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

Des, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

Within becoming who I am as a creative and in spaces that cater to my creative attributes along with those that didn’t, I’ve had to learn to be comfortable. Comfortable in my craft, what I do, and who I am. I’ve witnessed myself transition into a new space in which I once didn’t feel as secure. It is easy to be misunderstood or mischaracterized as a creative regardless of what you do whether it be music, poetry, art, dance, or beauty. You will always be seen through the average lens of societal constricts by someone who doesn’t have the eyes to receive your true form. That’s okay. Just like the saying goes “you can’t be everyone’s cup of tea.” Everything is up to perception and how someone perceives me or my craft based solely around themselves ultimately has nothing to do with me. All that I can do is continue to cultivate, create, inspire, and grow in what is is I love to do. Many times I’ve found that the non-constructive criticism given to me usually derived from the limitations one placed upon themselves. Again I had to innerstand that this had nothing to do with me. Did this come with some insecurity and self-doubt along the way? Yes it did. But it also taught me what it looks like to stand in my truth unapologetically. How to withstand the adversities and alchemize it into something beautiful. I re-defined the category of “black sheep” for myself by creating my own category. My work and anything that I create is an extension of me manifested in another form. With the intention that I put into my work,, I send for it to reach the places that resonate most and to those souls who can innerstand me without being mistook.

Des, 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?

Blessings. My name is Des Monique also known as GodDess. I am a mother, owner of The Goldest Hour Essentials, sensual movement coach and host of God Body Sensual Movement Dance Classes, poet, author, music artist, visionary, loctician, full spectrum doula in training, spiritual advisor, and all around creative. Experiencing a part of my spiritual awakening led me to discover other endeavors that aligned with my path. The Goldest Hour Essentials is a wholistic, feminine health and wellness line that offers products and services such as in house yoni-steam sessions, customized yoni steam herbal blends, yoni soaps and oils, bath bombs, and I’m currently working on adding a men and childrens’ collection. As I started working with clients and facilitating yoni steam services, I begin to recognize the disconnect amongst so many women from womb to womb. Healing was needed in so many forms and I was inspired to move not only within my business but taking an internal look on what this work looked like for me in order to connect to other women. Through daily sensual dance , I consistently learned the power of transformation through movement, sound, and vibration. I recognized it’s healing energy to my sacral space. God Body Sensual Movement was a vision to cultivate a space of collective feminine flow in order to help guide a renewed sense of sensuality through movement, meditation, prayer, & affirmations. 2022, I published my first e-book titled The First Empression: A Sensuality Guide for the Reawakened Divine Feminine. My new book guides to:

✨Invoke your innate divine feminine
✨ Identify blockages that may be blocking your creativity, sensuality, sexuality, & spirituality
✨ Use sensual movement and a godly diet to heal your womb
✨Heighten your goddess energy in the bedroom
✨Create personalized daily self-care rituals
✨ Alchemize your ancestral gifts

It is currently available on Amazon Kindle for purchase. Within this creative space, I was able to enter another one within my poetry and music. Attending open mic and creative outlet events, I worked with becoming more comfortable with my stage presence and stepping into my artistry. My artist name is GodDess which represents the embodiment of my God essence & presence combined with my nickname Des. Finding inspiration in creating words to beats would bring my words to life in a whole new form. I have some new projects that I am working on as far as music and poetry goes that I am excited to share!

The vision I hold through my brand and who I am is reflective of my own inner work. I am proud of building from a place of vulnerability to innerstand trial and error happens and allows room for growth, expansion, & manifestation in its most organic forms.

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

Resilience is built through experience. I never say I’m going through things but rather growing through things. I don’t believe growth can happen in places of stagnation. Stagnation looks like little to no movement. For something to grow & flourish, it has to move no matter how uncomfortable it is. It’s the same with life and the things we grow through. I always use the analogy of holding a dialogue with a seed. If you were to talk to a seed under the ground and ask it about it’s current condition, it will probably tell you that it’s cold, wet, & a bit lonely. As it begins to grow, the seed starts to experience pain and discomfort until it finally sprouts from about the ground and flourishes into a beautiful flower. How divine. I’ve faced so many adversities that felt cold, wet, and a bit lonely. I wondered how I was even still here when things started to become painful and uncomfortable until it wasn’t. Until I realized it was all necessary in order for me to become the beautiful flower that I am. 2022 was not only a pivotal time in my business but also within my own personal realm. I was challenged with homelessness, financial set backs & disconnecting from close friends who I no longer aligned with. To be completely transparent, this time of my life is still one I’m moving through but am grateful to be coming out on the brighter side and this time with more optimism, wisdom, & strength. So often times as creatives, people see only the end result but don’t have an in depth view on what produced that creation or what it took to muster up the strength to even create in actuality. Resilience is built after knowing its going to take more to withstand when the wind blows.

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

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the inspiration that I’m able to provide for the ones being inspired. I’m sure many other artists and creatives can agree when I say that sometimes, we don’t tend to always see our work the way others see it and it creates a sense of reassurance that motivates you to keep going once you realize this. Keep working. Keep inspiring. Keep growing within your craft. It can be easy to go through a bought of discouragement from time to time. When times like these arise, I always find it rewarding to also be able to find new inspiration in old work. It gives me opportunity to revisit a similar space that I was while creating that song, poem, book or visual. Such a beautiful process.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/desmonique111/
• Other: https://linktr.ee/desmonique111?fbclid=PAAaYEi5_iBLLY-Jpl5suacagHhUMTAdEcchDVkm3zyywSxHd57y9SCSm_OFU