Meet Angelica Yudasto

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

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Angelica with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

My work ethic definitely comes from my parents. We emigrated from Indonesia when I was 10 years old. I saw a lot of what my parents had to sacrifice and how much they worked in order to get to where we are today. It took our family over a decade to get our citizenship and I couldn’t be more grateful. I believe they taught me a lot about being resilient and the importance of hard work. Talent isn’t enough especially in fields where the odds are against you and they truly showed me how far good work ethic can transform any situation. I have a lot to thank them for.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’m an Indonesian-Peruvian artist based in Brooklyn, New York. Last year I started my brand ‘de Yudasto’ which showcases handmade glass jewelry. It’s been an exciting journey being able to work on this project. I see these glass pieces as extensions of my visual art practice and it’s been a lot of fun to be able to create wearable art for my clients. Glass as a material can be so fluid especially when in the molten state during the flameworking process, it truly feels like I’m drawing in mid air and it gives a natural water-like effect. The glass earrings have been really popular and I’ve had a lot of people say that it’s an easy way to elevate an outfit as a statement piece. Lately, I’ve added glass rings with opals too.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I think three areas of knowledge that were most impactful in my journey would be marketing, artisanal skills, and optimism. For me, it was important to get to know my material before I launched the brand. I made sure to have enough sculptural practice under my belt as far as flame-working goes in the glass studio before launching my brand. It wasn’t enough to simply know how to make something, though. I learned that it was just as important to understand how to implement good product photography into my social media platforms. I’m naturally a shy person so promoting my product was a challenge but I do think that understanding the importance of the social aspect of it all made a huge difference and caught people’s attention. I think getting my brand out there through pop-ups was also very helpful and it really fueled my energy. Lastly, optimism. You have to remember why you started this in the first place and come from a place of optimism and positivity. You gotta love what you do.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

I have to give credit to my best friend, Jordan. He has known me since college and has always been my biggest supporter throughout my art practice. Sometimes, I have a difficult time giving myself credit and he never hesitates to lift me up during those moments. I think it’s common for creative people to be hard on themselves so it’s important to have a hype person by your side to quickly snap you out of it. He has seen me grow from this painfully shy teenager to someone who is able to stand before a crowd for an artist talk. I owe a lot of my confidence to him.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.deyudasto.com
• Instagram: deyudasto

Image Credits

Dimichi

Stephanie Furtun

Grace Shine Jeon

Diana Guerra