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

Heavenly, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Taking risks is just as it sounds. It can be extremely risky and scary to do. I’ve learned to approach life in the sense that you may have to take risks from time to time and there is nothing wrong with that as long as you believe in yourself and take time to think about it before acting off impulse.

Every risk plays a different role, there are small risks and huge risks. The smallest risk I have ever taken was turning down a six-figure job with great benefits due to the amount of work and stress I would have endured. I realized that it is not always about the money, if you are risking your happiness and the ability to being able to unwind and spend time with yourself and your family then it is not worth it.

The hugest risk I have ever taken was believing in myself more than anyone else believes in me. That sounds easy to do, but it is not, and it takes a special person to be able to do so. As humans, we sometimes like to hear that other people believe in us because for some strange reason it helps us believe in ourselves a little bit more. At some point, you’ve got to believe in yourself and be your own hype person because that is truly what will help you get to the finish line.

Heavenly, 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?

Growing up, I can remember vividly three of my cousins being really artistic. As I got older, I started to realize that I actually possessed the same talent. In high school, I would privately write poems but it wasn’t until college that I started writing poems with what I felt had a purpose, painting and practicing photography.

We are taught to go to school and get an education, then land the typical 9-5 in the corporate setting. Not many of us are told to chase our dreams. In fact, some are told to “get their head out of the clouds.” Life has a funny way of working out because the very things I tried to run from are the things that make me who I am today. When I lost my grandfather a couple of years ago, I started painting more heavily to cope with the pain I felt. It honestly became a therapy session for me and was a way for me to tune out the entire world. Nothing but a canvas, incense burning, vibey music, my thoughts, and a deep connection to my work. Before I knew it, I had probably had about 10 – 12 full-size paintings that I was ready to show to the world. I held my first art exhibit, which turned out amazing, and was even personally invited to display my work in 2 Chainz’s famous Pink Trap House in 2017. I never knew my art would be so recognized or catch the attention of many and that was truly a humbling experience and a reminder that I could really do anything with no limits!

As time furthered, I became more in love with the camera, which led me on some amazing journeys and working with some pretty dope people. I landed an internship working for DJ Drama at Means Street Studios. As a radio photography intern. After being an intern there for quite some time and proving myself, I worked my way up and started shooting content in the radio room for Streetz is Watchin Radio. Being able to get into the radio room is definitely an honor and a big deal as an intern! It was an amazing opportunity, as I got to meet tons of amazing artists who you guys hear on the radio every day. I will always be grateful for the experience. Shortly after that, I started learning more of the ins and outs of marketing, content creating, and branding as I worked as a producer for my friend Joi Coleman on her radio show The Jawn Joi, which now hits @dashradio.

Fast forward, after some time, I made the decision to focus on myself and figure out what it is I wanted to do. I decided that I wanted to go back to school to obtain my Master’s degree. After graduating in 2019 with my Master’s degree in Forensic Psychology, I realized that although I do have the book smarts and multiple degrees, my heart is truly wrapped in everything art-related. Once I was able to finally close the textbooks, I started painting again but this time using my face as a canvas. Creating different looks on Instagram helped my blog prosper a lot more than it had in the past.

Currently, I use all skills gained and apply them to my content creation process. I love creating and I love the freedom of doing what I love. I’m finding that when you really love something, it’s almost impossible to run from it. Being able to have had amazing opportunities prepared me for the work I am currently doing when it comes to my brand and partnering with other brands.

On a typical day, I work in the corporate world with a top insurance defense personal injury firm assisting attorneys in managing over 250+ cases as a personal injury paralegal. I have also recently joined LYS Beauty as an executive assistant/content specialist. It has been an amazing opportunity working for a black-owned clean beauty brand that you can find at your local Sephora or online. My boss is amazing and I am learning so much, I am super grateful for the opportunity!

Outside of my day jobs, I spend every single moment content creating for my blog, shooting for clients, and working on my business Glossy Bae Co.

Each day I am working hard to build Glossy Bae, as I truly want it to reflect the space I am in my life currently, and replicate the brand to reflect the health and wellness journey that I display through my content daily.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Honestly, I am still building my audience. I am genuinely making connections and finding people who truly resonate with my content. That does take a lot longer than buying followers, but I do want to truly have a tribe that loves what I do.

I will say that social media can be a game changer for you and your business but it can also be the journey towards self-destruction if you let it.

Social media can mess with your self-esteem, and I do hate that over the years some people really do rely on the number of likes and shares they get, or even the amount of followers they have to determine how amazing they are within themselves or their craft.

Social media is a scary place because you have the eyes of so many watching every move you make. The bigger you get the meaner the comments can get etc.

I always tell people my best advice is to honestly schedule your posts, or post what you have, reply to comments, and then log off. Don’t let social media consume you or deter you to think less of yourself because it will do just that if you let it. You have to remember that the algorithm is tricky, but it should never make you think less than yourself because even if only 20 people see your content that day, you have made a difference in the lives of those 20 people and they will always be loyal to the content you post.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Currently, I am trying to get back into reading a lot more because when I was younger I read all the time. My grandma would take me to the library and we would have a blast reading books and renting them out for the week.

Right now, I am reading Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience by Brené Brown. It is honestly AMAZING and it puts a lot of things into perspective for me! This is a must-have for your book collection!

Contact Info:

• Website: pieceofheavennn.com
• Instagram: @pieceofheavennn
• Facebook: Heavenly Ayandele
• Youtube: pieceofheavennn
• Other: Pinterest: Pieceofheavennn TikTok: therealheavennn

Image Credits
Heavenly Ayandele