Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ngeri Azuewah. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Ngeri, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you tell us about an important lesson you learned in school and why that lesson is important to you?
In school I learned the value of being meaningfully in community with others. I believe that I was meant to meet every single person that I have encountered on my educational journey from my teachers, to my peers to my administrators. This has manifested in my being connected to peers and past educators in the present because of the connections that we shared in the past. This lesson has stuck with me because these same people are the people that I am able to call upon for anything in the present. It is very important to me to keep a strong community of people close to me because we serve as lifelines to one another.
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 taught myself to sew back in 2010 after having an incredibly unsuccessful day at the mall. I can’t say that I remember what I was looking for in particular but I remember coming home unimpressed with what I had found and finding a desire to quite literally take matters into my own hands. I ended up hand-stitching a small clutch with extra fabric I had left from a custom made dress that I had purchased. By 2014, I had launched my own business starting with handmade, custom clutch bags. I have since expanded my offerings to include custom home decor items.
I started writing children’s books in 2022 and have found great joy in taking very large important subjects and making them digestible for children to learn from them. My first book was about the great Mrs. Madam C.J. Walker and her infectious entrepreneurial spirit. I am so proud to write books about important Black historical figures to keep their memories alive for generations to come.
I want people to know that I am very big on sustaining strong communities with people around the world. I am grateful to use my hands to make a vital change in the world whether through making hand-made, creative items for people or through writing children’s books.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I have learned that there is no harm in asking for help or not reinventing the wheel. I make it a point to not use patterns in my work and to learn from trial and error. I am not opposed to patterns and would definitely use one in I felt so compelled, but at this time, I have not used any yet.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I am very community oriented and find immense joy in building relationships with other people. I think my transparency and commitment to connecting with people on a personal level has served me very well in building a presence on social media. For me it’s not about having followers, it’s about being meaningfully in community with so many amazing people with beautiful souls.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ngerinnachi.com
- Instagram: NubianExcellenC
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ngeri
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ngeriazuewah/
