We were lucky to catch up with Diamond Dej recently and have shared our conversation below.

Diamond , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Since I was kid, I was always into writing and music. I use to love when my older sister would turn on the radio and we would be singing Kelly Clarkson lyrics to the top of our lungs. I actually started off as a poet. I was a part of a poetry club going up and I just had a love for words and using them to express a lot of the pain and emotions I had bottled up growing up as kid. Poetry made the transition to rapping and singing very easy. I didn’t really grow up in an environment that fostered my natural talent for writing, so I didn’t have the confidence to pursue it professionally until after I graduated college in 2018.

I started working in the corporate world, and I could feel everyday my creativity and love for words, music was dimming. I had to undergo a lot of criticism from others. Eventually, I told myself that I wanted to take my self serious in music because it was the only thing I saw myself doing for the rest of my life and I decided to make decisions that would lead me to where I am now.

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?

I am a Songwriter and Artist by the name of Diamond Dej. I’m originally from St. Louis, Missouri, but I now reside in Nashville, TN. I have been writing music for over 10 plus years, but in 2o19 I started releasing music under my artistry and began traveling for songwriting retreats across the US. I write songs, perform, and create content online. I also have a handmade jewelry business called Higher Vibez. I hand craft wire wrapped crystals necklaces, handmade nose and hair accessories.

I use a butterfly for my logo and call myself the ‘Butterfly Goddess”. I love butterflies because what they symbolize and represent to me. They represent growth, confidence, self-love, beauty, self discovery and finding your purpose in life. That’s why I feel people are excited to work with me because I love to have fun with music and writing at the end of the day. It’s hard work and I’m constantly being challenged to do new things. I love to take on things that I know the result will be growth. That’s the main thing I strive for on a daily. I love sharing energy with others and creating something everyone will enjoy, something that will put a smile on their face.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think as a creative, we are normally misunderstood on why we choose to live the way we live. Some non-creatives, like my brother for example believe, “If it doesn’t make money it doesn’t make sense”. I ‘m sure all of us have heard this phrase in some point in our lives. To a certain degree it is true. We all have to live, eat, and survive, but as a creative you have a deeper connection and energy to the world. Money is not the root to all of your decisions and in life. I feel a spiritual energy in me to create, to write, to share my voice, to sing, to perform. I get the highest burst of energy and happiness when I do these things. The best part about this is I can share this energy and happiness with others and increase their well being. I can make someone who’s having the worst day smile and laugh even if it’s just for a little moment. This to me is the beauty in living. Not necessarily to make money, though making money is essential in society, but trying to find the in between of making the money you need to live and inspiring others. It’s a hard task, and most days as a creative you are constantly doubting if you’re good enough, should you just quit and get a “real job”. To me, being a creative and sticking with it is one of the hardest things a person can do. But I believe it will be the most rewarding.

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

The biggest lesson I had to unlearn what that I could do it alone.

I grew up in the city of St. Louis and I learned very early that people could not be trusted. No matter if you knew them and especially if you didn’t know them. It was instilled in me that if I wanted to make something happen I was going to have to do it on my own. This is true in most cases. So, when it came to music and content creation, I was DIY everything. This helped me learn how to wear multiple hats. I was my own camera woman, graphic designer, producer, copywriter, video editor, content marketer. The problem was, I couldn’t be the best at all these things. There were some things I was better at than others. This caused the quality in my first couple of songs to not be the best they could be. Once I made the decision to move to Nashville, I wanted to build a team that could help with the things I didn’t quite understand. A team of people who had a certain expertise and I could bring my expertise to theirs and we would be unstoppable!

That is where I’m at now. I have an amazing team who believe in me and I believe in them and we create amazing songs and overall just amazing individuals. I love that I don’t have to do this alone. So lesson learned, you could do it alone and get somewhere, but you will get farther if you do it with others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://itsdiamonddej.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsdiamonddej/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itsdiamonddej
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/itsdiamonddej
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbt9IXLw2yb_hwiJ7slloCg
• Other: Handmade Jewelry- Higher Vibez: https://www.shophighervibez.com/

Image Credits
Micah Otis Diamond Dej Collab Music Network