We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brianda Summers a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Brianda, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?
It is honestly a deep knowing of i am carried with love every where I go. I have been the only one in a room who looked like me on several occasions but i honestly feel like it has always worked for my favore. I have just always had this deep knowing that i am good any where i go. Which has resulted in me being good every where I’ve went. Thankfuly. I believe that it steams from just having faith and believing in your own power. Several years ago i use to be a server and i remember on really slow days my co workers would ger stressed knowing they wouldn’t make enough money. I on the other hand, loved slow day i would make it a point to get to know my clients and i would always end the day with more money then my co workers. Which brings me to the point that it is all on us to choose to deal with what you call the daily challenges.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Peace my name is Brianda and I am the artist behind the brand Cultured Soul Henna. Based out of Fort Worth, Texas. I started practicing the art of Mehndi over 6 years ago when I was going through a period of what felt like stillness. I was in my mid-20s at the time and had been popping out babies every two years for the past 6 years. I was working part-time as a server and my husband who was my boyfriend at the time had been struggling to try to make ends meet. I had just happened to get a design for my 27th birthday and from there the journey into self-discovery began. I feel as tho I tapped into an ancestral art that had been stored away in my DNA as tho I had practiced this in a past life or it had been passed down to me through one of my ancestors. I say this because previous to this connection to henna I had never been one to be creating and even drawing, At least not since I was a child. Intentionally I kept learning and falling more in love with Mehndi(Henna).I now specialize in freestyle Henna design, Jagua freestyle art,Henna inspired mural art, One on One workshops and Event Cordinating. My one of a kind desings are intentional created to evoke creativity and a grounding sense to each individual. The henna paste and jagua paste i use is made by me. I use all organic ingredients and crystals to charge my paste for a more intentional experience. I am currently working on having monthly workshops open to the public so that they can learn and tap into this mindfulness art style.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
One of the main things is to be consistent that’s a big one. Next, I would say do much research as possible about your craft. Thirdly, be patient with yourself and your growth. Everyone’s timeline and journey looks different.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
I have read a couple of impactful books in my life time, one that truly stands out is “The Power of Now”by Eckhart Tolle. It introduces me into a life of mindfulness and intention. I learned about how profound it is to be in this moment, instead of anylising past situations in my mind. I learned about how powerful we all are just by going with in ourselfs.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.culturedsoulhenna.com
- Instagram: @culturedsoulhenna @briandasummers
- Facebook: Culturedsoulhenna
- Other: TIk Tok: iamculturedsoulhenna
