We were lucky to catch up with Heidi Joy Delacruz recently and have shared our conversation below.
Heidi Joy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?
Delacruz Shoes- my first entrepreneurial venture, created during my high school days! I was always drawing and doodling on the edges of my paper (not always well received by teachers) and on my pants (much to my parents’ disdain) in high school and considered my style as my biggest way to express myself! Vans were kind of expensive, but I still wanted my own cool pair of shoes. This was many years before Vans even did offered custom shoes. So one day I asked my parents to buy me a pair of blank canvas shoes from Payless Shoe Source. I decided to draw and hand paint them, it was exhilarating to design my own custom shoes- even doing a different designs on each shoe. I signed the inside with “Delacruz Shoes” with pride and wore them to school. I’ll never forget the big smile and feeling of pride I had as the compliments rolled in non-stop from peers to teachers. Before the end of the day, I was asked multiple times if they could pay me for a custom pair- and I was just filled with such excitement that my work was not only appreciated but that it would be considered paying money for!
I remember hand painting a board game-inspired set of shoes for this upperclassman who rode my bus (who I thought was so cool, so I was beyond flattered to get to do so!). I excitedly drew and painted characters from Candy Land, details from Monopoly, and even some pieces from Chutes and Ladders. They were a HIT! I learned some more technical skills from this pair, and my first pair of Delacruz Shoes served as their own marketing around the halls. Getting CASH for my hand painted work as a teen meant so much to me, especially since I had been told too often that I shouldn’t waste my time becoming a ‘starving artist.’
I continued to offer custom pairs of shoes, even eventually doing some pairs for people who didn’t even go to my high school! These were the days before Facebook/IG, some people from the mall had seen photos of my work through MySpace- which was wild to me.
Eventually this venture led me to getting selected and featured as the 2009 Teens at the Top of Excellence for the Arts! I was covered in a local magazine in a full two page spread, a huge colored photo of me in my room painting shoes, forever a proud moment cemented in print and in my mind, reminding my always that my art is worth it.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Heidi Joy Delacruz is a seriously silly second generation Filipino-American creator, musician, and catalyst of change, traveling with her life partner, baby girl, two bonus boys to experience the joys & unique beauty of every place they go.
Heidi Joy graduated from Old Dominion University in 2013, focused on Hospitality, Tourism, & Event Management- she uses her 10+ years of experience as a bi-coastal events producer, designer, & coordinator to now create multi-sensory experiences to advocate for a lifestyle of art through her brand High Joy Love.
Heidi Joy has done set design, commercial work, short films, puppetry, musicals, improv, sketch, & stand-up comedy, worked in a yurt workshop in the mountains, opened & managed coffee shops from VA to Manhattan, and was the original festival producer for multi-day music, theater, film, & arts festival for the grand opening of a multi-million dollar theater in Virginia Beach.
A leader in human connection: she is now having fun creating safe spaces everywhere she goes, helping others explore self-love through showcasing the power of play by igniting people’s inner child to inspire creation, stir curiosity, embrace weird, & encouraging people to do what they love!
Heidi Joy has recently had work featured at the VA MOCA, as well as been the featured artist for their Family Fall Festival. She has been a featured performer for the Children’s Festival in Virginia, sharing her interactive performance to teach Tagalog through her original song “The Kutsara” while also hosting art workshops as an artist of the Contemporary Arts Network.
Heidi Joy was a guest speaker at the University of Mary Washington for their annualTaking Back the Night event.
With her partner, Jarrell Williams, they are are documentarians and storytellers of their adventures and travels and as supporters of local business through their business, Nomarama. She recently has directed, produced, and starred in work with Alexandria, Virginia’s destination marketing organization, and has directed and filmed their short series with the Elizabeth River Project.
Heidi Joy’s art has been selected this year (2025) to be featured in the Mighty Minis Gallery in Virginia Beach’s gallery “The Garage” as well as in an exhibition with the Rawls Museum Arts, a partner of the VA Museum of Fine Arts.
She is looking forward to publishing a few books and journals, providing further consultations on hospitality/tourism/marketing, designing more hand painted clothes, being invited to more speaking engagements, further development of her travel work with her family, and continuing to do whatever and all art forms she finds fun, especially while embracing motherhood!
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the resonance of impact. Like the ripples after throwing a stone into the water, there are ripples that continue on further than you may personally witness, I know that art and creativity have this impact as well. After years of being in hospitality and tourism, the industry I now take ownership of being a leader in the industry of human connection. Creativity bridges people together through connecting on vulnerable levels. To see my work have impact on a diversity of communities makes it especially worthwhile to connect even when it feels challenging.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Keep creating. Keep tuning into what you love. Embrace the world of diversity. Continue to enjoy art, go the the places that have it, support local businesses, take the time to enlist the services of a creative vs quickly purchasing it online, circulate your services, wealth, and connections within creative communities. In this digital age as well, sharing artists’ events and products on your platforms helps them gain more eyes on what they’re doing, even if you’re not able to directly purchase from them. Share art and music you love with your family and friends. Tune out of trends and discover within the unique things that interest you and pique your interests and continue to pursue them- you’ll be pleasantly surprised how many other people share them with you!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nomarama.com/highjoylove
- Instagram: @highjoylove, @heidijoy_
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidi-joy-delacruz-75290152/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@heidijoy_delacruz
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/high-joy-love
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpWWO_17QRc
https://heidijoydelacruz.bandcamp.com/album/the-love-mixhttps://www.youtube.com/@heidijoydelacruz
Image Credits
Jarrell Williams, Justin Parker, Tessa Hall Duquette