We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Julianna Toney a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Julianna, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

One of the biggest risks I took recently was quitting my job at Chanel to pursue my art and really tapping into my DJ career. At the end of 2021 I initially left my job at Chanel because of the passing of my mother. But it ended up being a peak for my creative work. I was designing for Nryva (a fashion brand seen on celebs like Tyga and Lil Baby), I was designing for Free Hugs (an apparel brand owned by my friend Jeremy) and I started Dj’ing at Copper Cove while still having residencies at Spin, Esco Seafood, and SocialHouse.

Though I currently took a job for Christian Dior while experiencing a slow period in my art career, I am so happy that I got a chance to focus on my artistry. The risk of quitting my job was so necessary. It opened my eyes to the life that I want. I hope to soon be back to just creating art and curating vibes. Right now I’m balancing 9-5 work with entrepreneurial work. And it’s tough. When I look back at the risks I’ve taken in the past, I’m reminded that the life I want is attainable..

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a multidisciplinary artist. I draw, paint, design, dj. You name it, I do it. I have a brand, SheeBangs. Under this brand I design my own clothing, sell my artwork and I offer creative services such as graphic design and dj services. I also have a nonprofit organization The Toney Art Foundation where i focus on giving back to my community through the arts and music. I’ve been doing all of this since 2020.

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

A lesson I had to unlearn is that people have good intentions. Being a woman in a male dominated industry has its perks. It seems like everyone is so helpful and giving. When I first started DJing, I got a lot of help from friends both male and female. I met so many cool people, networking with other DJs. It seems like everyone has pure intentions. But I shortly learned that that is not the case. The industry can be cutthroat and you must have tough skin.

I learned this lesson when I lost my gig at a restaurant/bar here in Atlanta. I was asked to be the in-house dj, but somehow when I was on vacation, the dj that covered for me ended up taking the gig. No one was able to give an explanation. The owner and management stopped responding to my messages. My “friend” acted clueless yet still works at the in-house DJ till this day.

Am I upset? Slightly. Am I dwelling? Absolutely not. I am so happy I got to work there and rub elbows with certain people. I have no hate towards anyone. It’s still all love because I have learned that people do not owe explanations. It would have been more professional, yes. But I am grateful for the lesson learned. Next time I know, be more prepared, don’t be so trusting, be more assertive. And I will continue to go for the things that I want.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

Almost. As I have explained in a previous question, I quit my day job to focus on my art and it was great. It seems as though as soon as I left my job, business started picking up for my design work and my Dj events. Originally I said that I want it to Dj as a side hustle and I saw that we could easily become my main career.

I got started as a DJ thanks to my friend Dj Money Maal. He gave me a few lessons and out of nowhere asked me to open for him at Spin on Peters Street for R&B Monday. My first DJ set was amazing and they asked me to come back the following Monday and so on. Eventually DJ Money Maal passed the gig on to me and that was my first residency. From there, other bars restaurants venues and friends began to book me for other events. Social media presence was a big help. Image also plays a part. Every gig I make sure I’m dressed and fashionable. And I post every event on my instagram page.

The great thing about it is that most events are held in the evening so that left me time during the day to work on my designs. And boom, there I was turning my side hustles into my main career. It was awesome.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.Sheebangs.com
• Instagram: @shee.bangs
• Other: Www.Linktr.ee/Sheebangs

Image Credits
Yesential 96 Studios SheeBangs Sycroix AvantoGarde