounts and started over. I feel as though my social media platforms are just now starting to feel more in alignment with me, which is beginning to attract a specific audience. Before, I was just posting on social media for fun. As an artist, I realize how social media can be a tool and useful for showcasing my art in this digital age. I have always had a love and hate relationship with social media because as much as I love technology, I also value the type of interactions and connections that aren’t easily accessible through a screen. Over this past year, I sat down and evaluated every aspect of my life, including social media and the intention that I wanted to set behind it moving forward. It can be so overwhelming, overstimulating, and so much noise. It was important for me to find a way to make it work for me. My artistry is at the forefront of what I do and that’s what a lot of people know me for. Once I began to focus my social media presence on my artistry and my interests, I began to attract like minded individuals and people who became supporters of me and my work. I think above anything else, the most important thing you can do in life and even on social media is just be yourself. Curate your life to fit and work for you. Cut out all of the extra noise and things that do not align with who you are. Ignore the trends, the remarks, the opinions, and just move throughout the world as if you are the main character of your show, because you are. Start there, and see just how you will begin to attract the right type of people, supporters, etc. I always value quality over quantity. I could have over 100k of followers and maybe only 1,000 of them are real supporters, or I can have 10,000 followers and over 8,000 of them are true fans and supporters. Again, it’s important to focus on the quality of your audience because they are the ones who will show up and support you entirely. I also think finding ways to connect with your audience is so important. Social media platforms feel so limiting for me in how I express myself and connect to my audience. To solve that problem, I began growing my subscriber list for my email newsletter and created a Patreon where my supporters can have a closer interaction with me, my art, and feel more connected to me as an artist. In a time where there is so much happening in the physical and digital world, It is refreshing when you can feel connected to art and an artist that you love. I am a very private person so boundaries are definitely a priority for me, but there is always a way to curate your own spaces where supporters can have a more exclusive access than the general public. Be a person, be yourself, pour into the people and spaces that pour into you, prioritize quality over quantity, and watch how your audience and support grows over time. I think people feel more attracted to an artist and their art when they can connect to them on various levels, especially as a person. I’m still evolving in the digital world and my audience is growing slowly but surely, but I’m happy that it is growing in the right direction. I think that is the best advice I can give for now.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dasiasimone.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/dasiasimone
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/dasiasimone
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DAsia.Simone
Image Credits
Photo by Mizzel Enterprise